Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
I would caution that you may have created more drag than you can imagine.Subaru published an SAE Paper for the aerodynamic development of their 1985 XT,of Cd 0.29,which included a rear wheel 'flap,' designed to get the air off the rocker panels,and onto the tires without turbulence,exactly what your reversed mudflap approximates.However,there is nothing intuitive about the flaps,when realizing that they are wind-tunnel developed.It's not unlikely that your new flow is worse,rather than improved.It would cost $960 just to verify it.
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I had originally installed that reversed flap in part to provide a mounting point for a much deeper side skirt, as seen here:
Now that I've gone with shallower side skirts, I will revisit the idea of removing the "reversed" mud flap entirely. I was guesstimating based on various other threads I'd read about Leaf aerodynamics that this would help split the air better than the little tiny flap being presented "face on" to the wind---but having read some more, I was already not so sure. It sounds like these little deflectors are more for keeping the air already under the vehicle from escaping out the sides rather than deflecting what's going alongside the car around the wheels.
I was/am also considering using it as a mounting point to make modified skirting as was installed on the VW XL-1, copying their homework so to speak.
Sort of leading and trailing edge boattailing.
Perhaps something to revisit. Thank you for your expertise.