Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianEdgar
Rob Palin's comments, and the SAE paper research I did for the book, start to show why lift/downforce is so important.
Having received his comments, I am tempted to start doing some high-speed logging of body pressures.
High-speed pressure logging would be quite cheap and fairly easy to do... but then I think - why would I bother? None of the car modification community (of any complexion) seems to be much interested in real aero data.
After all, even basics like simple averaging pressure measurements with an analog gauge apparently is like rocket science, beyond the reach of normal mortals. (Has even one person on this group done it? It costs under US$100 - for equipment that will last a life-time - and takes about 10 minutes. No, so much better to believe in the absolute BS being constantly spouted than find out the truth for yourself.)
It's all a bit like estimating the weight of an elephant by guessing its volume, its density, and the measurements taken from other animals. Like, you don't have scales to weigh the darn elephant? Oh I see, you can get them - but you can't be bothered.
After all - and get this - here even wool tuft testing is the stuff of mystery and fallacious interpretation! Fxxk me.
So I think: let someone else actually do some actual real on-road testing of high speed pressure variations. Just maybe you might find out new and really useful information. Hell, that would never do, would it...
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Some of the professionally-generated studies represent 42- centerline taps, measured simultaneously, over and under the test vehicle, under clinical conditions, and all data normalized to standard SAE air density. Centerline pressures do not represent the entire pressure distribution over the surfaces, which are better represented in the data indicating forces at both axles.
The density altitude is a significant issue. Testing in Denver, Colorado, on a hot summer day would not represent values derived along Pacific Coast Highway, a few feet above sea-level, on a cool fall day of 60-F. This context is really important.
I appreciate your investigations. I really do. It's just not something that ever captured my interest. I'll concentrate on the elephant in the living room.
