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Thread: WINGS

  1. #221
    Thanks Harry and Julian.
    Andrew Cunningham
    California FSAE

    Car Chief, 2013
    Team Lead, 2014
    Aerodynamics Lead, 2015

  2. #222
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    Quote Originally Posted by 404namenotfound View Post
    Has anyone else seen the GFR wings this year? I saw a photo from their unveiling today and was surprised with their design.
    Posted by Some Guy:
    I thought Ann-Arbor's aero was more interesting personally. Definitely a liberal interpretation of "open wheel" in the rear.
    Does anyone have pics of these cars that they could post, please?

    Z

  3. #223

  4. #224
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    Trevor,

    Thanks!

    Both cars seem to be following a "more is better" aero philosophy. In both cases I agree that they will work better than previous less-area wings. Ann Arbor's huge rear-end-plates should be also be beneficial.

    However, IMO even more is possible from a well designed UNDERTRAY ONLY. Same plan-area, but (much) more downforce is potentially available, and with a lot less drag and mass.

    Big rear-end-plates are always an aero advantage, though cost/benefit is worth evaluating (easiest via real testing, given the ease of building/fitting big end-plates). Note that these are advantageous even for a non-aero, "oversteery" car.

    A suggestion for any other teams wanting to follow this path, is perhaps try using transparent polycarbonate (= "Lexan") for the upper-flap of the front wing. Or at least ask your drivers how they feel about the lost visibility of cones at the apexes.

    Anyway, the "wings will never work" argument from ~10 years ago, does seem to be losing its support.

    Z

  5. #225
    Quote Originally Posted by Z View Post

    Anyway, the "wings will never work" argument from ~10 years ago, does seem to be losing its support.

    Z
    I always found it funny that the main argument against wings was drag and that we're going to slow for them to work. That argument is pretty weak when you figure we're traction limited anyway and if we're going fast enough to make drag the wings are also making down force. Only real arguments I can see against them are based on the mass and sheer size of what teams are coming up with now.
    Last edited by 404namenotfound; 04-25-2014 at 11:14 AM.

  6. #226
    Z,

    Don't forget the aero rules were opened up quite a bit a couple of years ago.
    Before that the actual benefits from wings were a lot more subject to debate.
    "...when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit" - Dr. Brown

  7. #227
    Keep in mind "huge wings" used to look like the car on the left before the rules change several years ago.

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