Top speed with wing/without

[jackg]

Bit of fun on saturday at Odiham track day.

There is a 1 mile straight and my 2-eleven would hit 140. For a giggle, I took off the rear wing, I have the big one (phnarr!) and it did 145! Very oversteery on the fast right though.

Just thought I'd share

Jack

[de_futter@msn.com]

Bet that was interesting! Have you tried it without the front splitter and without the rear wing - reckon that would make it scary in the corners and possibly down the straight as well

[andydclements]

Generally a wing will be to use the air movement to create downforce to help handling, so the resistance created will mean less speed, I'm just surprised it was only 5mph.

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the term spoiler is badly used. It's actually a device for disrupting airflow to reduce lift with minimal effect on airspeed (kinda the opposite of an airbrake).

A proper wing should not cause massive drag as it's not the change in air direction that generates forces but the pressure difference between the two sides. A good example of this is if you have an adjustable wing and set it to negative angle of attack (front higher than the rear) it will still generate downforce. It doesn't matter which way up or how a wing is mounted it's still a wing.

[Bibs]

A good example of this is if you have an adjustable wing and set it to negative angle of attack (front higher than the rear) it will still generate downforce.

According to Bernoulli, if the angle of attack gives air flowing below the wing (as with the front higher than the rear) a higher pressure then upwards lift, not downforce will be created. Downforce is just lift out of phase by 180^o and the principles mean that depending on the angle of the wing to the oncoming air, upwards or downwards force can be created, not just downwards.

I was always under the rule of thumb impression that a wing was to create downforce and a spoiler was to reduce drag by moving turbulent air further away from the back of the car.

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According to Bernoulli, if the angle of attack gives air flowing below the wing (as with the front higher than the rear) a higher pressure then upwards lift, not downforce will be created.

Very true however having a negative angle of attack (relative to the wing so front higher than the rear) does not imply that the pressure below the wing is greater than above. I was trying to illustrate that a wing generates a vast majority of it's force by the shape/pressure and not by brute force redirecting the flow of air.

I was always under the rule of thumb impression that a wing was to create downforce and a spoiler was to reduce drag by moving turbulent air further away from the back of the car.

I you think about the fundamental shape of most cars in profile then they act exactly like a wing so you end up with a low pressure zone above the car creating lift. A true spoiler is trying to disrupt this airflow over the top thus reducing lift with the minimal impact on drag. Most cars just simply use a boot lid lip "spoiler" which does cause drag due to diverting air flow upwards but also increasing the low pressure turbulent air behind the car.