Show me your wheel spats!!!...

[PaulB2]

Moral of the story seems to be, don't mess with the spats... if the manufacturers took the trouble to put them there in the first place, they probably checked for optimum size and orientation in a wind tunnel.

[freebeard]

...and then downsized them to allow for knucleheads bouncing off of curbs and driving on flat tires.

[Xist]

I honestly do not think that any part of any affordable car is optimized for anything but profit margin, but I do not know how many areas can be improved easily. Aerodynamics? Sure, everybody slacks there. Drivetrain? Well, Honda was seemingly lazy with the Ridgeline, while giving their minivan unnecessary power. Other areas, though?

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by freebeard

...and then downsized them to allow for knucleheads bouncing off of curbs and driving on flat tires.

That theory doesn't necessarily work, earlier in the thread someone showed tall SUVs using small spats. There is probably some tricky stuff going on.

Besides, the spats are made of rubber or something like that, so they can be bent around and scraped.

[TimV]

The unpainted version. It is painted mat black after a few days.

[freebeard]

serialk11r -- That was really a place-holder for a long rant about marketing and focus groups. I yield the point.

I think a proper spat would look something like this, a U-shaped metal bar and a piece of conveyor belt:

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

That theory doesn't necessarily work, earlier in the thread someone showed tall SUVs using small spats. There is probably some tricky stuff going on.

Besides, the spats are made of rubber or something like that, so they can be bent around and scraped.

You can't have large spats on an off road SUV, if they get trapped between the tyre and a rock they'll get ripped off. Same reason you can get removable mud flaps, back over a rock and a mud flap will rip off a fender (I managed to do that once ).

[2000mc]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

any ideas whats going on with these spats on a 2014 maserati ghibli?

Found more of an answer while reading about the cla180. saying that it works with different wheel dimensions, makes me wonder if it could be blindly applied to other vehicles
Aerodynamics: Sleek as they come | Daimler Global Media Site > Brands & Products > Mercedes-Benz Cars > Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars > CLA > Coupé
...serrated wheel spoilers on the front and rear wheel arches.
The patented wheel spoiler was developed with the help of airflow analysis. This seemingly innocuous component reduces undesirable air turbulence in the wheel arches in no less than three ways, by lowering linear turbulence, deflecting the airflow from the wheels and stabilising shear waves with its serrated edge. The wheel spoiler remains effective whatever the suspension level and wheel dimensions.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

Found more of an answer while reading about the cla180. saying that it works with different wheel dimensions, makes me wonder if it could be blindly applied to other vehicles
Aerodynamics: Sleek as they come | Daimler Global Media Site > Brands & Products > Mercedes-Benz Cars > Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars > CLA > Coupé
...serrated wheel spoilers on the front and rear wheel arches.
The patented wheel spoiler was developed with the help of airflow analysis. This seemingly innocuous component reduces undesirable air turbulence in the wheel arches in no less than three ways, by lowering linear turbulence, deflecting the airflow from the wheels and stabilising shear waves with its serrated edge. The wheel spoiler remains effective whatever the suspension level and wheel dimensions.

Since the taco fairing (GoroTamai) shields both the wheel and wheel-flop real estate,then as long as wheels/tires are the same at the outside,the taco fairing will continue to do the same job of deflecting air for the tire face,and the wheel-flop void around the front suspension.
It's a contextual remark which respects the context in which it is stated.

[2000mc]

Every time! ... All I need is hours in a wind tunnel to figure out how to optimize some small part for a chance to see an extra .02mpg