Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
for the golf ball,the dimples help establish a premature transition to a turbulent boundary layer and the attendent lower drag coefficient which accompanies the turbulent boundary layer. The Reynold's Number environment in which automobiles inhabit guarantees a turbulent boundary layer and lower and stable drag coefficient at and above about 20-mph.Dimpling the leading edges of a car will not lower its drag.---------------------------" Dimpling"or adding turbulators near trailing edges can and may reduce drag in some cases however are never used in the forebody.
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Yes, I agree, doing a homer simpson on your car is not a good idea, especially around those flat areas. I remember one luxury car manufacturer has a dimpled bodypan that they said increases their fuel efficiency for the same model car by a certain % but that could have been a pitch. I like the idea of adding turbolators to the trailing edges and my front bumper = EEW so I might install some dimpling on the outside edges after i do the front grill delete. I like the idea of adding those silicone bumpies on the mirrors though. I lack the money to invest in a $200+ mirror delete (the cost is in the cameras).
For the rear area I read on a Smart Four-Two forum that aside from them complaining that their not so 'smart' cars aerodynamics were inhibiting his cars potential he went to a canadian semi-truck site and invested in some
AirTabs. He installed 8 at the cost of $2.75 each and went from 34mpg to 42mpg... maybe another vortex generator option? Sorry, lost the link =/
Another site with various color options is
here