Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianEdgar
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. |
Thanks. I have an ambitious project that I will definitely do some of these tests on rather than using the template. With the amount of time and money I will be spending, I really don't want to mess up the aerodynamic modifications. My project will start with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, so the aerodynamic modifications are likely one of the most important aspects of the build.
I like the idea of using cardboard to test modifications. Obviously it is much cheaper than bolting/welding sheet metal to the body.