2017 Toyota Corolla LLE aero mods

[woodstock74]

My spoiler showed up, $37, though I haven't mounted it yet:





I've tweaked the trailing edge, sharpened it up a bit by translating the two surfaces to their coincidence. Still have some finish work (will give the edge a slight radius just to break it) and plan to paint:

[woodstock74]

Still plugging away, added a few things that I'll detail later, but been wondering if anyone knows Toyota's philosophy behind their front wheel spats? With the open, but framed, inboard section? I'm close to completing a couple of small front underfloor panels that will substantially smooth out the airflow lead-in heading to that inboard open section and wondering what the consequences might be!

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by woodstock74

My spoiler showed up

You trashed the tyre thingies as they weren't helping aero, then add a spoiler that's very unlike to help aero either ?

Weird

[woodstock74]

Originally Posted by euromodder

You trashed the tyre thingies as they weren't helping aero, then add a spoiler that's very unlike to help aero either ?

Weird

Reading is fundamental in this day and age...

I've asked a question about the design intent of the tire spats. They help reduce drag and are quite effective in their simplicity vs. productivity and I have no intent on removing them, nor have I stated as much. I've have asked aloud what the inboard opening's function is on the spat as I'm about to add a panel ahead of them that flattens out the section ahead of the spat and in my mind will provide better airflow to the spat, and I said as much.

The spoiler, if you read further up, is part of the lower drag aero package for the Corolla LE Eco. My car is the plain ole LE. So I'm adding the bits I can afford off the aero package of the LE Eco to my LE (total package is spoiler, front underfloor add-on panel, and center underfloor add-on panels x 4). It provides for a drag reduction from .29 to .28, as published by Toyota. So instead of grasping in the dark, where I can afford it, and it is cost effective (the 4 center underfloor panels are not at around $430 for the set when all said and done), I'm going with known drag reductions for this car. The spoiler is part of that package. The spoiler is of the flat variety with effectively no angle of attack at the trailing edge. I've sharpened the trailing edge on the spoiler to hopefully further increase the turbulent kinetic energy in attempt to enhance the wake energy into the base area. Furthermore, for $37, if it doesn't function as I like I have a carrier for improvements that bolts onto the car without having to create such out of thin air. $37 well spent IMHO.

So, in summation, you've not read the thread and then made a fundamental judgement on what you think I'm doing.

Weird.

[aerohead]

Could the opening simply be for adequate brake cooling during a panic stop?

[woodstock74]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Could the opening simply be for adequate brake cooling during a panic stop?

Perhaps? One Aero here at work indicated that might be the case; brake cooling. The region ahead of the spat is a concavity and I've templated a small plate that covers over it providing a much smoother path to that spat. Probably will do nothing, but it bugged me on principle. Furthermore, I spent $47 and purchased the LE Eco front underfloor "splash panel" that smooths out the front center underfloor section (I'll post images later on), so these outboard panels ahead of the spat simply complement those.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by woodstock74

Still plugging away, added a few things that I'll detail later, but been wondering if anyone knows Toyota's philosophy behind their front wheel spats? With the open, but framed, inboard section? I'm close to completing a couple of small front underfloor panels that will substantially smooth out the airflow lead-in heading to that inboard open section and wondering what the consequences might be!

I've really wondered about this, especially as I've looked at my own car, which used an identical design. Brake cooling--maybe? Perhaps the shallow duct and hole in the deflector straighten the flow there to reduce the yaw and send it around the wheel?

Only one car I know of still uses this design, the Chrysler Pacifica. Everyone else has moved on to solid wheel strakes that curve inboard.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Could the opening simply be for adequate brake cooling during a panic stop?

But then, why bother extending it further inboard with a framed "window" ?

Or they had designed a solid spoiler, and only later found out brake cooling could become an issue in some otherworldly scenario, kept the general design and its mounts, but made a hole in it ...


Which then can't explain how the same design ends up on 2 different cars :-/

[woodstock74]

So some updates. The front underfloor on the Corolla LE looked like this:



Two things, I removed the center tow hook which can just be seen and I purchased the front underfloor off of the LE Eco, which simply bolts over what you see here.

This is what the LE Eco front underfloor. For $29 I couldn't resist. However, the other LE Eco underfloor panels are much more expensive and I don't think I'll be purchasing them:


The area ahead of the front wheel spats is a ugly concavity:


So I've created a panel to cover it:


Frankly I don't expect any noticable gains from these panels to be honest. But maybe they'll surprise me. I'll give them a squirt of paint and fill any gaps with Drip-Chek. Also noticed a gap along the flange for the spats that I'll fill as well.

I also created a panel aft of the rear wheel to close up the gap between the parachute rear fender and the exhaust. I did it more to create a mounting panel for an eventual pontoon fender to clean up the aero aft of the rear wheels. For some reason I don't have a photo of that but I'll grab one later.

[woodstock74]

So I'm looking to blank off some radiator inlet area. Going to first concentrate on the middle slot, the one below the Toyota emblem.


The lead-in ducting for the radiator is non-existent. The radiator is plopped so many inches behind the intake. And it almost seems as though they've intentionally designed the airflow to partially blow around the radiator, for whatever reason, in certain conditions? Peering into the inlet and you can peer "around" the radiator and effectively see the engine. It's to me, an odd arrangement:


So I've been contemplating designing a rad blanking panel combined with a partial lead-in duct. I've made a template:







Obviously this lead-in duct will mitigate the possibility of air flowing around the side of the radiator by creating the barrier. However, note I haven't extended it the full height of the radiator inlet; air flowing into the slot inlet at the very top can go around, and air flowing into the large inlet at the bottom can do the same. I've only segregated the flow coming from the middle inlet below the Toyota emblem. That is, assuming it was partial design-intent to allow air to go around? That might not be right at all of course! Thoughts?