Quote:
Originally Posted by CFECO
It seems that it has nothing to do with the body of the car at all, just making the tire more aero efficient. This could be done with fairings in front of the tire, and use the air coming through the wheel, to exit out the rear of the car to fill in the low pressure area behind the car.
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Not exactly. The major benefit and energy pickup, as pointed out in the paper, comes from the suppression of the jetting vortices squirting out of the front of the tire contact patch. This is done by "unwinding" the vortices through the use of the Coanda Effect.
These vortices turn out to be a major source of drag .You will have seen these spinning out from under the wheels of a vehicle you are overtaking when there is a light rain or mist. Look for it.