2014 Aero Updates
Jan 31, 2014, 03:35 PM
#7
Evolved Member
In order for me to contemplate adding these parts to my car, it would have to guarantee incredible performance gains to justify them being there at all. Sorry, but from an aesthetic standpoint that is some goofy looking stuff.
Just a personal opinion, and rock whatever you want, but this would have to be a pretty amazing part to justify the looks.
Just a personal opinion, and rock whatever you want, but this would have to be a pretty amazing part to justify the looks.
Trending Topics
Feb 1, 2014, 01:11 PM
#8
Aero is important and it does make a big difference. AND, it can look a little goofy, but, if it produces a measurably faster lap time than it's valuable. These changes look pretty functional, even though they would not fall within (at least my) race rules. Wings can't extend beyond the trunk/ bumper, same with rear diffusers. The value then, is the measurable difference...or not.
The problem is, some aero is counterproductive and while it might look the part, it will slow you down. Get the angle wrong on your wing or splitter and you'll give away top speed before you can say "look at my cool car".
The problem is, some aero is counterproductive and while it might look the part, it will slow you down. Get the angle wrong on your wing or splitter and you'll give away top speed before you can say "look at my cool car".
Feb 2, 2014, 01:33 AM
#9
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
The problem I have is that this is the first time that we have used this configuration so I dont have a time based benchmark. The next round will be on the old configuration so I will have some more ideas around times, speeds and breaking points. It did feel like a big improvement over our previous setup; if you look at the first two turns in the video below, you should be able to see the level of grip. The fact that i dont have to work the steering much is a big indication of the grip and stability.
I can also tell you that between 220 and 240kph the car is very stable. In the last round, which also has a long straight, the car became very unstable around the 240 KPH mark. This was mainly caused by aero imbalance. The Aeromotions wing is very effective, especially at high speed and it was causing lift at the front. The car was moving quite significantly on the straight. The front wing is designed to counter this, but we didn’t want to introduce too much drag, so the angle is relatively shallow... but you can see that there is an option for a gurney flap if needed.
The flat floor and diffuser is mainly there to reduce drag, which seems to have worked.
Most of the aero system is designed through reading and trying to understand the physics of these devices (wing, splitter, diffuser and floor), and how they work together. Everything has some level of understanding behind it. The angle of the rear diffuser in particular.
The one area of guess work is the blown diffuser. We had no idea what that was going to do, or if it was going to work. However, if you watch the video you will see what happened when I lifted slightly at 160kph, and I mean slightly, the back end grip just went away. This was a problem with the F1 cars of the 70’s and 80’s which had similar, basic blown diffuser designs......
I can also tell you that between 220 and 240kph the car is very stable. In the last round, which also has a long straight, the car became very unstable around the 240 KPH mark. This was mainly caused by aero imbalance. The Aeromotions wing is very effective, especially at high speed and it was causing lift at the front. The car was moving quite significantly on the straight. The front wing is designed to counter this, but we didn’t want to introduce too much drag, so the angle is relatively shallow... but you can see that there is an option for a gurney flap if needed.
The flat floor and diffuser is mainly there to reduce drag, which seems to have worked.
Most of the aero system is designed through reading and trying to understand the physics of these devices (wing, splitter, diffuser and floor), and how they work together. Everything has some level of understanding behind it. The angle of the rear diffuser in particular.
The one area of guess work is the blown diffuser. We had no idea what that was going to do, or if it was going to work. However, if you watch the video you will see what happened when I lifted slightly at 160kph, and I mean slightly, the back end grip just went away. This was a problem with the F1 cars of the 70’s and 80’s which had similar, basic blown diffuser designs......
Feb 4, 2014, 10:33 AM
#10
Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Central IL
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
+1 for functional aero and good ole trial and error. I've been reading Competition Car Aerodynamics by Simon McBeath. It's been a good read and has a lot of the basics with the math to support it. It would be awesome if we had a 3D CAD model of the Evo X and could run tests through some open source CFD software.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post