The Secrets of IndyCar Aero Kits 

"31ModelA" (car) 03/13/2015 at 18:06 • Filed to: None

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There are secrets lurking on every surface of the new IndyCar aero kits. Be they flicks, or bumps, or whisps, or gaping holes. This is an explanation of how they all work and why they may just be enough to convince you to pay attention. Plus, there's lots of pictures of race cars in here!

It's once again time for IndyCar to take a stab at reinvigorating their sport, revitalizing their fan base, and drawing new viewers to venues and TV screens everywhere. (Except Brazil, of course.) And that means NEW CARS ! Or, you know, just new aero kits.

And you might as well be inclined to say " just new aero kits ", but you'd be selling the changes very short. As far as IndyCar goes, this is the day 350 million years ago when a fish crawled out of the ocean and decided to be a lizard, or a bird, or a horse or whatever. They have evolved in the name of improvement and transcendence, and now they must race!

Before .........................................................................350 Million Years After

Or am I going too far? Well, that depends on how you look at it, or if you look at it. So, let's look at it!

BUT WAIT - not before !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! gets their due. They are the brains behind all of this content. (And on that some token, they're responsible if it's all a bunch of bull! I kid.) You should !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to their podcast, rate it (5 stars), follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on twitter, and head over their !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! page to stay abreast of what they're up to.

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I never knew so much about what was going on in these new aero kits until I listened to Aaron Foster and Dusty Michael break down the details. And because Aaron is a real aerospace engineer, he speaks the truth. So there. The rest of what is contained herein is pulled largely from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and you should go listen to that now.

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So...how did we get here from there? I thought IndyCar was a spec series?

Well, I'll tell you how. In previous years, the IndyCar rulebook (which is graciously !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for all to see, unlike NASCAR...booo!) prescribed nearly every aerodynamic surface with only some room for adjustment. As teams became more limited in how they could manage airflow over the car, IndyCar grew essentially into a spec series, and not one that fans were flocking to support.

( Airflow under the car is due to the shape of the floor, and that is still prescribed by the rules though it does undergo one noteworthy change this year. More on that later. )

"Spec series!? Come on! They're NOTHING alike! That one says Snapple!"

So to address that "spec series" stigma, IndyCar has handed this air management over to the engine manufacturers with the possible expectation of bring more engineering and innovation to the forefront and creating a truer test of man and machine. And, you know, hopefully making it way more exciting to watch!

How IndyCar went about this was to essentially say to Honda and Chevy, " Look. There's is an invisible box around the front wing, an invisible box around the side pods, and an invisible box around the rear. Build whatever aero kits you want that bolt onto this car and that still fit inside those boxes. " With that, the engineers were let loose with their slide rules and calculator watches, and went wild within the confines of a few tiny boxes. Works for me!

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That's a bad photoshop, right? Right? It has to be.

Well, broadly you're looking at three regions where air is being manipulated over the car, and one area of compromise in the form of a change to the floor of all the bodies.

Three regions and one compromise.

Seen here on the Honda, the three main areas where changes were made are (1) the front wing, (2) the side pods, and (3) the "rear". The front wing is fairly straightforward as far as knowing what we're talking about. The side pod includes the radiator tunnel, and also incorporates the "sponsor blocker" (so called for "blocking the sponsor logo" when viewed at eye level). Calling the third area "the rear" is more out of ease than as an accurate description. The rear really refers to everything behind the driver from the engine cover to the rear wing and bumpers.

One compromise common to all cars, and one that eluded me until Slipstream pointed it out, is the gaping hole between the radiator tunnel and the sponsor blocker. Look below at this "floor" on the old DW12 (right) and the new hole on the Honda (left). The story goes that this solid floor is worth around 300-400 pounds of downforce(!) and that these new aero kits may be good for around 1000 pounds of additional downforce! Seeing as this is a LOT of downforce, a compromise was necessary somewhere. Cutting out that relatively small hole from between the blocker and the tunnel was a way of dialing back some of the incredible gains expected from these new aero kits. I could just be easily impressed, but those are some amazing numbers!

The previous DW12 of those badass winners over at CGRT. And a Honda.

But more specifically than front, middle and rear, you're looking at wings and humps and bumps and probably wondering what it all does. Unfortunately, "what it does" cannot be answered all at once because Honda and Chevy dreamed up two wildly different ways of manipulating air to their will. So answering that will require two explanations, and to do that we'll have to take each kit from front to back. Aaron and Dusty from Slipstream - they will be our guides.

But before that , one note about the engine: though all IndyCar engines are 2.2L twin-turbo V6s with around 550-700 hp (configuration depends on track), Chevy has traditionally made better use of that power than Honda, and that fact may inform some of the decisions seen here. And with that, we're off!

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Aaron goes on to explain how the (enormous) rotating tires create (enormous) aerodynamic drag and (enormous) turbulence. Blah, blah, math, math, etc. All you need to know is that giant spinning tires produce a LOT of turbulence and air should be kept away from them at all costs. (Or something.) From front to back, this seems to be a large part of Chevy's design.

Front Wing

As Aaron points out, the purpose of the many elements of the front wing appears to be moving air over and around the front tires, simulating the presence of a front bumper. The most interesting element, and likely the key element, is the raised winglet that works in conjunction with the upper portion of the sculpted endplate.

Without that winglet, the air traveling up that endplate would simply be ejected upward, creating considerable turbulence that would go on to affect the aerodynamics of the many surfaces and elements along the rest of the car. Instead, the raised winglet is introduced ahead of the endplate in an effort to manage that turbulence.

The winglet creates a ribbon of smooth, fast moving, low-pressure air (red) just above the sculpted endplate. As air is ejected from the endplate (yellow), that air merges with this low-pressure ribbon. The combined effect is the air ramping off the endplate, merging with the smooth low-pressure ribbon and then arcing over the tire undisturbed.

The remaining wing surfaces achieve a combination of downforce and air smoothing around the tire and nose. The suspension components also contribute to smoothing the air between the wheel and the nose before it goes on to encounter the rest of the body.

SIDE POD

Returning to Aaron's expertise, he points out that these side pods appear to be designed for drag reduction, accomplished by shaping the turbulent air into smoother flowing air before that air reaches and interacts with the surfaces at the rear. One glaring issue to contend with at this portion of the car is the aforementioned and elegantly named (by me) "gaping hole".

That gaping hole, as you'll remember, is a compromise, and one result of that compromise is a " crap ton of turbulence " created by air escaping from underneath the body. (Since Aaron is a trained professional, I am quoting his technical language here.) With turbulence being the enemy of speed, that crap ton must be sorted out. The solution appears to be strong-arming that dirty air into being nice smooth air by confining its travel to between the sponsor blocker(s), along the surface of the side pod, and beneath the upper flick.

The side pod of the Chevy aero kit has earned quite a bit of criticism for being "ugly" and perhaps unsophisticated, and the flick protruding from the side pod seems to be the worst offender. While that may be true - it may be visually jarring, the problem it's designed to address is an inelegant one, and the solution seems commensurate. If pummeling the air into submission creates positive results at the cost of aesthetic, then count me among those that couldn't care less what it looks like. There are no points awarded for beauty, so move on.

Whether we see results, though, will depend on whether Chevy's solution for the rear end of the car works out.

REAR END

This is where all the hard work up front and down the sides comes together. The ultimate goal of the front of the body is allowing the remaining rear aero bits to perform their functions to the best of their abilities.

The upper flick (1), as explained, smooths the air before it reaches the bulge and main flick (2) ahead of the rear tire. The bulge/flick (2) is intended to address the same issue as with the front wing - to move as much air as possible around the spinning tire. The bulge acts in a similar manner as the winglet up front, accelerating the air before it passes over the tire, thus extracting and smoothing turbulent air from off of the tire. Behind the tire, the top flick/tunnel (3) and the bumper pod (4) further smooth the exiting air to reduce drag.

The additional surfaces in front of the rear tire (5) along with what appears to be a tunnel curving around the side pod and inboard of the rear tire, accomplish the feat of moving air around the rear tire.

Finally, the main event of any IndyCar in my opinion, is the multi-element rear wing. In previous years, as mentioned above, the rear wing was prescribed and included a single primary element (the flatter bottom piece) and a single secondary element (the angled piece above the primary). (See the 2014 cars above). This year, manufacturers are permitted to incorporate their own designs for managing airflow over and around the wing. In both cases, the result is a more efficient and aerodynamic multi-element rear wing and, in Chevy's case, vented end plates.

This is where Chevy pulled the most from Formula 1 and, as you might have guessed, did so in the name of reducing drag. To begin with, the secondary element (6) is now made of two pieces. Without knowing what degree of adjustment might be allowed here, we do know that this design is going to allow more air to escape through the secondary element and produce far less drag than the previous years' single-piece secondary element. Furthermore, the vented end plates (7) will allow air to escape from the sides and result in less air moving more slowly over the top of the wing. That, along with more air moving faster beneath the wing, results in more downforce without creating too much additional drag.

There are, of course, implications form all all of this. First, however, let's take a brief look at Honda who have employed a possibly simpler, though perhaps more esoteric, strategy.

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Honda contracted with Wirth Research - the designers of the 2010-2012 Marussia F1 car, and so there's no surprise that certain details from the Honda aero kit are reminiscent of features now common in F1. ( Wings. Cough cough. Lots of wings! )

Front Wing

The name of the game here - and indeed throughout the rest of the body - is downforce. As Aaron point out, there are numerous very small and very specific components that contribute to the overall design of this wing, thus revealing its F1 heritage through Wirth Research.

If you begin by breaking the wing up into the ends and the middle, it might at first appear that Wirth failed to "spread the wealth", leaving the middle of the wings comparatively bare. As it turns out, there may be a reason for this. (Who knew!)

With formidable downforce comes formidable drag, and this front wing looks like it produces formidable downforce. In a possible effort to reduce some of the overall drag produced by the aero kit as a whole, Honda designed smaller radiator openings and thus a narrower, sleeker profile.

The bare middle section of the wing, therefore, is designed to cope with the smaller radiator openings. As Aaron explains, there is nothing on the wing to " bar any kind of entry [of air] into the radiators" and nothing to " trip the [air] flow into turbulence ".

Whether the wing necessitated the radiator opening, or the radiator opening necessitated the wing, the result is the hallmark of the Honda aero-kit - the so-called " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ". But that title also leaves out the very prominent endplates on said wings.

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Here's Aaron: " When you get to the tips of a wing, . . . the air is going to want to swirl from where there is higher pressure to lower pressure. So what these end plates end up doing is preventing all of the higher pressure air over the top of the wing from swirling down underneath. " What remains to be seen is whether the apparently lopsided - both front to back, and side to side - design will cause the wing to flex under extreme pressure.

Side Pods

The side pod issue on the Honda aero kit is a boring affair, at least relative to the Chevy. This could come down to how air is managed at the front of the car, necessitating fewer "solutions". It could also come down to the overall aero kit strategy as Honda is clearly in the downforce corner while Chevy is in the low drag corner. Regardless of the differences, both manufacturers have to cope with the gaping hole.

While Chevy employed their flick, Honda's winglet behind the sponsor blocker appears to accomplish the same goal of smoothing out the turbulence. Honda seems to be accomplishing from below what Chevy accomplished from above.

Or will Chevy stick with the flick? Scott Dixon's car, below, may beg to differ.

Rear

Again, going back to the F1 heritage via Wirth, one of the most prominent features of the Honda rear is the shark fin on the engine cover and behind the driver.

According to our resident expert, Aaron: " When air is escaping a [aerodynamically challenged] body [such as the driver's canopy], the flow from one side to the other takes turns generating these massive vortices. The further you can push that point back and try to smooth the shape out, you can ultimately prevent that from happening, . . . and you can prevent throwing that turbulence over the rear wing." Clearly this was designed to deliver the cleanest air possible over the rear wing.

Additionally, instead of the flicks and bulges designed to usher air smoothly up and over the tires of the Chevy, the Honda is replete with wings both in front of and behind the rear wheels. And the goal of maximum downforce continues.

The theme of the Honda is downforce, and the tone of the Honda is simplicity. Ignoring the front wing - if you can do that - the rest of the Honda is a fairly straightforward and occasionally dull sight. There's a wing where you might expect it, there's not where you wouldn't. It's enough to wonder what Honda has up their sleeve. As a fan, I'm in deep with Chevy and I'm alway rooting for the ladies and gentleman at Ganassi. But this Honda kit gives me serious pause.

So what does all of this mean for racing?

Well, for starters the point behind introducing these new kits has always been to inject new life and new variables into the sport.

For racing in IndyCar, it means that there's no going back to the way things were. The only way is forward. IndyCar may remain the more "primitive" top-tier open wheel series, but that's not for the worst. Formula 1 is what it is. IndyCar does not need to be that as well. For everyone that says that F1 had become too technical, they should be reminded that there is a series where the drivers still drive the cars. (I'm actually talking about NASCAR now, but you get the point.)

Whether you like this kit or not, it should at least mean to the race fan that IndyCar is ready for the next chapter. And if nothing else, it means a bunch of untested tech on track while drivers, teams, and manufacturers attempt to figure it all out over the course of a season.

So these aero kits are new and "untested". What issues can we expect?

Well as Slipstream points out a couple of times, the obvious question from all of this downforce on the Honda is whether the mounting positions of the front and rear components and the structural integrity of the wings can hold up. Will the kit remain rigid, or are we looking at another !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ?

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The IndyCar rules prohibit "devices that are movable or adjustable while the car is in motion" or that "may affect airflow or aerodynamics" - !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , so the potential for serious penalties is certainly there.

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Furthermore, consider the overall purpose of the Honda versus the Chevy. While the Honda is gunning for maximum downforce, the Chevy is gunning for minimal drag. While the Chevy's have traditionally made better use of their power, that power is only as affective is the aero kits ability to keep the rubber planted. Recall the Chevy's raised front winglet and the crucial role it serves in cutting down on turbulence. Again going back to an excellent observation from Slipstream, if a Chevy ends up in the bumper of another car, damage to the front could spell disaster.

Likewise, with the Honda designed to remain planted, consider the immense turbulence that it will leave in it's wake. Could it be more than Chevy can contend with and still extract meaningful speed from it's kit?

Or has Chevy sorted out issues that Honda has yet to conceive? With Chip Ganassi Racing's access to a " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ", it's possible that the Chevy kits have an ace up their sleeve in the form of real world speed and real air over the body. It is not entirely clear from the IndyCar rules whether this kind of testing would be banned before open track testing. It's all speculation at this point.

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Well, we know that what we're seeing in the renders is not the final word. The kits may be added to or subtracted from as teams see fit. We know from Ryan Hunter-Reay that the lack of power steering may be a big issue, particularly in the Honda camp. And we know that it will be a long-(ish) road ahead to figuring out exactly what works where. The ability for teams and drivers to react quickly to the kits, and make the right changes may determine the whole season. Or it may not.

Slipstream predicts that Chevy will win at most street courses while Honda will dominate at road courses, Barber and Mid-Ohio to be exact. There could be a number of track records that may be in their final days, as well. But you're going to have to listen to Slipstream for that. (Seriously, GO LISTEN TO SLIPSTREAM!)

Most of all, it's clear that we don't have the numbers yet. What we do have is frilly plumage and bumps and bulges that may add up to the IndyCar version of a flightless peacock. Or it may end up being the most exciting new chapter in IndyCar than we've seen in quite some time. It's doubtful though, whether it attracts new spectators or not, that the racing will be a dud.

Oh, and it's CERTAIN that these cars look amazing! (Shut up, yes they do!)

Scott Dixon's CGRT Target Chevy

Ryan Hunter-Reay's DHL Honda

Rear end of the DHL Honda

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The Honda in all black looks evil!

Close up of the DHL Honda front wing, and other front wing, and other front wing, and....

That's more like it.

da00 > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 18:30

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Sponsored by Gillette.

Doppelkupplung > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 18:41

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Kinja'd hard....

Stef Schrader > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 18:43

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Best livery I've seen in a while: ASPLOSION WING!

DSM_OR_DIE::Drives_A_Miata > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 18:44

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Is it just me or did this article get Kinja'd harder than that one dude that says that his comments keep getting posted dozens of times and it's totally not his fault?

El Santo Culero > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 18:59

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On this:

Well as Slipstream points out a couple of times, the obvious question from all of this downforce on the Honda is whether the mounting positions of the front and rear components and the structural integrity of the wings can hold up.

The DW12 was already cracking mount points and stress fracturing around suspension pickups due to the fact that the car is inherently biased to the rear thanks to Dallara screwing up the underfloor tunnel and transmission tunnel designs.

The DW12 at 195mph made 4500lbs of downforce in a straight line with the original floor and tunnels. It was initially predicted that the new aero kits without the modified floor would have increased total downforce all the way up to 8000lbs, which would have made the cars nearly impossible to drive without some sort of power steering solution in place. It's why the drivers always look worn out after the road and street races.

Also this:

For everyone that says that F1 had become too technical, they should be reminded that there is a series where the drivers still drive the cars. (I'm actually talking about NASCAR now, but you get the point.)

NASCAR stock cars and trucks in all three series have had power steering for over 25 years and the latest generation of Cup and Xfinity cars now make between 2500-3000lbs of downforce (That "sideforce" BS that Darrell Waltrip likes to go on about is just his redneck showing through.) IndyCars have never had power steering in either the AAA/USAC era or during the CART/Champ Car eras because they never made enough downforce to overpower the engine output which varied between 850-1000bhp from 1994-2002 and 750bhp/850 with push-to-pass in 2007.

The IRL also never had power steering and their old oval aero formula relied on massive downforce and very little engine power (constant reductions in displacement from 4.0L/750bhp in 1997 to 3.5/650bhp in 2003 to 3.0/650 in 2006 with the switch to methanol), which led to NASCAR-style pack racing that ended up hurting and killing drivers.

CART also had its own issues with NASCAR-style drafting with the Hanford Device that was used on superspeedways that led to lots of passing, but made drivers extremely nervous and led to bad crashes that also ended up harming spectators in the process.

Keep in mind that we still don't know what the superspeedway package for Indy, Texas, Pocono and California will look like or how it will perform, so to make a comparison to NASCAR is a big stretch.

31ModelA > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:00

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hahaaa....just checked to see what the "kinja'd" comments were about. If this stuff wasn't confusing before...

I'll see about fixing it.

Chaparral2F > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:00

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I have never warmed up to the designs of the current Indycars. They lack that svelte and lean look. However, these aero parts are making them more interesting. Race series need to remember that besides good action on track, the cars themselves need to have variety of designs to spice up the show. Cookie cutter cars are inherently boring. I hope that Indycar continues to allow teams to experiment and encourage innovation.

bee1000 > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:06

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Great, informative write up.

I read somewhere that the Honda front wing in the debut photos is showing every possible element in place. There may be times when they look like that, but more likely teams will be using fewer selective elements. Hopefully Honda will be offering suggestions to their teams for each circuit because without wind tunnels like F1 teams use constantly, I don't know how an IndyCar team could work through the permutations to determine the best set-up.

bee1000 > Chaparral2F 03/13/2015 at 19:12

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Agreed, but I don't remember ever finding IndyCars or CART cars much to look at. They seem to fit on ovals, but they look ungainly on the awful street courses they're forced to race on.

Side note: I hope the teams are budgeting for lots of spare wing elements on those street courses. The carnage at every first corner is going to be tremendous... and the following cautions interminable. Wait, that's the way it's always been!

JayCee-Arg > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:13

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This comedy will last until a broken wing hurt somebody... too many mini surfaces for a high speed series where slight contacts are very common...

Chaparral2F > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:16

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I read through the article thoroughly and began to notice that I would come upon paragraphs that I had already read. I thought maybe I was scrolling too fast or my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the article needs some trimming. Looks like too much copying and pasting.

Chaparral2F > bee1000 03/13/2015 at 19:20

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Exactly my sentiments. those front wings and side elements will be the first to go on street courses. I understand why Indycar went to the wider bodies after the horrific accident and tragic death of Wheldon. But, in doing so, the cars as you said, look ungainly and ponderous. They certainly do not have the cache of an F1 car.

I always liked CART better than the IRL. The cars looked more contemporary and were always much faster than their IRL siblings. It is a shame that Tony George pretty much ruined open wheeled racing with his series. The Indianapolis 500 has never been the same in my opinion.

31ModelA > Chaparral2F 03/13/2015 at 19:25

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it has now been un-kinja'd. when it published it published whole copied and pasted elements. i tracked it down to a weird element in word that carried over and wreaked havoc.

31ModelA > JayCee-Arg 03/13/2015 at 19:27

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and ya know, this really plays into my speculation about what honda has up its sleeve. if Honda plans on their components to be deformable under pressure, this could not only save their components from destroying themselves, but also counter the drag losses from such a downforce heavy set-up. that's my tinfoil hat theory, at least.

Chaparral2F > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:28

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Thanks. At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me or I wasn't scrolling right. Kinja FTL at this moment!

Rick Furnival > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:34

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Oops, Honda?

31ModelA > Rick Furnival 03/13/2015 at 19:36

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The Chevy was implied. (Fixed it)

Scrape > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:45

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Just more shit to break off when these heaps all pile up in a corner on a road course. They might get a FEW laps at speed where the aero kit would make a difference, but not likely.

xxstich666xx > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:52

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I wonder how well this would actually work.....

JayCee-Arg > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 19:56

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Well thinked! I'm not very into indycar rulebook, but if they not has banned deformable surfaces theres is big black hole to explode there...

31ModelA > JayCee-Arg 03/13/2015 at 20:04

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its banned, but it would interesting to see how banned

HG_Pennypacker > JayCee-Arg 03/13/2015 at 20:11

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I'm sure you know far more than the engineers who designed this.

Aaron Foster > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 20:11

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Aaron here from the Slipstream. Thanks for the article! Really surreal to see me quoted somewhere. Just to be clear, I never said I was a genius! Nor am I 100% certain that this is what happening. Just my best guess as to what is going on from all the schoolin' I had.

31ModelA > Aaron Foster 03/13/2015 at 20:15

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No worries. You're just a [genius]. But anyone that can use "bluff body" in a podcast and make actual sense is pretty good in my book.

John The Race Fan > da00 03/13/2015 at 20:18

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I already made that joke on blackflag.

31ModelA > El Santo Culero 03/13/2015 at 20:36

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to say the least, you're thorough. (Re: Nascar - just a joke. I'm aware of the differences.)

That said - I am very eager to see what the speedway kits bring. Considering some of the top speeds hit before when the series was more mandated, it'll be exciting to see what the manufacturers can produce.

LTIROCKS > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 20:56

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Does anyone even care about this series anymore?

MrBloodMuffins > LTIROCKS 03/13/2015 at 21:15

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I do.

LTIROCKS > MrBloodMuffins 03/13/2015 at 21:17

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You and all three people in the stands.

LOL

MrBloodMuffins > LTIROCKS 03/13/2015 at 21:17

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That does not change the fact that I love it ever since I found it a couple years ago.

dontbethatguy > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 21:55

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The Split element rear wing essentially allows the lower secondary to energize the flow under the upper secondary wing, reducing drag while increasing downforce. The small shadow at the uppermost portion of the rear wing is a gurney flap which functions to increase the camber of the wing without physically increasing the camber. This gives an increase in downforce coupled with a small increase in drag. I think that the chevy will produce more downforce than people will give it credit for in relation to the Honda kit. It would seem that chevy is more efficiently maximizing the lift/drag ratio than the Honda kit.

31ModelA > dontbethatguy 03/13/2015 at 22:23

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Totally agree on account of lift/drag ratio of the Honda kit. All that downforce is going to come at a cost, particularly so when Honda has traditionally had a tougher time using their power than Chevy.

That said, looking at the entire kit, I get the impression that Chevy deals with air flow down the length of the car, while Honda manages it. It's a nuanced distinction, but the significance could count as the speeds climb ever higher. I agree with Slipstream that the cars appear to be designed with different end goals in mind, but that's not to say that Hondas produce too much drag and Chevys produce too little downforce.

Do you get the impression that the Chevy's will produce the downforce up front to attack the corners as much as it appears Honda will be able to?

Firenze Storm > 31ModelA 03/13/2015 at 22:31

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Thinking like an F1 engineer, I like it.

dontbethatguy > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 00:07

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At first glance it would seem like Honda would produce more front wing downforce and i think that it will. Chevy's design is interesting for a number of reasons. That raised winglet's sole job is to throw air over the tires and the rest of the wing moves the air around the tire. However, in most instances where a winglet like this is used there are endplates on 1 or both sides of it. Chevy's design is interesting in the fact that there are no endplates on this winglet. In fact, it would seem that there are no endplates at all. The "sculpted endplate upper" you reference above appears to function more in line with a diffuser by creating an area of low pressure under the ends of the wings then a "traditional" endplate.

To answer your question, it doesn't matter so much that they produce as much downforce on the front wing vs the honda. It matters that their aero package is well balanced and the chassis is well sorted out to be able to turn miniscule losses in the higher speed corners due to less downforce into higher gains in the lower speed corners where downforce isn't as important. That coupled with higher straightaway speeds, in my estimation, will make up for less downforce.

fyjr > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:01

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Didn't we all figure out, a few years ago, that massive downforce was bad for RACING??? If these kits generate shitloads of drag too, that will make the ol' slingshot pass entertaining again. But, if they get above F1 levels of negative lift, no driver will be able to get near another car on the way into or thru a corner. First one to the first corner wins and then we have a parade. OR Yellow flags all day long from carbon confetti and flat tires as the promoters "encourage" dicing. The technology is fantastic. The racing won't be.

C-Ki > MrBloodMuffins 03/14/2015 at 01:06

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I am sure it is interesting, but personally i just cant get past how ugly Indy cars have always been... especially this year...

sorry i think this is just wrong... if they are so into aerodynamics/winds/flow, they should go with hangliding...

LazyLemming > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:15

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You guys say they're ugly...

I say "HOLY SHIT THEY"RE RACING FUCKING HOT WHEELS!"

d3v > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:20

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This one directs the air going over the tires.

d3v > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:21

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This one directs the air going over the body of the car.

d3v > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:21

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Big space for air that should go into the sidepods.

Machingadera > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:24

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Now we know where all the stylists at Pontiac went

Machingadera > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 01:26

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Shout out to my 90's Pontiacs

Henry Beal > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 07:36

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These still do not impress more downforce-y cousins from across the pond:

31ModelA > Henry Beal 03/14/2015 at 09:14

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If you google " difference between IndyCar and F1 ", the results are replete with F1 fans clamoring to attest that F1 cars and IndyCars are NOT the same! Nonetheless, when a post goes up about IndyCar, an F1 fan will inevitably proffer the comparison.

I agree, as would anyone with eyes, that the visual similarities are striking, and downforce and speed are primary goals. But beyond that, these are two different cars and two different series. They do not share a racetrack, engines, tires, bodies, gearboxes, or even the same fuel.

And in any event, we quit trying to impress those cousins about 240 years ago.

31ModelA > bee1000 03/14/2015 at 09:20

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Agreed. I'd be surprised to see them run that full spectrum of elements. But then again, I like being surprised!

31ModelA > fyjr 03/14/2015 at 09:24

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That's some of the concern with these, indeed. Particularly considering the different approaches. IF the speculation about these kits - Chevy is for speed, Honda is for downforce - turns out to be true, then I'll be looking forward to see how a Chevy handles a pass around a Honda. The wake thrown by that Honda could be prodigious and prove quite difficult for the Chevys. This is, of course, all speculation. A whetting of the appetite, so to say.

31ModelA > Machingadera 03/14/2015 at 09:25

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Pontiac begins its slow rise back to greatness!

autothusiest > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 09:45

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Wow.. I have been waiting for Indy to do something like this all my life (things started getting too restricted when I started watching as a youngster) This, in my opinion, is the best move any racing organization has made since I can remember. I only vote that they keep the power down as the higher speeds were becoming a bit much. I'm all for letting teams have at to make the cars handle better than any fighter jet, just so long as there is still a focus as a whole to keep speeds to safer levels.

Now where can I go to watch these races? It's going to be a great year.

autothusiest > JayCee-Arg 03/14/2015 at 09:46

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It is banned, very very banned. They gave them an open template though.. they may just let that slide again.

dai-head-jai > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 10:07

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Hi!

F1fan > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 10:37

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Prepare yourself for plenty of yellow flags when those Honda front wings get clipped.

SaiDas > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 11:09

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Love this new California Pep Boys Special Edition!

SaiDas > xxstich666xx 03/14/2015 at 11:10

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Probably like an asphalt plow.

Irishracer > d3v 03/14/2015 at 11:51

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I think they are going way overboard. If they want to differentiate the teams and cars, as well as come up with a new look, then they need to look at making different types of air boxes. Come up with different shaped wings but not all the appendages to the wings. It's just too much.

Back in 1974/75, the F1 cars could be identified with the different types of air intakes they had. Not only did it make for quick and easy identification, but also differentiation.

Come up with 16 different front wings, rear wings and air boxes, let the teams test with them during preseason

Then hold a lottery. Team A gets this front wing. Team B gets this rear wing, Team C gets this air box, etc. That way, no 2 teams will have the same look. That would make me want to watch. They televise the preseason "Bodywork Draft" which would establish what each team would look like for the season.

Sidney > Henry Beal 03/14/2015 at 12:02

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Knowing that today's F1 rules are thought on decreasing downforce even more, i don't think its wrong to expect 2015 Indycars to have more downforce than this year's F1s.

If you see the size of the wings its like we're looking to 2008 F1 cars, and they had a lot of downforce.

The main question is: How the underfloor is shaped, and how much downforce it will make?

d3v > Irishracer 03/14/2015 at 12:14

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But that at that point, it loses the bit about having the engineers optimize the car as well since the aero is now just subject to a random lottery.

MrBloodMuffins > Sidney 03/14/2015 at 12:20

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To answer your question, in testing there was so much down force that the suspension was breaking. Because of this, the strakes and sidewalls were removed. The car still has a sculpted underwing as opposed to the flat floored F1 cars but that underwing will not generate as much of the down force as last year.

Overall, it is expected that in total, the 2 bodies will had between 600 and 1000lb of downforce even with the underbody reductions.

Assumption: in a year or two they will update the suspension components and add back the the lost underbody down force.

31ModelA > Irishracer 03/14/2015 at 12:28

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Hey, going over board is at least going somewhere . IndyCar sat in the same spot for maybe a little too long. This is a step in the right direction.

31ModelA > dai-head-jai 03/14/2015 at 12:29

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Hello?

loonatic112358 > Machingadera 03/14/2015 at 13:10

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not enough plastic cladding to be Pontiac

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Henry Beal 03/14/2015 at 16:08

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Indy is so ugly

HellPhish89 > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 17:15

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The entire point of Hondas kit is the creation and control of specific vorticies to keep airflow attached to the car and to get air over and around the tires.

http://mccabism.blogspot.com/2014/01/red-bu…

Also, you can read Hondas E-book on F1 car development and it has a nice section or 2 on aero ;)

HellPhish89 > HellPhish89 03/14/2015 at 17:17

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more:
http://mccabism.blogspot.com/2015/03/mclare…

FormerInstants > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 17:30

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Why are the aero kits up to the engine manufacturers instead of the chassis manufacturer or the teams themselves? Is it because it's too expensive for each team to do? Is there still only one chassis supplier?

What if someone like Boeing came along and said, "hey we'll design an aero kit for you," would Indy car be open to that sort of thing, having a separate aero supplier? I think that would be neat.

desertdog5051 > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 19:12

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Fantastic post. +1 to you. I am anxiously waiting to see how all this plays out in the field. Thanks for the Slipstream link.

31ModelA > FormerInstants 03/14/2015 at 21:37

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Yes, still one chassis supplier. Dallara. As far as why it's up to engine manufacturers and not teams, I would imagine that it's in an effort to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible and not turn IndyCar into an F1-style pissing match of funding. Re:Boeing - I'm inclined to think that would be absolutely fine for a manufacturer to accept seeing as Honda contracted Wirth Research (of the Marussia F1 design) to design their aero kits.

TheStigsGermanCousin > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 21:40

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Illuminati?

TheStigsGermanCousin > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 21:40

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Yes this will fit on your Honda.

dai-head-jai > 31ModelA 03/14/2015 at 23:18

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Is it me you're looking for?

Everybody loves wings.

Brosenkranz > Henry Beal 03/15/2015 at 01:41

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We can expect these new IndyCar kits to create considerably more downforce than current F1 cars. As your know, current F1 cars make the least amount of downforce the series has in a decade or more.

ticopow > 31ModelA 03/15/2015 at 01:53

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Does this remind anyone else of the Batmobile's armor from Batman and Batman returns?

Henry Beal > Sidney 03/15/2015 at 08:56

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This is based on very little than conjecture and an F1 bias, but I'm pretty sure that this year's F1 cars (which are already 2.5 seconds a lap quicker around Catalunya in testing, where there is sandbagging and Mercedes didn't use supersofts that Hamilton's pole a quarter of the way through the season) have more downforce than Indycar's. Even if downforce on its own isn't quite as much, combined with suspension tech, the amount of G's it could pull at various speeds (eg 100mph, 160mph) would be higher.

I would be very surprised if and Indycar could beat an F1 car around the Nordschleife, which is probably the most complete test of a car's performance.

Henry Beal > Brosenkranz 03/15/2015 at 09:00

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The 2013 cars, 2008 cars, 2004 cars, 1997 cars, 1983 cars: All of them have been made in the years just before big aerodynamic restrictions, and by the next aerodynamic restriction, the cars normally have more downforce (with the exception of the awesome, mutant 2008 cars, which still had a little less than the all-conquering 2004 Ferrari). Admittedly it's only been a year since the last restrictions, but look at my earlier reply for my full answer.

Keaton Belliston > 31ModelA 03/15/2015 at 23:01

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These wings make the car look like it is wearing samurai armor!! haha awesome..

WillyJimmy > 31ModelA 03/16/2015 at 09:26

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My only beef with it is the hole at the front of the side pod. Maybe it's a compromise to decrease some downforce, but I think it's the wrong one. With this new design it looks like the aero is dependent completely on these fragile little wings all over the place. A little bump here, a little grind there and you're screwed. At least with the solid floor plate there was more of a lifting body kind of effect on the bottom that's inside the corners and protected. But I'm not an aerodynamicist, so I'm just speculating.

quarterlifecrisis > LTIROCKS 03/16/2015 at 21:30

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I'm there too, for two races this year. It's good racing. Not sure where the LOL comes into play. But, whatever.

quarterlifecrisis > MrBloodMuffins 03/16/2015 at 21:30

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I'll be at both Indy races this year, flights are already booked.