Well, I don't have a wind tunnel, but I do have OpenFoam set up (once I unpack and set up my computers) - I could run a few simulations easily enough, all I'm lacking there is a dimensionally accurate CAD model of a Civic
Even without that, a 'basic' air curtain set-up is *fairly* simple in design (theres a bunch of parameters that need tuning of course) and doesn't change the profile of the bumper much, if at all - it would be very easy to block off the intake for ABA testing.
Thanks frebeard for the air curtain details - I'm familiar with the basic principle, but wasn't sure exactly where to point it - its unclear from the photos I've seen whether it was pointing at the edge of the tread or slightly outside it... I like the lip/scoop model btw, that looks nice
One thing I was thinking with the air curtain concept, is that it wouldn't actually be too hard to tuft-test a 'tape-on' version as a proof of concept - just need a few extra 'long' tufts on the front of the wheelhouse to capture flow further over the wheel, and a few tufts further back on the car to see the downstream effects at the side of the car... A tape-on version would increase frontal area slightly, so probably not a drag improvement in itself, but might be enough to show the effect... Or I could even do a corflute air dam and implement the air curtain on one side only... Hmm...