Wheel well vents

[Piwoslaw]

Maybe locating vents above the wheel well increases downforce for racing?

[freebeard]

Do you have an example?

It seems like it would have to be a duct rather than a vent. Something like an air curtain.

[Piwoslaw]

No example, just a thought.

[freebeard]

https://www.topendmotorsports.com/po...iber-26902.jpg

If it works, it would probably look like this Porsche 911 991.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Maybe locating vents above the wheel well increases downforce for racing?

Thermal management is a BIG thing with race cars.
When you're exiting a high speed straight, 'standing' on carbon-ceramic Brembos or Akebonos, brake-fade's the last thing you're interested in experiencing.
According to MOTORTREND, the new Lucid Air Sapphire track car, for instance, can't make two laps at some 2.8-mile race courses in Southern California, without fade setting in.
Copious amounts of air from the forward stagnation point, bathing the rotors, is the 'solution', however, some of that ram air may get 'caught' within the wheelhouses, and depending upon where it impinges, can create both drag and lift.
' Ventilating' an arched-top wheelhouse exposes higher pressure air within the wheel-flop area, to the low pressure of accelerated flow above the arch ( Bernoulli effect ), creating an efficient, passive, extractor; not necessarily creating 'downforce,' so much as just 'killing' lift that would otherwise exist.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Do you have an example?

It seems like it would have to be a duct rather than a vent. Something like an air curtain.

From #63 (permalink), the Bonneville Dodge Viper dedicated race car utilized only simple, slanted vent openings, allowing the nose to be lowered significantly.
'Blunt instruments' for sure, but $400,000 cheaper than Morelli's tuned ductwork.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

https://www.topendmotorsports.com/po...iber-26902.jpg

If it works, it would probably look like this Porsche 911 991.

Gotta be real careful on these puppies.
The 'NACA submerged inlet-esque' 'inlets' on the Ruf 'Yellowbird' prototype ended up being 'extractors,' with air flowing forwards and 'out' of the ducts, rather than attacking flow, flowing 'into' them!

[Piotrsko]

Other than tufting how does one determine flow effects or whether that matters? Begond my pay grade

[freebeard]

Monitor the ride height?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Other than tufting how does one determine flow effects or whether that matters? Begond my pay grade

* As to flow visualization, even tufting itself is problematic, as, typically, it will not reveal vorticity in the vicinity. It gives 'false-positives' related to 'attached flow' vs 'downwash.'
* Tuft screens can be placed downwind of structures in order to visualize wake behavior. Lightyear presented some video, demonstrating their use of the technique.
* Dabs of lamp black and kerosene will mimic tufting, with the accompanying shortcomings.
* Flourescent pigment blended into soap-water solution, viewed after a 'test' under black light.
* SAE published a fine little paperback, illustrating all known means of flow imaging.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Quantifying' the magnitude of results from modifications is an especially challenging issue for DIY.
Testing 'outside' can introduce enough 'noise' into results that, performance 'trends' from even 'successful' modifications may be masked in the 'signal.'
Hucho recommended that we study everything ever done, and use the data associated those changes to inform the direction of our projects, whether for 'single' mods, or vast ensembles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether any of it matters or not will have to do with what each individual brings to the experience, and whether expectations exist, or all things done, simply to experience 'what is.'
I'm a technologist. My interest has been taking off-the-shelf technology and applying it to mass-produced vehicles, to achieve the performance of one-of-a-kind, multi-million dollar concept cars which had ideal aerodynamic performance. It's simple, not easy.