- Messages
- 12
- Likes
- 1
- Location
- Auckland
- State
- Non-US
- Country
- New Zealand
- What I Drive
- 2018 Stinger, 2010 Camaro SS
I know it is just a "cartoon" and not a real CFD... but this could only be a static representation. Picture the wheel turning and the air "moving" CCW in the wheelwell... The spill and low/high pressure areas means these scoops and extractors are to reduce high/low pressures in the wheelwell (a good thing!) but simply cannot contribute to "stability" at high vehicle speeds by passing 'around' the rolling wheel. I just can't "see" it... Can we get a KIA aero engineer to weigh in? Oo
The first is that the front vent allows more air into the wheel well area and creates a more direct route to the engine side of the wheel and more cool air to the brakes. The air then will flow up/down/left/right after hitting the relatively flat face of the tire. An undesirable side-effect of this is that these vents become a relatively big drag force on the front of the car as this air is "caught" in a very turbulent environment (effectively a pair of small parachutes on the front of the car). This turbulent air caught in this environment can cause buffering and a bit of instability at higher speeds. The fender vents provide a smoother and more direct exit point (like cutting holes in said parachutes).
The second is that the air is not necessarily "pushed" through the rear vent by high pressure inside the wheelwell, but also pulled via suction by fast-moving air across the outside of the vent.