Car Aerodynamics - All About Aerodynamics

Many of the leading Japanese tuners such as and Top Secret and HKS have been using aerodynamic tricks that include innovative diffusers, winglets, and splitters in order to increase downforce for improved stability and adhesion at speed.

Air Dam: A front spoiler used to divert airflow from going under the car.

Bernoulli's Equation: A mathematical equation that states the inverse relationship between air speed and pressure. The equation is:p1/4p + V21/42 = constant, where p is local static pressure, p is air density, and V is velocity.Bernoulli's Equation explains how an airplane wing creates lift: Air traveling faster over the wing than under it creates a low pressure area on top of the wing, which generates lift.

Boundary Layer: The thin layer of air near a vehicle's surface that is most affected by drag.

Downforce: A force created by airflow manipulation that increases the friction between the tires and the road without increasing the vehicle's weight or the size of the tires.

Drag: The friction between the surface of a vehicle and the air flowing around it.

End Plates: Side fins mounted at the tips of wings that can increase their lift.

Flow: Aerodynamicists have several terms to describe the characteristics of airflow. They include:

Attached Flow: Air flowing over a vehicle that follows the shape of the body.

Laminar Flow: Well-organized, linear flow.

Separated Flow: The opposite of attached flow, where air is detached from the body and turbulent.

Turbulent Flow: The extreme opposite of laminar flow.

Lift: The tendency for a vehicle to act like an airplane wing and rise off the road surface.

Spoiler: An aerodynamic device that is integral with the body panels of a car, whether it's trunk-, roof-, or bumper-mounted.

Wing: An aerodynamic device with its own body that is detached from the vehicle so that air can flow above and below it.

By King Motorsports

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