downforce spoiler
06-20-08, 03:49 PM
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downforce spoiler
hey guys me and garth our chassis builder have been working on a downforce wing for my fc. This is all we got done today, What do u guys thing of it?
Luke
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06-20-08, 10:42 PM
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That's not a wing, it's a spoiler, and at a flat angle, it's probably making LIFT, although you may be realising a slight reduction in drag.
http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/ go there, look in the Chassis set-up menu, click on the Aerodynamics articles link, download it and read it.
http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/ go there, look in the Chassis set-up menu, click on the Aerodynamics articles link, download it and read it.
06-21-08, 10:46 AM
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You'd probably get a lot better effect if you put it higher up to get clean airflow. homemade wings are a nice idea and can be made to work, but it's hard to engineer properly the airfoil shape. A nice large CF wing is probably the way to go if you really want downforce.
06-21-08, 01:56 PM
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Well, we can always make u one but it would be a lil different for ur car. It would be a lil bigger and the shape would change abit.
The Aerodynamics articles link doesn't work.
This wing isn't by any means a homemade wing. A big cf wing isn't always better, a big *** wing isn't always better. A lot of people look at looks before looking at how its going to function on the car. I see what ur saying, don't get me wrong. Garth has built 100's of wings in the past, his even built wings for top fun 9000hp drag cars. i trust that what his teaching and telling me to do is right.
Luke
That's not a wing, it's a spoiler, and at a flat angle, it's probably making LIFT, although you may be realising a slight reduction in drag.
This wing is a drag style wing, one of the reasons i made it so small is because its a street car not a crazy race car lol. but it will work really good.
http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/ go there, look in the Chassis set-up menu, click on the Aerodynamics articles link, download it and read it.
This wing is a drag style wing, one of the reasons i made it so small is because its a street car not a crazy race car lol. but it will work really good.
http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/ go there, look in the Chassis set-up menu, click on the Aerodynamics articles link, download it and read it.
Luke
06-21-08, 11:34 PM
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the builder replies with common sence
We are not Mclearen motors sports nor do we have the budget to do hours of wind tunnel testing for this street car but i can say in all my years of chassis design and racing knowledge i know that this wing or "aerofoil" will create down force for this car at its top adjustment. This wing is also going to route stale airflow past the rear of this altered body shape of this vehicle. the long and short of this debate is that if there was airflow passing under it and over it at the same time all wings of similar design would in fact create lift or drag depending on the aerofoil tip or rear contact area, in this case the wing will do its job and also looks bad ***. I can not wait to see this powder coated satin black.
Thanks guys love the feedback.
Garth
06-22-08, 12:04 AM
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06-22-08, 10:08 AM
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Just trying to help you guys out based on our experience and what I've seen. Just about every road race car I've seen has a high mounted wing unless rules prevent it.
I think Terrh is a little confused there...
06-25-08, 03:27 PM
#20
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It looks to me that RPM is building a standard drag spoiler. The basic design has been used and proven many many times on Funny Cars, Pro Mod and Pro Stock cars. The primary purpose is to cancel rear end lift and at the same time streamline the airflow off the back of the car to reduce E.T. limiting drag. It looks the business for a drag car, but it is not the most efficient way to create downforce in a road race car.
A little education about wings versus spoilers may help. A wing cancels lift and in some cases creates downforce based on the difference in airspeed over the top surface of the wing versus the bottom. A faster airflow over the bottom creates a lower pressure area under the wing therebye creating download or downforce. A faster airflow over the top creates a lower pressure above the wing creating lift. Everything else about wings, such as Gurney's, end plates, tumblers, curvatures, multiple wings, etc..., are just different ways of maximizing this effect and minimizing drag.
Spoilers work in a separate way entirely. The spoiler sticks up into the airflow slightly blocking the high speed air flowing around the car. This air that is blocked, builds up until it creates a higher pressure area ahead of the spoiler. This higher pressure area pushes down on the flat surface upstream of the spoiler and creates downforce. They really only work well when there is a large flat surface for the air to press down on. The FB and FC RX7's do not have a flat and large trunk lid so a spoiler would have minimal benefit on a stock body. I like the idea of providing a large surface area cantilevered off the back of the car to make the most benefit of a very low drag spoiler. For a drag car this works really well. I like the engineering in this application. The large side dams reduce spillover and the large flat area maximizes effect. In my slightly informed opinion, great work RPM. They went for function over style and in a race car that is what is criticle.
Eric
A little education about wings versus spoilers may help. A wing cancels lift and in some cases creates downforce based on the difference in airspeed over the top surface of the wing versus the bottom. A faster airflow over the bottom creates a lower pressure area under the wing therebye creating download or downforce. A faster airflow over the top creates a lower pressure above the wing creating lift. Everything else about wings, such as Gurney's, end plates, tumblers, curvatures, multiple wings, etc..., are just different ways of maximizing this effect and minimizing drag.
Spoilers work in a separate way entirely. The spoiler sticks up into the airflow slightly blocking the high speed air flowing around the car. This air that is blocked, builds up until it creates a higher pressure area ahead of the spoiler. This higher pressure area pushes down on the flat surface upstream of the spoiler and creates downforce. They really only work well when there is a large flat surface for the air to press down on. The FB and FC RX7's do not have a flat and large trunk lid so a spoiler would have minimal benefit on a stock body. I like the idea of providing a large surface area cantilevered off the back of the car to make the most benefit of a very low drag spoiler. For a drag car this works really well. I like the engineering in this application. The large side dams reduce spillover and the large flat area maximizes effect. In my slightly informed opinion, great work RPM. They went for function over style and in a race car that is what is criticle.
Eric
