Aerodynamic improvment in front of vehicle. (Tire spats/deflectors)
I think we all (with aerodynamic cars) can use whiskers like in front of Daihatsu UFE III (2005 Concept) to reduce front wheel drag.
My aero improvment will include whiskers, move side mirrors inside, wipers air deflector, a kammback. |
phord -
You mean this? : http://images.motortrend.com/auto_sh...tsu_ufe3_z.jpg I'll bet you said whisker because it has a catfish look to it. I think the proper term is "strake". Here it is on the Ford Probe IV : http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...iv-strakes.jpg For me, they look like toy boat hulls, so I have kept my eye out for them in Toys R Us, ;) . CarloSW2 |
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Note the goofy ferris wheel looking spokes painted on the smooth aero hubcap.
I've wondered if the whiskers that they use at the rear of RV's would work as the bottom of an air-dam in the front of a car? If they are stiff enough to push the air up and over - they are certainly flexible enough to not be damaged by scraping into driveways and bumping into parking curbs. |
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Thanks, I had missed that thread.
It does seem that if you could curve a brush around the outside edge of your wheelwell, that in conjunction with a smooth hubcap could do a fair job of isolating the airflow around and inside the wheelwell. And if you had an airdam that had 5" of ground clearance and could add a 4" brush below that, your effective airdam would be within 1" of the ground, which should do a good job of keeping air from flowing under the car. Add to that some brush side skirts and things might be pretty quiet under the car. I wonder if there is a clearinghouse that has odd lengths of the stuff that they would want to get rid of for very little money? |
Nels -
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A non boat-hull shape for a strake is the shape of a dust pan like this one : http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg You would want one that does *not* taper from large to small : http://www.business-supply.com/sku_i...6C0100_1_1.JPG You want it to be at right angles like the one in the first picture. CarloSW2 |
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active-suspension?
Does the UFE have active-suspension? It looks like the "whiskers" would be knocked off on driveway ramps,sidewalk curbs, and parking barriers.
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It has been recommended elsewhere that DIY wheel strakes be made flexible and expendable. |
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Sponge foam could work...it's soft enough to compress on impact but firm enough to divert air. :D
Git a block of sponge foam and cut it down to the shape you want. You'll probably have to attach it with some adhesive... ;) |
BamZipPow -
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CarloSW2 |
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Old Tele man and thatguitarguy -
The Probe IV concept was retractable based on speed (and also springy, I think). I will post another picture later tonight. CarloSW2 |
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I use flexible rubber wall base for my 'whiskers'. It is pretty inexpensive too. http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?...1&cmRelshp=sim ( $ 2.48 a section ) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/...4e02ab3c_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/...21e80dcd_b.jpg |
if you use these strakes, would side skirts help,or hurt,
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cfg83 is there any more to post from that article? have'nt found it on the web yet, noticed the front strake is flat on the inside edge , great info!
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moonmonkey -
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http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...ance-panel.jpg And here's the control logic : http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...anel-logic.jpg CarloSW2 |
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I wonder how the mechanism would work in a mud/cold/snow/ice/salt environment? The area around the wheels gets the most snow/mud build up. |
as far as tire fairings go i used to run something made out of linuleum
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...s/Foto0130.jpg basically the shape was formed by the dimentions of the sheet and the way it was attached, but if it hit anything it would deform and take it's original shape. aerodynamically my version didn't work well, so i ended up taking it off but technically the system worked well, it didn't reveive more than a few scratches on the bottom |
wall base
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skirts
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Do you have any ideas about why it didn't work aerodynamically? And, what is your belly pan made of? It's hard to tell in the photo, but it looks kinda like OSB? |
Interesting detail on the Probe document.
"The use of a full length undercover body would incur unreasonable penalties in costs and weight and would not necessarily be the best solution" Pete. |
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We sell that lawn edging that you guys use at Lowes, and the wall base is not only cheaper and more flexible, but also ( as you noticed ) has a "factory" look to it since it is actually made of rubber, versus shiny plastic. |
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Unless I'm mistaken, Phil is saying skirts should be as low as the lowest point under the car.
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that would make the ones on the aerocivic incorrect,, as i beleive they extend down much lower than the belly pan on his car, am i wrong?
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This Aerospeed article has a ton of helpful information, including trials of different shapes/sizes:
Modifying Under-Car Airflow, Part 2 Measurable on-road improvements from a custom front undertray |
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@ thatguitarguy
Quote: Originally Posted by lunarhighway View Post ...aerodynamically my version didn't work well, so i ended up taking it off but technically the system worked well, it didn't reveive more than a few scratches on the bottom A couple of questions: Do you have any ideas about why it didn't work aerodynamically? And, what is your belly pan made of? It's hard to tell in the photo, but it looks kinda like OSB? sorry to be so late to respond. the original undertray in that picture was made from aluminium, and has since been replaced with coroplast. i'm not sure why the dams didn't work but i think it's because they didn't cover enough tire with but to much tire height, as well as to much of the wheel well was covered. it's not like they killed milage but i found no indication either in preceived driving behaviour as in actual FE i must say however i only use tank to tank results so evaluatings mods like this is not very accurate to say the least. i think the main thing with these fairings is that they cover the full width of the tire. most older cars have bumpers that curve in and leave the lower outer portion of the tire exposed. i'm curently running wheel dams as seen on many todays cars, with dimentions derived from measurements (1/6th tire height ground clearence below the dam) the dam coveres the inner half of the tire as well as part of the wheel well, but in front of the whell they curve backwards. also seen from the sides the dams curve backwards slightly, these dams "appear" to help as the car "feels" better to drive and will coast further. the weather is such however (snow and freezing) that i can't vouch for their effectivenes |
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