COcyclist -
Quote:
Originally Posted by COcyclist
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In another Coventry paper they tested "underfloor wheelarch blanking" on an Audi A2. They reduced drag by closing the gap between the belly pan and the tire. The tire spat may solve two problems by managing the airflow hitting the front of the tire and the turbulence of the wheelwell. Super slippery aerodynamic cars would utilize canoe-style boattailing in front and behind the tires. This is not practical for road going vehicles. A mini airdam (spat) in front of the tire can streamline the air around the tire and possibly prevent some turbulence in the wheelwell. Unfortunately, we do not have access to windtunnels to see what the perfect placement and size would be. The best we can do is to seek out similar vehicles and try to copy what the major manufacturers have done. I have been amazed to see how small some of the spats are in front of the rear tires of some Toyota SUVs (often smaller than a deck of cards). If you discount the hours of testing in the windtunnel, it is a cheap, easy fix for the automakers.
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Yes, that sums it up well. The spats work, but the devil is in the detail$ as to how they came about.
CarloSW2