Air curtains, on trucks

[botsapper]

A very subtle detail opening is all you need.

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/f....firefoxhq.ogg

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/f....firefoxhq.ogg

[aerohead]

They mentioned it in the wind tunnel video of the F-150.'would have been nice if they had attached a numerical value to the difference.!&%#)&*@+*&^%!!!

[freebeard]

Or a cutaway drawing. Horizontal slot inlet and vertical slot outlet?

[botsapper]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Or a cutaway drawing. Horizontal slot inlet and vertical slot outlet?

...somebody snoop the wheel wells of latest F-150 in the lots.

[kach22i]

2015 Ford F-150 'Air Curtain' Cuts Aerodynamic Drag
2015 Ford F-150 'Air Curtain' Cuts Aerodynamic Drag


How do Air Curtains Improve Fuel Efficiency on the 2015 Ford F-150?
Air Curtains on the 2015 F-150 Reduce Drag | Matt Ford Blog


http://www.texastypeamom.com/2015/01...fordnaias.html

The next innovation I noticed Ford embracing were something called “Air curtains”. Nearly every Ford model had these aerodynamic enhancements. At first, I thought Ford was ducting air from the front of the cars/trucks into the brakes for cooling. This excited me as a performance minded car enthusiast. Upon further investigation, I discovered the ducting I noticed were aerodynamic improvements to gain fuel consumption efficiency. The inlet/exit ducts that construct the “Air curtains” take the smooth air from the front of the vehicle and moves it through the inner fender until it exits in front of the forward wheels and tires. The air exiting the inner fender over the wheel and tire promotes smooth air flow over the side of the wheel and tire that would normally be turbulent air. Turbulent air causes drag which causes more fuel burn. This is a HUGE innovation that I have not seen on any other type of vehicle. Check out the following photos to see how this concept works.

[freebeard]

For anyone just tuning in, this was first brought to market by BMW a few years back.

This is an example of a Coanda Nozzle, taken in a wind or water tunnel:



In this case the rounded surface is the shoulder of the tire.

The size needed is really small. I'm collecting parts for air curtains for my car. It was going to 3 or 4 times this size, and have a shark fin added outside the stock fender to put the air past the face of the tire. It looks like on the Ford truck the outer half of the tread is the target.

Any guidance on this? Maybe I'll just stop by a Ford dealer.

[Otto]

Although the air curtain may help, I'm virtually certain there will be no laminar flow over the wheel and tire, despite the dubious claim by Ford.

[skyking]

Originally Posted by Otto

Although the air curtain may help, I'm virtually certain there will be no laminar flow over the wheel and tire, despite the dubious claim by Ford.

It will work, and I know the secret. They applied laminar wax to the slot opening. you will have to go back to the dealer every 5000 miles for the secret squirrel service

[Otto]

Looking at the videos, I cannot see any significant difference in flow.

The outlet picture of the wheel well appears to show an adjustable gap, and if so, this could easily be adapted for use in other cars, by trimming the fender liner.

BMW already did air curtains several years ago, so nosing around their showrooms may be more useful than Ford's.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by skyking

It will work, and I know the secret. They applied laminar wax to the slot opening. you will have to go back to the dealer every 5000 miles for the secret squirrel service

Ford uses "WAKE BEGONE" Lotion,with Drag Protection Factor, DPF-40.
It's manufactured near Rachel,Nevada.