Cd and blunt front ends

[Christ]

Originally Posted by Hermie

Anyone who has locked their brakes on the highway is included in that poll. Higher lift means increased braking distances due to decreased traction.

But if you want to keep your head buried in the sand, be my guest. Like I said, I'll just point and laugh when you wreck because you didn't have the grip to get out of the way.

Are you aware that aerodynamic profile changes drastically during heavy braking? You get more frontal area and a much higher Cd due to angle of approach changing. You create a large section of increased wake, which helps to slow you down, even at minute amounts.

Also, as speed decreases, so does lift. If you want to decrease lift, why not just slow down?

[Daox]

Alright fellas, calm down. We all know EM is about facts. Post up your data and prove your points. No more name calling.

[Christ]

Edited post... Sorry, that was inappropriate.

[MadisonMPG]

Show me one car that has lifted off of the ground going 80 mph.

Didn't I prove this to you like 3 months ago?

[Cd]

Hermie, I'm not sure why you have such a fear of front end lift on your car.
Have you been involved in an accident in which the car became airborne ?

( I have - I hit a culvert going too fast, and did a 'Dukes of Hazzard' .)

If you want to design your car to have a well balanced Cl, as well as Cd, look to cars such as the McLaren and Ferrari.
Note the absence of wings on two of the cars in the image.

[orange4boy]

There is a cure for the lift that occurred in that flip video which, by the way, was from the car going sideways. Roof mounted longitudinal ribs which kill the lift if the car goes sideways like that.

Better keep your roof rack if you intend to go sideways at 200 mph. On salt...

[Cd]

By now, I'm sure we all have seen our share of cars that are designed with a what looks like a crushed in 'pug' nose.
Examples of this design would be on new cars such as the Prius, the Yaris, the Corolla, as well as others from other makes, such as the Civic.
( I think I just made some enemies with that comment )
At first, It made sense that the reason that the nose is bulbous versus tapered down is that it helps the vehicles in a front impact. Since the hoodline in higher, it has more of a chance meeting up with the front bumper of SUVs.

But then I got to thinking about cars like the Corvette. If car designers have to make cars with front ends that are more blunt, how do sports cars get away with having a sleek design that lacks the upright front end ?

It certainly can be done and result in a safe and lightweight car - just look at the Honda Fit, which has quite a nice looking snozz.

[thatguitarguy]

Corvettes are not designed to crash into SUVs. Neither are McClarens or Ferraris. They are also in different classes than all the other cars you mentioned. By law, if they are in the USA, they have to pass certain front and side impact standards. Impact from what, is not as defined.

Safety in vehicles is good. Safety in drivers is much more important. Personally, I'd like to see fewer vehicles on the road that are built like tanks. The problem is less the vehicle than the driver, because too many people drive these vehicles like they are driving tanks.

To paraphrase another saying, "Cars don't kill people - people, driving cars, kill people."

[Cd]

Originally Posted by thatguitarguy

Corvettes are not designed to crash into SUVs. Neither are McClarens or Ferraris. They are also in different classes than all the other cars you mentioned. By law, if they are in the USA, they have to pass certain front and side impact standards. Impact from what, is not as defined.

What about the Honda Fit ?
It has a sloped nose versus a bulbous design, yet I wold think that it is tested the same way that the Yaris is.

[thatguitarguy]

Originally Posted by Cd

What about the Honda Fit ?

I don't understand your question. Fit, Ferrari, or F'n Hummer, they all have to pass the same impact standards. But crashing any car into a wall, and crashing the same car into a post, or an identical car, or an SUV, will yield different results.