by "AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
Published 01/28/2017 at 12:31
by "AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
Published 01/28/2017 at 12:31
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STARS: 1
Good afternoon Oppos! Here is something to ponder while hopefully having a great weekend. What are the most aerodynamic wheel (wheel covers) you can put on a car (truck, suv, semi)????
Would it be the smooth moon disc? That are commonly used on Salt Flat Racing?
Would it be a set of wheels with flat faces and no spokes or holes?
Wheels off a hybrid car?
The wheels off a hypercar?
So does anyone know the answer to this question?
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
01/28/2017 at 12:36, STARS: 4
Logically, it’d be the moon discs, as the flow would be smoother across them, I’d expect.
The flat faces will have weird low pressure zones and turbulence, especially with the recessed face and the lug nuts being exposed.
The hybrid’s wheels will be the best bet for something that’s run on the street, but they’re not the absolute lowest drag. Brake cooling is still a priority for those, otherwise they’d look more like moon discs (it’s possible that they may not have that exact profile, but I’d expect them to be close).
The hypercar’s wheels will prioritize brake cooling even more, even if low drag is a consideration, so they’ll be far higher drag.
"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
01/28/2017 at 12:37, STARS: 6
there can be only one
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/28/2017 at 12:38, STARS: 2
Nailed it!
"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
01/28/2017 at 13:00, STARS: 1
I remember seeing something on mythbusters where they made a load of golf ball-like pockets in a Taurus or something, and they made the car more aerodynamic. I imagine the same would be true for where’s, so my guess would be a moon disk with loads of tiny, circular dents in it.
"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
01/28/2017 at 13:03, STARS: 1
Found the video - I imagine the same applies to wheels.
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"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
01/28/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 0
YES!!!!
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
01/28/2017 at 13:34, STARS: 1
My only thoughts would be since the wheels are spinning, wouldn’t the pockets of air create drag, lift, or vortexi instead of an air buffer? Or do we need to ask physics phds about this?
"carcrasher88" (carcrasher88)
01/28/2017 at 13:35, STARS: 1
How about turbofan wheels?
Impul’s made them, Zender’s made them, Volk’s made them, SSR (Speed Star Racing) has made them, BBS has made them, Fifteen52 makes them.
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
01/28/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 0
I was thinking the same thing, and researched it some. It seems the moon disc are the most slippery, but there is no cooling for the brakes. If it were to include openings it would increase under car drag, but would cool the brakes. So the hybrid wheels are a good compromise of the two factors.
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
01/28/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 0
Remember I said aerodynamic. Turbofans are great for cooling the brakes, and they stick out as well. Which causes drag...
Orlove covered them here a little. ( http://jalopnik.com/the-best-part-about-ken-blocks-turbofan-wheels-is-they-1459058091 ) According to XJguy he said, “If I am not mistaken, they are banned from many race sanctions nowadays, because they actually act as an air pump sucking air out from under the car creating a low pressure area thereby helping glue the car down to the ground. So they are essentially active aerodynamics; their aid in cooling the brakes may have been a side benefit. They look cool though.”
If that is indeed the case Turbofans would create a lot of drag for cooling the brakes. They do look great on 911s.
"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
01/28/2017 at 14:56, STARS: 0
Possibly... I’m not nearly intelligent enough to even start figuring out how it works. though I guess golf balls do spin in the air. I’m sure there’s lots of physics Ive overlooked here though :/
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
01/29/2017 at 12:39, STARS: 1
My head started to hurt thinking about the different variables. Someone should use this as their physics dissertation.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
06/04/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 0
www.kineticgrandchampionship.com
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
06/05/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 0
That’s interesting.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
06/05/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 0
I was an engineering judge at this year’s race.
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
06/05/2017 at 15:27, STARS: 0
That sounds like a fun duty, and you probably learned some cool tricks too!
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
06/05/2017 at 16:02, STARS: 1
Yeah, it was a great experience. Very, shall we say,
inclusive
. A good place for a straight, square White guy to get jostled in his comfort zones. The grand champion was a man and his two sons and the machine they built was
crackin’
.