about to get real aero dynamic

[Jakins]

So im about to start collecting election signs and stuff and build a nice lil skid plate. ive got some other things already. right now i just have my grille and bumper covered up with some stickers i have.

my goal is to have this thing looking as good as possible. my car is currently pretty damn low. my front lip is about 3 inches off the ground. that helps right?? personally im not afraid to drive around a car that is practically touching the ground because of my racer mentality haha. ive been searching up all the aero threads already and found some civic stuff. one of the main questions i had is what is the best design for a wheel spat? direct the air under the car for less of an outside wake? ive seen the wind drawings how the sports cars direct the air to the brakes to cool them. that isnt a concern of ours though correct? so we want to keep the air that goes under the car moving straight back with no interference from wheels and suspension components. alos if i where to make side skirts that are under the car out of sight with lawn trim how much could that help?

[ecomodded]

I think you are on the right track, I like the idea you mentioned of directing the air off the tire by sending it under car.
I never thought about that before but it sounds like its going to be effective, that the air will more readily flow under the car with a belly pan rather than off to the side and away from it.

[Jakins]

yah it makes sense. i dont exactly know the whole science of the spats but that is what i have gathered so far. of course most people on here have different opinions.

[ecomodded]

I am not sure how many people have contemplated that idea, I think it would win favor.
If your car has wishbone suspension a election sign would fill the space nicely, You should consider raising your front air dam/spoiler to near the same height of the planned belly pan, to avoid low pressure zones/ empty space.

Filling behind the rear wheels to the bumper well remove the parachute effect caused by the voids.
If you leave your air dam 3" off the ground then a front belly pan would need to drop down to near that level to be effective, or you could even not put a belly pan on since the air will be traveling below suspension parts.
I would add the rear belly pans if i was to keep the low front air dam, as a bonus its easier.

[Jakins]

I snagged 5 courogated plastic signs from work and one that was laying in the street that just barely caught the corner of my eye when I pulled over cuz I was lost in the hill country lmao. I really want to get a giant one off the side of the road or something. So now I'm going to start on my belly pan. I'll be posting lots of pictures.

[brucepick]

Finally, a good use for a Romney poster!

As for wheel spats, I think directing any air out away from under the car is better than sending it under the car. Once away from the car, it will have nearly no effect on your aero. If under the car, it will find whatever drag and interference there is down there. That's why a common recommendation is a low front lip PLUS thorough side skirts, to create a vacuum and maintain it as air flows rearward.

I'm not saying you need complete side skirts for spats to be useful. Just saying, I think getting the air away from there is a good thing.

[Jakins]

Thats what my friend said about the romney ones!! Would it be better to make the spats parallel with the tread of the tire or to make long sweeping one that angles the air out away from the wheels?

[mcrews]

My Infinti Q45 came from the factory with an underbelly pan and tire spats. Seach the treads in my post for pics. (front belly pan)
The spats angle in. Directed the air down the center of the car.

If you'd like to post political digs, please go to the lounge. 67% of Americans who watched think he won for a reason. (which means Romney lied...... He can get part of the 47%)

[Jakins]

Yah on my moms Pontiac vibe they are like just slightly angled inward. That's why I'm not sure. When I searched everyone said different things.

[mcrews]

What I am being to realize is that 'everything has a reason'.
While my spats point inward another car may point out. The infiniti guys might have wanted to cool the tranny!!!!! and not given a crap about aero!
When we try to look at small things in abstract, we sometimes miss the real reason or the bigger consideration.
another example is solid wheel covers. Some manfacturers have slots and vanes in the wheels to intentionally stir the air up and create flow over the bearings and brakes, others have cooling provided by....you guessed it!!!! NOT HAVING SPATS!!!!

As I stated a while back in other thread, the actually are engineers at these manufacturers who are earing their degrees. Some times it's just more obvious than others.