Quote:
Originally Posted by Flakbadger
I am also surprised that there haven't been more race cars with active aero...
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There were in the 60s. The original Big Wing Chaparral had a driver-controlled wing, in fact. Porsche decided that it would be better to use wings that were actuated by suspension movement on their 908 and the early 917. After the failure of a couple of other suspension-mounted aero devices, resulting in high-speed wrecks, the rulesmakers declared any aero device that moved was illegal. I believe this was right before Le Mans in 1969.
Porsche argued that they were integral to the design of the 917, and the car was undriveable without them. (It was just about undriveable with them, too.) They compromised, removing the articulation from the flaps on the 908s but leaving them fully functional on the 917s. (I don't think any of the latter finished the race at all, though.)
The flaps would deflect upwards when the suspension drooped, meaning that the inboard side would be pressed down. Under braking, the tail would rise and so both sides would be pushed down by the flaps. On the straights, the flaps were flat and produced little downforce and little drag.
...Yeah, as I mentioned earlier I'm still reading through
Excellence was Expected...
-soD