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Automotive aerodynamics differs from aircraft aerodynamics in several ways: The characteristic shape of a road vehicle is much less streamlined compared to an aircraft. The vehicle operates very close to the ground, rather than in free air. The operating speeds are lower (and aerodynamic drag varies as the square of speed).
Various other characteristics affect the coefficient of drag as well, and are taken into account in these examples. Many sports cars have a surprisingly high drag coefficient, as downforce implies drag, while others are designed to be highly aerodynamic in pursuit of a speed and efficiency, and as a result have much lower drag coefficients.
The low-pressure wake behind a group's leading car reduces the aerodynamic resistance on the front of the trailing car, allowing the second car to pull closer. As the second car nears the first, it pushes high-pressure air forward so less fast-moving air hits the lead car's spoiler.
By proper shaping of the car's underside, the air speed there could be increased, lowering the pressure and pulling the car down onto the track. His test vehicles had a Venturi-like channel beneath the cars sealed by flexible side skirts that separated the channel from above-car aerodynamics. He investigated how flow separation on the ...
The aerodynamic setup for a car can vary considerably between race tracks, depending on the length of the straights and the types of corners. Because it is a function of the flow of air over and under the car, downforce increases with the square of the car's speed and requires a certain minimum speed in order to produce a significant effect.
Vehicle dynamics is the study of vehicle motion, e.g., how a vehicle's forward movement changes in response to driver inputs, propulsion system outputs, ambient conditions, air/surface/water conditions, etc. Vehicle dynamics is a part of engineering primarily based on classical mechanics.
Every car has an optimal speed range that results in minimum fuel consumption, but this range differs between vehicle types, design and age. Typically it looks like this graph below: fuel ...
Top: Lateral view; the red circles mark the front air dam/splitter and rear diffuser. Bottom: Rear. A diffuser, in an automotive context, is a shaped section of the car rear which improves the car's aerodynamic properties by enhancing the transition between the high-velocity airflow underneath the car and the much slower freestream airflow of the ambient atmosphere.