Air Dam Question

[spydyr]

I've finally gathered up the components I want to use for an air dam. Now my problem is how to angle it

Which is more beneficial to a car?


1. |
1 | Verticle without lip.

or

2. / Diagonal
/
or

3. / Diganonal with lip.
_ /


From what I have read the only benefits of a lip would be when taking a turn at a higher rate of speed, but would it also help prevent excess air from going under the car by redirecting it along the lip line to the sides of the car?

[wyatt]

It's possible the lip would help, but it will never show up at the gas pump. If you like the look, and it doesn't make it dangerous for people walking by, I say go for it. If it would jump out and grab someone's ankle from time to time, DO NOT!
I would say go for diagonal, keep it at the front edge of the car as much as possible, and don't go further than the existing front end of the car if it looks like it will be a hazard to people walking by. No point in saving money on gas only to pay it out in medical bills.

[AeroModder]

There are cases where a splitter helps over stock, but it's not necessarily needed. This is just a guess, but I'm wondering if a splitter would help if the dam is higher off the ground, because if it's lower, you won't really need it to keep excess air from getting under it.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by spydyr

From what I have read the only benefits of a lip would be when taking a turn at a higher rate of speed, but would it also help prevent excess air from going under the car by redirecting it along the lip line to the sides of the car?

Slanting the air dam slightly forward has a similar effect as adding a splitter plate - keeping the air from flowing underneath the car anyway

On many production cars, the front spoiler has some sort of forward slanting lower lip.


Curving the air dam along the front of the car, or angling it slightly sideways from the center, will give the air a better place to go than underneath the car.

[wyatt]

Originally Posted by AeroModder

There are cases where a splitter helps over stock, but it's not necessarily needed. This is just a guess, but I'm wondering if a splitter would help if the dam is higher off the ground, because if it's lower, you won't really need it to keep excess air from getting under it.

I wonder why NASCAR would use a splitter when their air dam almost touches the ground... maybe it's just nit picking, but I bet it does something... like making the vertical air dam act more like a diagonal air dam.

[AeroModder]

In that case, it's for larger amounts of downforce. The splitter generates a high-pressure area just above it, and the air speeding below it drops in pressure. I was talking about using a splitter to reduce drag in my last post.

Here's more info on splitters: How Does a Splitter Work? - Page 1

[wyatt]

AeroModder: Ah, downforce! I guess it makes sense when you think about it, like the high pressure area in front of a windshield, only to the max. I would assume that would mean the lower-drag option would be the diagonal air dam (better for our purposes).
Spydyr: Just as a side note, the general rule of thumb is that you don't make the air dam lower than the lowest part of the car you are shielding (lower at the wheels, higher toward the center).