Quote:
Originally Posted by dpero
Do you think the taller & wider Visa cause more aerodynamic drag because of it's height & width? Or would the better shape negate it's size? I would consider removing the rooftop AC on the Visa to help out the aero.
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If I may practice a bit of armchair aero... I'm not so sure the "aero" trailer has
any aero advantages.
For one, it's leading surface is further away from the tow vehicle's upper trailing edge and surface. Larger gap = bad.
Second, more radius on leading edges than necessary to promote "attached" flow does not reduce drag further. Yes the side edges are sharp but they are on both of them. The "old school" trailer appears to have a generous enough radius on top so no advantage there for the "aero" design.
Third, there is the additional frontal area. That simply ain't gonna help. (BTW-there's that semi thread re: that humpback trailer that's supposed to reduce drag. I don't see how.
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Fourth, the "aero" trailer appears to actually have more rear area, thus it will have a larger trailing wake. That is where most of the aero action is anyway.
Fifth, as a larger unit, it will have more "wetted" area, possibly leading to more surface drag. I wonder how much of an aero hit those corrugated sides cause on the old school unit?
The concept of the aero trailer is sorta nice but the execution of this one makes me think it is not much more than a marketing ploy OR they decided to bias the design in favor of increased interior volume without necessarily adding drag commensurately.