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Old 10-31-2008, 05:38 PM   #5 (permalink)
aspera
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: KC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
As some have already said, even if the FE doesn't improve -- if it helps with the air flow and doesn hurt the FE (much), then this will be a good technique for ecodriving, for sure.
Great. You said it better than I could.

I think one of the odd things in the Racecar Engineering article was how this air effected the ends of the rear wing on the subject car. I guess the air that gets sucked out the front edge of your windows by the A-posts ends up curling around the C or D-posts and influencing the airflow on the rear window. So the results would very much depend on each individual car.

There might be some kind of swirling vortex at the A-posts that you're helping to feed (with interior air) that helps hustle the exterior air around the outside edge of the A-posts. I think that's how it works. Sort of like a Gurney flap.

You guys should check that magazine out at the bookstore. They've got some great wind tunnel test results on little stuff like splitters and dive planes.
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