Aerodynamic improvment in front of vehicle. (Tire spats/deflectors)

[phord]

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.

[cfg83]

phord -

You mean this? :



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 :



For me, they look like toy boat hulls, so I have kept my eye out for them in Toys R Us, .

CarloSW2

[Nels]

Originally Posted by cfg83

phord -

For me, they look like toy boat hulls, so I have kept my eye out for them in Toys R Us, .

CarloSW2

Seems to me that some 4" or 6" diameter large radius PVC pipe elbows, creatively bisected, could get you somewhere close.

[thatguitarguy]

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.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by thatguitarguy

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.

This has been mentioned here, as many trucks and busses have them, though the verdict is that the brushes are more for catching debris than aero. I personally think it would be good gap filler up front.

[thatguitarguy]

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?

[cfg83]

Nels -

Originally Posted by Nels

Seems to me that some 4" or 6" diameter large radius PVC pipe elbows, creatively bisected, could get you somewhere close.

Yeah, I see what you mean. Other people have done similar things with creative cutting of round-cornered plastic kitty litter pans.

A non boat-hull shape for a strake is the shape of a dust pan like this one :



You would want one that does *not* taper from large to small :



You want it to be at right angles like the one in the first picture.

CarloSW2

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by cfg83

You mean this? :

Here it is on the Ford Probe IV :

What's the source of that image, Carlos? That looks like interesting reading.

[tasdrouille]

Originally Posted by phord

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.

My two cars agree.

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[aerohead]

Does the UFE have active-suspension? It looks like the "whiskers" would be knocked off on driveway ramps,sidewalk curbs, and parking barriers.