Great race aero article in GRM
04-03-2010, 10:10 PM
#1
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
Great race aero article in GRM
If you do not have it already, pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. There is a good article on aero methodology targeted at low budget race cars (no discussion on how to set up your F1 car) in normal GRM style. You do not need a PhD in Fluids to understand it. It echoes some of what has been discussed here and elsewhere.
There is also a section with pictures of several cars, with different setups, talking about what is good and what is bad on each one. They have a picture of the aero setup on a high-end Pikes Peak car; the splitter is insane.
Good stuff. I am really beginning to like this magazine a lot. It is very similar to Roadracing World (for the motorcycle road racing crowd) in that it is oriented towards the club racers.
There is also a section with pictures of several cars, with different setups, talking about what is good and what is bad on each one. They have a picture of the aero setup on a high-end Pikes Peak car; the splitter is insane.
Good stuff. I am really beginning to like this magazine a lot. It is very similar to Roadracing World (for the motorcycle road racing crowd) in that it is oriented towards the club racers.
Reply
0
0
04-03-2010, 10:27 PM
#2
Get a subscription if you haven't yet, it's well worth it.
My only problem with that article was the comment about the car with the wipers parked in an up position, creating extra drag. If you look at the pic, there are puddles on the ground and drops of water on the car. I suspect the wipers were not "parked in an up position" (how would you even do that?), but were actually turned on to keep the windshield clear.
My only problem with that article was the comment about the car with the wipers parked in an up position, creating extra drag. If you look at the pic, there are puddles on the ground and drops of water on the car. I suspect the wipers were not "parked in an up position" (how would you even do that?), but were actually turned on to keep the windshield clear.
Reply
0
0
04-03-2010, 10:31 PM
#3
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
Yep, got one when I recently signed up for NASA. Just waiting for it to kick in.
HA! Yes when I read that I thought 
. Maybe it was tongue-in-cheek.
My only problem with that article was the comment about the car with the wipers parked in an up position, creating extra drag. If you look at the pic, there are puddles on the ground and drops of water on the car. I suspect the wipers were not "parked in an up position" (how would you even do that?), but were actually turned on to keep the windshield clear.
. Maybe it was tongue-in-cheek.
Reply
0
0
04-03-2010, 10:52 PM
#5
Cpt. Slow
iTrader: (25)
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Oregon City, OR
Posts: 14,175
Total Cats: 1,129
I can switch my accessories off (heater and wipers) independently of the main ign circuit. So if you're bored and time it just right, you can park the wipers in the up position. Good for baller effect, bad for aero.
I need to read that article. It looked good, but it was long and didn't have any miatas, so I skipped over it.
I need to read that article. It looked good, but it was long and didn't have any miatas, so I skipped over it.
Reply
0
0
04-04-2010, 12:55 PM
#10
Are you talking about Chris rado's 1000whp tc with the frt. Wing? If so, there's gotta be 100's of em on youtube.
Grm is a great, and dsport is all I buy mag wise. Dsport has cover cars that have scratches on them because they're actual track cars. Time attack,drift,drag. They have excellent tech articles, product reviews, and every editor races in some type of motorsport.
Grm is a great, and dsport is all I buy mag wise. Dsport has cover cars that have scratches on them because they're actual track cars. Time attack,drift,drag. They have excellent tech articles, product reviews, and every editor races in some type of motorsport.
Reply
0
0
04-04-2010, 01:27 PM
#12
Senior Member
iTrader: (23)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Chatsworth, SoCal
Posts: 948
Total Cats: 1
On top of that that car halls ***. I was in turn 1 at Cal Speedway and he ripped past me like I was on the side of the highway about 3 car withs higher.
I talked to him a few years ago and he said that he had to turn down the boost since he had no traction due to the lack of down force. When he is supported by that many people why not try something different if it works.
I am shure there have been a few people that have done a few turbo installs that people thought were dumb and turnd out to be bad ***. It is always hard to be the first one to do something different, but if it works then you can laugh in their faces.
By the way the article was interesting to read.
Have a great day,
Jared
Reply
0
0
04-04-2010, 02:17 PM
#13
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
Oh wait... snap... OK for anyone racing in the Tx Miata Challenge. Hood extractors suck, and I do not mean literally. Don't get one! You WILL go SLOWER!
Reply
0
0
04-04-2010, 04:57 PM
#14
Elite Member
iTrader: (14)
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 2,101
Total Cats: 180
It was a great article... hope the owners can handle the critiques..
As far as the vented hood, well in some cases you just have to choose the lesser of the 2 evils. Lower aero factor (if true) vs. skyrocketing underhood temps... I'll choose taking care of the later, thank you very much GRM...
Reply
0
0
04-04-2010, 09:35 PM
#16
Thats the promo **** I was talking about.
My only thing is the wing. Does it make the car faster? I just want some video to show how that front wing improves the car. Why be progressive and not explain your ideas to get the word out. Thats like the biggest point of racing, selling ideas, selling cars. Maybe its just a ploy to make the car stick out, that'll sell some Tc's!
My only thing is the wing. Does it make the car faster? I just want some video to show how that front wing improves the car. Why be progressive and not explain your ideas to get the word out. Thats like the biggest point of racing, selling ideas, selling cars. Maybe its just a ploy to make the car stick out, that'll sell some Tc's!
Reply
0
0
04-05-2010, 02:57 AM
#17
Senior Member
iTrader: (23)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Chatsworth, SoCal
Posts: 948
Total Cats: 1
Yes, the wing makes the car faster. Since he can put down more power and has more traction he can be on the power sooner, longer and brake later. As we all know this will make the times drop.
Not explaining what and why teams are doing thins has been going on since the first race. No team likes to give up their secrets. I think what he is selling is himself beeing on the podium. However he manages to do it within the rulls is all that matters.
I thought I had already explained that he had to turn down the boost because he was unable to keep from spinning the tires. In a front wheel drive car a wing on the rear will not help traction for the front/drive tires. Hence the front wing. He was only able to put down something like 350hp at buttonwillow. If he is putting down 1000hp now that can only be done by getting a ton of down force. A splitter and canards are not able to produce any where near enough down force. I don't think that he would allow them to release any speciffic info on what has learned at this time. It's not hard to imagine what the front wing is doing for him.
Have a great day,
Jared
Not explaining what and why teams are doing thins has been going on since the first race. No team likes to give up their secrets. I think what he is selling is himself beeing on the podium. However he manages to do it within the rulls is all that matters.
I thought I had already explained that he had to turn down the boost because he was unable to keep from spinning the tires. In a front wheel drive car a wing on the rear will not help traction for the front/drive tires. Hence the front wing. He was only able to put down something like 350hp at buttonwillow. If he is putting down 1000hp now that can only be done by getting a ton of down force. A splitter and canards are not able to produce any where near enough down force. I don't think that he would allow them to release any speciffic info on what has learned at this time. It's not hard to imagine what the front wing is doing for him.
Have a great day,
Jared
Reply
0
0
04-05-2010, 12:08 PM
#20
All you gotta do is look at his lap times before and after the frt. wing to see that it is working. He dropped 6 sec. If I remember correctly when he first put I on. Can't remember which one but I remember reading the article. It's just like the first time a team used a wheelie bar on a fwd. I think it was ed bergenholtz crx. Everybody laughed. But within a month every single team in pro fwd class was running one.
Reply
0
0
