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Old 09-04-2020, 02:35 AM   #16 (permalink)
JulianEdgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor95 View Post
So it is generally better to not use any kind of template then?

Makes sense given the big differences that exist between different vehicles.
Yes I think it makes vastly more sense to trial aerodynamic changes and then test them. Nearly all aero changes can be tested with low cost (often free) changes - about the only one hard to mock up out of cheap materials is a true wing. Otherwise, you use cardboard, tape, stiff sheet plastic - or my favourite, thin marine plywood.

Then we have lot of tools at our disposal to measure nearly every aspect of car aero on the road at low or zero cost. Here's a few:
  • locations of separated and attached flow
  • panel pressures anywhere on the car
  • relative changes in drag
  • lift and downforce, both front and rear

That way, you find out what works for your specific car in terms of exactly what you want to achieve.

For car aero, guesswork and blindly following what others have done on different cars in the past is exactly the same as for any other area of car modification. And what's that? It's likely to result in much poorer results than could have been achieved through some simple test and development.

Last edited by JulianEdgar; 09-04-2020 at 03:27 AM.. Reason: typo
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