Graphic Intro to Auto Aero - AYWTKAAABWATA

[Rokeby]

Graphic Introduction to Automobile Aerodynamics;
All You Wanted To Know About Automobile Aerodynamics But Were Afraid To Ask

An excellent summary in a graphic format of the many elements of aerodynamics
as they effect the cars we drive:

The Influence of Aerodynamics on the Design of High-Performance Road Vehicles,
Part 1, Guido Buresti

[cfg83]

Rokeby -

Thanks! I never heard of the 1996 Fioravanti Flair. Aesthetically, I think you could sell that tomorrow :

Fioravanti Flair Concept - Supercars.net


I see Buick Reatta and Geo Storm.

CarloSW2

[lunarhighway]

reminds me of the alfa romeo GTV and the fiat coupe of the same timeframe

[Rokeby]

As to the blue car -- the Fiat? -- aren't those "eye brow" skirts on the
front and rear wheel wells cute?

Probably more a styling exercise than anything to do with air flow/aero.

[lunarhighway]

i think the fiat has a 0.33 Cd so that's pretty terrible considdering how strikingly similar the layout is to the Fioravanti Flair. if it's truely 0.18, then even with some whipers, rearviewmirrors and huge panel gaps, this car still should not have a Cd over 0.26 or sp

i don't think the special wheel arches have much to do with aero, but they're an interesting styling solution for semi wheel skirts.

[mcrews]

Page 5 of 55 ......and I already feel dumb

page 10 of 55 I AM BACK ON MY GAME!!!!!!!!

page 37 Audi certainly is a pacesetter

That was VERY helpful.

[lunarhighway]

what struck me most when i saw this article a while ago was the part on page 35 about the morel bodies. this is something that's hard to spot intuitively but apparently the shape and curvature of the c pillars has a big effect on aero.

i have not been able to find much more about "morel bodies" but i've seen the effect on my previous car as rainflow patterns on the windshield, my curent car is generally similar in layout but does not display this patterns.

this might be one of the reasons why boattails have a bigger effect on some cars than on others

[Rokeby]

I've found a Part 2 to the presentation linked in the OP. It is more academic in
content, at least for us, in that it deals with the iterative process of designing
aerodynamics into a vehicle from the beginning. In the cases discussed, they
are Ferraris.

Worth a look to understand that good aero isn't a byproduct of car design. It
must be an integral element of the design process. It also suggests why it
would be difficult to make significant improvements to a car with good aero
as it comes from the showroom floor.

Given the resources cited as being required to get aero right, before
production begins -- wind tunnel, supercomputer, etc. -- it also is a very
positive comment on the effort of EM modders whose creations have
produced major FE/MPG gains. (Basjoos' Civic and MetroMPG's Geo Metro
come immediately to mind.)

The Influence of Aerodynamics on the Design of High-Performance Road Vehicles,
Part 2, Guido Buresti

FWIW, again;
Part 1.