IMB951

So the proof of concept on a lot of newer supercars has got me thinking if this is even worth conceptualizing on a 944, so I thought I'd start a thread about it for fun.

See the new Pagani Huayra's active aero, utilizing flaps on the front and rear under braking to help slow it down and increase grip:





Got me thinking that this could be done on a 944 race car by gutting the headlights and fabbing reverse-hinges that use electric actuators to make the the headlight covers flap forward into the air stream, wired into the brake pedal to activate. Am I crazy or could that actually work?

Coupled with a TRS wing and it's center element controlled by an actuator, also wired into the braking system:


What do you think about it actually working, assuming endless buget for R&D? I think it would be cool to see someone try it

JohnKoaWood

Interesting concept... hmmmm... now that I think about it...

I would assume it wouldn't require endless budget for R&D...
Nor would I be suprised if some joker were already doing this...
I might not even be suprised if some joker were trying to make it to this years fest with something like this on their car...
Nor would I be suprised if some joker ...well nevermind..

But that would have to be some special kind of joker...

pnbell

Building it might not be prohibitivly expensive... Testing and tuning it for actually results might start cost monies; Well if you were using a track.

Seems to me like the rear flaps would be the most important, because if you had too much downforce on the front while braking the car would end up losing traction in the rear (already an issue under hard braking)

But I say "JUST DO IT!"

sydneyman

Alright stop beating around the bush joka. Who are you talking about!?

krystar

i don't think u'd need endless budget. a trip to the drag strip would be enough. thing is...can you find an angular or linear actuator provide enough torque to actually move the wing at speed and can be still packaged into the the wing..

m73m95

I've been thinking about this for a long time.

In theory, its not that hard to automate something (Ever see Pimp My Ride?). Where the difficulty resides is in actually making the part useful. The design of aerodynamic components has come a long ways in the last 20 years.

If you just wanted something that looks cool, there is no problem there.


I think "the next big thing" for our cars should focus on the underbody. Smoothing the airflow under a car was never thought of in the 80's (Or not nearly as extensively as it is nowdays). Current F1 cars make more downforce now, with smaller wings, than they did in the 90's, with the crazy wings, and air foils that they had... all due to directing air flow under the car. Do they look as cool now, as they did in the 90's? HELLS NO. Do they function better, for sure.


Depends on what you want to do....

hevquip

when i go fast...i pop up the sunroof...for that extra downforce...

(and on a side note, ever notice how scary it is going over 75 MPH without the sunroof in?)

V2Rocket

go to the boneyard, find some 80s supras and steal the headlight actuators and use them for all your flaps

m73m95

You don't want to do that...

Look up some threads by the guys that race 944s. The sunroof ruins the balance of the car, and only kills your speed on the straights. 944 NAs are pretty well balanced, at high speed, all on their own. The turbo's get a little light in the front at really high speeds, so the splitter works well.

From the threads I've read, the sunroof is better down, and there isn't a race series out there that will allow you to run without the sunroof.

Lemming

see http://aeromotions.com/products/

racer

Slowing a 250mph supercar, it might make sense. Slowing a car from 100mph? might not get the same benefit. As to placing something IN FRONT of the windscreen, I'd want to make sure it doesn't snap off and crash through your skill. Rear spoiler would make more sense.

On a Turbo, I don't know how you'd have room for a front unit like the photo shows given the motor, radiators,engine cooling air intakes ect.

IMB951

I've been to that website and that's a big part of what got me thinking if it were plausible do something similar on a grassroots-level to our cars. It looks like Aeromotions are only supporting a few models and have a universal kit as well:


This is definitely the way I'd go if I had an unlimited budget for building a track car, but most of us here don't.

2BWise

I don't know about NASA, but SCCA strictly calls out no active aero. It'd be pointless to develop because its not even legal. For a street car? Not sure why you'd want to, but why not.

Lemming

Legal in NASA GTS. I could see it as a real advantage under braking, and I'm thinking about just the movable wing.

Funn944

Are you really going to go fast enough, often enough, to make that useful, and not look like a rice cooker add on ?