Thread: Dimples
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Old 01-24-2009, 03:10 PM   #10 (permalink)
aerohead
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why

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cd View Post
I agree with you guys, but I'm puzzled as to why that Lexus used dimples on the LS430 underbelly.
They aired a commercial bragging about how the dimples work to smooth airflow.
I just assumed that the dimples were done as a Lexus P.R. stunt, with no real benefit.

However, one day I took a peek underneath a newer model VW Passat / Jetta ( ? ) and was surprised to see that a large portion of its underbelly was dimpled. ( each dimple measuring around 2" diameter )

Why would VW go through the trouble of having the dimples there if no one ever saw them except the mechanics ?

VW does a lot of aero work on their cars. ( which is odd because for years their cars were so boxy )
We covered this one in another post.Basically the dimpling you see is actually part of a corrugation to stiffen the floor.By deforming the sheetmetal,thinner (lighter) metal can be used.Lexus sandwiches sound-deadening material to their's.------- The stiffening from the "dimpling" changes the resonant frequency of the floor so it doesn't"boom" when exposed to certain resonant frequencies or harmonics of those frequencies.It has nothing to do with aerodynamics other than the fact that the underfloor is relatively flat.
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