fenders vs. no fenders

[hachi kid]

it's not just by saying that. I don't know a whole ton about aero, but I know the only important part isn't just what's happening when the air hits the car, but what the air is doing when it leaves the car is equally important. what always "makes sense" isn't quite right. for this argument, I just say "look at all the land speed cars." they are all sealed up tighter and smoother than a dolphins butt, and they are fighting for fractions of a mile per hour...I think they know about aero. as I've heard, the main part why open wheel cars are inefficient has to do with the wind hitting not just the wheel itself, but all the suspension components disturbing air as well. and like I said, it's not just what happens when air hit the object, it's also about what the air does when air leaves the object. that is what really disturbs the air flow for open wheel cars.





Joseph.

[quiksilverly]

Originally Posted by nutty1

formula 1 don't need fenders because they have plenty of power to overcome the aerodynamic drag of the huge tires. they may just have a deflector in the front to keep the air going over the tires instead of under.

And they do have an enormous front wing that pushes the air over the tire (as well as the front end down. There is ususaly a fat center section which comes out a bit to fill the void between the front and the back tire so you get a straight shot of air flow across to the back tire. If you think they don't wind tunnel these designs yo craze'.