Reducing Aerodynamic Drag

[sahaja75]

0:28 Could someone tell me - what's the position of this person (Nina Tortosa) ?

It says - an Aerodynamic Engineer, but is it possible, someone like me to do this job ?

It's so hot in Philippines :D I need some blow...

Joking of course - i'm an Engineer too (from Europe) and a big fan of Aerodynamics.

If someone knows more about such position - pls, don't hesitate to write me.

Thanks

[BitterCanuck]

Bravo on the audio...

[jovas14rocks]

anyone notice chris hansen is talking?

[Ferrariman601]

Keeping the car clean does have an effect, but it has to be incredibly miniscule when compared to other factors such as cross-sectional area, etc.

Something as simple as keeping your windows closed can also improve a vehicle's aerodynamics.

Unless you're a composites engineer however and can custom-make new body panels for your car though, your car's aero properties are what they are.

[itsmefergal]

Looking at your air foil video and looking at the roof box on my car I was wondering have the manufacturer got it facing the wrong way i.e. with the largest end at the rear of the roof (probably causing drag) and the wedge shape at the front of the car. I know it will look stupid with the big end facing forward and if will take a brave man to drive his car down the street and with it facing like an air-foil. Am I missing something with this air foil thingy!!

[ginjopowder]

cars are slippier with wax?

[deuctewelle]

@ginjopowder , my dog usually go sleep in my car's roof, after waxing my car, my dog can't go up the roof anymore as it slips incredibly and my fuel consumption also went down almost by half...it'll really pays to wax your car

[corotor12345]

I'm sorry I can't finish watching the video! I'm OFF TO WAX MY CAR SO DAT ITZ GOT SO MUCH MORE AERODYNAMICNESS ZOMG YESSSS. I'M SLIPPERY!!!!

Jesus these guys are thick. I feel like they don't take their viewers seriously.

[edwardreid]

As usual car makers cheat and lie about these tests. Actually all cars have massive drag which is disguised as cool looking lines. for instance why are the wheels not covered or the underbody not faired? Also almost all cars look like the door chopped off the tail end before it got all the way out of the factory. I built and designed high speed bikes for 15 years and these guys are jokes! I hold 2 mechanical awards so I know when folks are being lied to......

[turowat]

CAn somebody explain to me why AIR TUNNEL tests use very little smoke? (CAn't they afford multiple smoke threads? and they intentionally put the flow on the hood? Why never at the weels or under the car? THE AIR IS EVERYWHERE!

[KIBProductionz]

aerodynamics in cars can only be greatly accounted if the car exceeds 50 mph or kph, where it is needed to reduce drag and improve performance on speed at high speeds. Engines in cars should be improved for low fuel consumption at low-mid speeds. In simple words, Drag only greatly affects the speed of the car if the car goes fast.

[AnonymoussourceL0L]

I love how GM spent a lot of time making the Volt as aerodynamic as possible. Guess what, the new Hyundai Elantra has a better drag coefficient, and it's not even a hybrid!

[lumo841]

As an engineer I must say this video is a joke

[OZZl3]

"it will make your vehicle slipperier as you drive down the road" so watch out so you don't slip when you walk on top of the car!

[bigstiggerNo1]

Like said before me drag goes on area. How much drag each square centimeter of body area holds is the key.

Secondly spouting facts about smooth paintwork because it is waxed will help fuel economy is a load of bull. The smooth wax will not hold a micro climate, thus, the full flow of rushing air will be touching the wax. Whereas a dirty car creates mirco climates on the paint surface. These micro climates cushion the flow of rushing air and the car is more eficient. if not 2dirty!

[bigstiggerNo1]

Like said before me drag goes on area.How much drag each square centimeter of body area holds is the key,C2<0 is the fomulea i think.

Secondly spouting facts about smooth paintwork because it is waxed will help fuel economy is a load of bull. The smooth wax will not hold a micro climate, thus, the full flow of rushing air will be touching the wax. Whereas a dirty car creates undulation on the paint surface. These create a micro climate cushion of air and the car is more eficient. if not 2dirty

[PycYkyc1]

If you wanna get technical : washing or waxing your car does not necessarily reduce drag... Base drag is proportional to skin friction drag, so there exists a 'drag bucket' which means that for a particular skin roughness the overall drag would be at minimum.

[bigstiggerNo1]

@PycYkyc1 shark skins

[Nish2280]

Why do these people have jobs? I'm 16 years old and i could have explained what Ben Stewart was talking about.

[bigstiggerNo1]

@Nish2280 The main reason we reduce drag is to allow the VOLT to go 40miles on one charge. I would fit bigger batteries and raise the price a bit. $3000 would buy 100 miles easy. At 20cent hour charge you'd soon recoupe costs and American would see that. GM are loonies and I would sick with FORD! we don't lie!

[bangzilla]

chris hanson!?!?!? *blows own head off

[flynmid]

@joshgrimes100 they didn't explain it very well, turbulent air is not good, but there is no avoiding it at the rear of the vehicle. They should have said it was for smoother airflow separation

[JamesHol100]

waxing the car reduces the value of μ, where frictional force F=μR. they mean reduce aerodynamic drag, they figured it was SO obvious they might as well save themselves pronouncing the extra syllables. yeah cD is reduced but cross-sectional area is greater and therefore the force resisting the car movement is greater as Fd = 1/2 υ^2 ρ cD A, however, it is more efficient than a corvette as that has 2 seats and the SUV has 7 so the amount of fuel per person in a particular journey is less!!

[adamslurch71]

@JamesHol100 So true but how often do you see SUV's with more then 2 people in them? hell where I live I see Suburbans all the time with one person in it and you find out that 3 of them who are following each other are all alone in their 8 passenger SUV's

[youarehere0]

@JamesHol100 "A" is not "cross sectional area". It's the Frontal Area projected on a plane perpendicular to the two passenger groundline. You can take an X cross section from anywhere on the car and it would give you different results.

[bronz1983]

Fd=Cd x A x (pVxV) /2

Where Cd- is drag resistance,

A- is area flat on air flow

p- is fluid viscosity

V- is velocity of air

[dumbguy310]

the coefficient of drag could be the same. keep in mind the value of interest is CdA, and that the drag coefficient is nondimensionalized by the frontal area. so while the cd is the same, the frontal areas are not. similarly, semi's actually have rather low cd's, but as you can imagine tons of drag...

[Fastangboi]

This video was a waste of time. They just made the washed and waxed stuff up at the end. Youd be better off removing extra weight from the vehicle. Like extra stuff in the trunk or heavy stuff in the car. Even keeping the engine in good running order would do better than a wash. And there is no way to get a mid sized SUV to have the low drag of a Corvette. Its much taller for one and it disturbs more air as it moves. Period.

[rhedges]

Having the same coefficient of drag a corvette means nothing. The larger car will still have more drag because of its larger cross-sectional area. The wing of a fly could have the same coefficient of drag as that corvette, but in the end of course since its much smaller it has less drag. A coefficient is non-dimensionalized by area, air density, and dynamic pressure. These guys are def. not engineers, and sound like idiots. They probably misused turbulent and turbulence about ten times.

[bigstiggerNo1]

@rhedges They follow GM and lie along with them. Also the clean and waxed thing at the end is wrong. Denticles reduce drag not smoothness. Like Shark skins. How you can rate this thumbs up I not know

[johnbell58]

clean and waxed will make how much difference? slight theoretical yes, but practical no

[hsv6ltr]

reduce aerodynamics.....?

[TogetherinParis]

Wax? How about covering open wheel wells? How about belly pans? How about boat tails?

[stormthorgerson]

you dont reduce aerodynamics, you improve it

[nickdolin24]

yeah I think she meant "reduce drag" perhaps..

[oksard100]

@stormthorgerson drag- reducing a drag not aerodynamic

[bigstiggerNo1]

@stormthorgerson You'll find GM and companies that follow GM lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Buy FORD or TOYOTA or HONDA!

[MaarchaNoLV]

@stormthorgerson

It clearly says: Reducing aerodynamic drag. Which means, you reduce its drag!

[thomaskokthomaskok]

@stormthorgerson You reduce drag

[TRUXCENTAURO]

what is that white gas ?

[castle237]

did she say reduce aerodynamics, hehehe and what make it like a brick.

[Jaca629]

Ow come on!

Most of this car won't be rushing over 80mph.

Research how to reduce weight first!

It will be far more effective for a every day basis car use.

[addieroxrev09]

great engineering views and very good knowledge on car designs. thank you