Quote:
Originally Posted by ChazInMT
I'd like to correct the misstatement about the misstatement being a misstatement. The vortex generators (VG's) were indeed placed to make the airfoil more effective, and it is highly unlikely they would provide an iota of benefit in reducing total drag on the car. Very little to no valid information has ever been put up about VG's being beneficial. How do you even know there is a reduction in flow separation?
Everything written about vortex generators has been anecdotal. You're welcome to do some A-B-A testing and let us all look at the results and see what benefit there is. Don’t just come in here guessing that they’ll improve things because it seems to make sense what the people who want to sell you VG’s are saying.
Also, flow separation or attachment is not the magic bullet that automatically gives you better aerodynamic efficiency. Keeping flow attached on a lousy shape will probably actually hurt you. The other thing to bear in mind, is that interactions of the air flowing in from the sides and top over the various shaped automobiles is very complex. Slight changes could have dramatic results by creating larger vortices than those created prior to any change. Slight changes will rarely result in improvements on any modern vehicle due to the advances in aerodynamics that automakers have achieved. Obvious exceptions to this are grill blocks (I think auto makers have to design the cooling system to be driven up-hill, in Death Valley, fully loaded, going full throttle), mirror deletes, and major changes to a cars aerodesign to make it more closely match the aero template.
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I, personally, do not have a wind tunnel with which to test the vortex generators; however, Mitsubishi does, and their techs have done extensive testing and analysis. The Evo is a purpose designed platform, and while it is true that low drag is not necessarily the focus of their designs, they were accounting for it. If, through their wind tunnel testing, they found that the vortex generators created a 1% reduction in Cd, I believe them.