Quote:
Originally Posted by ERA Chas
I read Smith and Fred Pugh's book on brakes eons ago so you're more familiar than me right now.
Overall, I'd guess your plan is sound. Here's what concerns me; drag and weight.
Downforce is only effective when air feeding the downforce devices is controlled and 'aimed' at them. Not sure that will happen here as you're trying to evacuate and channel air for cooling improvements. Adding a chin might compound the problem. I just feel that all the blocking panels might cause higher drag. No empirical experience to back my guess.
After you solve all this nose stuff you got the huge drag-maker, the cockpit. Think maybe a hard tonneau.
Which leads to my other concern; weight. Sure, the tin you add in the nose may only be 10 pounds-worth but you'll have substantial roll protection weight when done too. You were super weight conscious with block, trans and all bits. Maybe carbonfiber for all your ducting / fairing and tonneau??
OK how about a crew hat instead of shirt??  |
The weight is really insignificant - I am using .050 sheet. I am trying to accomplish several things
1) Air entering the nose of the car to be used for cooling and nothing else. Any air that is not needed to cool - do not run thru the car move preferably around.
2) Create a low pressure area under the car
Ducting - It's been a bit of a chore to this point. I am starting my 4th gen wall panels today. The aluminum makes it much easier to shape. I suppose I could copy in CF. I will weigh the ducting.
Roll over protection - What on earth do you have in mind? What is wrong with what I have. Somehow we got here. They turned the one into a puddle jumping the Alpha and walked. They still run bikes at 180 on a regular basis.
Unless they won't let me run it I plan to run what I have, but I am interested in what you think I will need.
Tonneau - exactly right - quite aways away, but we will have to do something.
While we are here - can I get the Webers under the hood with no scoop?
I plan to use aluminum sheet for all cold air ducting and the first belly pan back to the front wheels. My thinking here is if it gets damaged we can beat it back to shape with a hammer. I plan to use CF from the firewall back. I love your CF tonneau, but I don't know how to get there. It will take some study. I am also seriously considering a fairing behind the roll bar.
Drag is a concern but there has been quite a bit published on the use of spoilers and it is surprising that adding spoilers can help with drag by getting the air away from the car. There is less drag pushing air around the car than letting it go under. Also, the beautiful chassis is both extremely dirty and extremely voluminous which adds to the static pressure under the car.
At this level it's a lot of voodoo. All we we can do is fab and test, but there is published data to at least give a path. I expect the car to be very fast. If it is not, it will be a complete failure. Throwing hp at it would not come unless we have a stable, high speed car. What would be better, is to have a very fast car with Brent's disappointing mouse motor.
Roll protection?
Hood Scoop?
Could really help with the hat -
Shirt went with the paint
x-chr