How would you do front wheel skirts ?

[s1120]

Why make it movable? Make it fully inclosed, with room to turn..

[trebuchet03]

Found this a little earlier

[edenstrang]

A friend of mine is working on the Aptera, pictured above!

I think the skirts that surround the entire wheel are a grand idea. my first idea was attached airdams that stuck to the hub..



But I'm revising the idea to shroud the entire wheel. Pics forthcoming...

[Mighty Mira]

I've got some time off for Christmas. The plan was to make some sheet metal bits on either side of the wheel well (attached to the car) to attach either thin rubber (I'm using pond sheet rubber) or lycra/elastane/spandex, if I can find some black stuff for cheap. The wheel should only rub on the extreme turns. I'll attach it with small bolts with washers on the rubber side. (This is within my technical capabilities, which is why I'm attempting it. I really need a shed with welding stuff to do much more.)

That brush idea is really intriguing. I'd love to see that done and pictures from someone else's vehicle on a wet day on a highway, at highway speed. I'd love to see if much air is still rotating and flicked outwards.

[edenstrang]

I'm thinking of shrouding the entire wheel with a close-fitting cowl that's attached to the wheel hub/tie rod end and base of the strut. It could come to within inches of the ground, and could show huge efficiency gains by shutting down the wheel well squirrel-cage.

The cowl will be split down the middle (long the tread of the tire) and held with dzus fasteners, for easy removal. I'd just bolt on the first half, slide the wheel on and bolt it, then fasten the outside over that. I can make the whole thing out of basic CSM fiberglass over a wheel-sized foam plug. This is exciting- I can't even imagine how good it could be...

[skewbe]

I'd drive that aptera, are they working on a kit?

The 1985 probe v also has the shroud that moves with the front wheels, heres a good thread on the subject:
http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=4428#20

[Mighty Mira]

Originally Posted by edenstrang

The cowl will be split down the middle (long the tread of the tire) and held with dzus fasteners, for easy removal. I'd just bolt on the first half, slide the wheel on and bolt it, then fasten the outside over that. I can make the whole thing out of basic CSM fiberglass over a wheel-sized foam plug. This is exciting- I can't even imagine how good it could be...

I've got to teach myself how to fibreglass. Good luck with it!

Remember to account for potholes with your design, leave more clearance than you want. It could get really ugly to have your cowl sandwiched between the wheel and the road, in busy traffic.

[Mighty Mira]

I've been searching for that brush strip material in vain. Has anyone else had better luck?

[GasSavers_mattW]

Originally Posted by edenstrang

I was drawing some side skirts in photoshop.. when trying to close off the backside of the front wheel wells I was dissatisifed. To account for suspension movement the gap is just too big, especially with the way I drive on occasion.

Why close off the back side of the wheel wells at all? remember you are trying to maximise the speed of the air going from the front of the car to the back, with an open part at the back of the well any air that is inevitably caught in the wheel wells will vent backwards rather than downwards meaning less drag and lift.

Check out the design of the area behind the honda insight front wheel well:

They curve in to allow as much air to go out the back as possible. If you can't block it off i wouldn't be too worried. It might be a better solution after all anyways

Ps. Sorry to go off topic

[Big Dave]

Rather amazing how all of this has been tried before. In fact, it probably worked but passed out of fashion.

I like basjoos' roller skirts. My truck has about 1.5" clearance with the front wheels straight ahead. The effect is like popping a 'chute. With my smaller front wheels my wheel wells are huge. Gotta do something.

I thought about using fixed front wheel skirts, blistered out to clear the wheels at full turn. I rejected that idea because that imposed a 6" bulge in place all the time. That adds frontal area so it is no go.

I do still think of a very tight partial skirt. A partial skirt would cover about 30% of the opening. Mooneyes would clean up the wheels. This would probably be as much work as basjoos' movable skirts and would limit changing tire size.