concept cars aerodynamic

[Bill in Houston]

Sorry, my wife has the camera, and she is out of town for a week.

[mustngr]

I saw a similar setup on a new Nissan truck today. At lest I think it was a Nissan, the guy so squirrelly about me looking at his truck so much and split.

As near as could tell the air entered the bumper through a funnel duct, then hit a solid partition and was directed to the inboard side of the tire. I'm not sure whether the partition is there as a "backflow" preventer, or just to keep road debris or mud from being flung forward into the duct at low speeds.

Anyone know?

[Snax]

Here's what I think is the main advantage of this sort of ducting. By directing airflow behind the wheel and out and down toward the rear of the wheel well, it would not eliminate the recirculating effect over the top surface of the wheel, but it would substantially reduce the turbulence at the rear bottom of the wheel as illustrated and circled in blue.



There isn't much that can be done to eliminate the reverse airflow over the top of the tire, as the tread itself generates so much of this, only a totally smooth tire could really eliminate this.

[Bill in Houston]

Do you think that it is pretty much guaranteed that if my car had a cavity like the one shown, and I reduced it so that it was right at the rim of the wheel arch, that it would lower the drag? Smaller turbulent volume = better? Anyone?

[skewbe]

The reason for those ducts is brake cooling, which a hypermiler probably doesn't need so much. Any aerodynamic gains of borrowing air from the front end to fill the wheel wells needs some actual testing. Aerodynamic changes in general need testing for every vehicle they are tried on (lots 'o variables).

IMHO, you should be looking at ways to improve on the following setup. No air? No problem:

[fabrio]

sorry skewbe, but I am not in agreement with you.

you read the my first post :

lotus aerodynamics
# Flat bottom with front aero splitter and rear diffuser
# Aerodynamically designed body shape with minimal drag and frontal area
# Single plane rear wing, high downforce, carbon composite, dual element rear wing

and

citroen aerodynamic

- air ducts on both sides of the front bumper. They produce an air flow through the front wheel arches, creating a virtual fairing.

in both cases, the constructor speaks about dynamics fairing, realized through a air flow that it grazes the external part of the wheel: no brake and no flow internal to wheel!

this solution not is aerodynamically good that the ZX2 coupe of COZX2 (of which you have inserted its photo) , but permit full range steering, the COZX2 car, not!

perhaps you refer to one solution like this:



I have opened a topic about this devices, look :http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=4431

[fabrio]

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

Do you think that it is pretty much guaranteed that if my car had a cavity like the one shown, and I reduced it so that it was right at the rim of the wheel arch, that it would lower the drag? Smaller turbulent volume = better? Anyone?

if you intend like the posted photo, yes for me.

Imho, the arch cavity inhales air from bottom and it expels it out from front-upper the wheel like in photo:

[skewbe]

if the point is better MPG, COZx2 is on the right track with bonefied results. The "Constructor" has not provided anything but hype about speed holes.

Those "virtual fairings" need documented testing lest they be catagorized with the invisible pink unicorns

[fabrio]

o yessssss....the job of COZx2 is fantastic, and your MPG confitme he.

about the virtual fairing, I haved only reported the declarations of constructor...one wave of inspiration!

[CO ZX2]

Originally Posted by fabrio

this solution not is aerodynamically good that the ZX2 coupe of COZX2 (of which you have inserted its photo) , but permit full range steering, the COZX2 car, not!

fabrio, I beg to disagree with your statement on the ZX2.

ZX2 does permit full range steering, lock to lock.

Concerning your statement that the design is not aerodynamically good, the 1985 Ford Probe V concept car has the lowest CD ever for a 4+ passenger car. CD .137, Probe V was factory built and wind tunnel tested.

Probe V featured full wheel fairings, both front and rear.

1985 Probe V has been my guide in modifying my car, Old Reliable(CO ZX2).