The word aerodynamics is derived from two Greek words aerios, relating

to the air, and dynamis, meaning powerful. Aerodynamics is the branch

of dynamics that deals with the motion of air and other gaseous fluids and
with the forces acting on bodies in motion relative to such fluids.
A body in motion is affected by aerodynamic forces. The aerodynamic
force acts externally on the body of a vehicle. The component of
the resultant aerodynamic force which opposes the forward motion
is called the aerodynamic drag. The aerodynamic drag affects the
performance of a car in both speed and fuel economy as it is the
power required to overcome the opposing force. The other
component, directed vertically, is called the aerodynamic lift. It
reduces the frictional forces between the tyres and the road thus
changing dramatically the handling characteristics of the vehicle.
The aerodynamic force is the net result of all the changing
distributed pressures which airstreams exert on the car surface.
Therefore aerodynamic studies are very important as far as the car
stability is concerned.
The aerodynamics of a car includes different areas for consideration.
Forces created by the relative motion of the vehicle through air
(drag force, lift force, down force), noise produced by the air
flowing around the car body, use of the air flowing within the cars
body for other purposes such as cooling the engine or brakes.
The main concerns of automotive aerodynamics are reducing drag,
reducing wind noise, and preventing undesired lift forces at high speeds.
For some classes of vehicles, it may also be important to produce
desirable downwards aerodynamic forces, to improve cornering.
The road vehicle industry started taking into consideration the
aerodynamics of the vehicles in the early 1900. In the first stages of the
development of self-propelled vehicles, the shapes and designs of the
vehicles was inherited from horse driven carriages. The first automobiles
however were moving with low speeds on bad roads. There was no need
in examining the aerodynamic nature of a vehicle. The driver and
passenger could be protected from wind, rain and mud with the simple,
traditional design of horse-drawn carriages. The increase of automobile
speed resulted in the exposure of drivers and passengers to the airstreams.
As a result the introduction of structural parts such as windscreens was
developed to protect the occupants from airstreams effects. Gradually the
development increased always according to the needs of both the
aerodynamic effects and art properties (shape, style) around a vehicle.

The first automobile to be developed according to the aerodynamic

principles was a torpedo-shaped vehicle that had given it a low drag
coefficient but the exposed driver and out of body wheels certainly
disturbed its good flow properties. In a car like this, the ground along
with the free-standing wheels and the exposed undercarriage caused
disturbed flow.
As the years passed the studies on aerodynamic effects on cars increased
and the designs were being developed to accommodate for the increasing
needs and for economic reasons. The wheels developed to be designed
within the body, lowering as a result the aerodynamic drag and produce a
more gentle flow. The tail was for many years long and oddly shaped to
maintain attached streamline. The automobiles became developed even
more with smooth bodies, integrated fenders and headlamps enclosed in
the body. The designers had achieved a shape of a car that differed from
the traditional horse-drawn carriages. They had certainly succeeded in
building cars with low drag coefficient.
Road conditions have limited the width of automobiles. It is said this
width was established by the width needed for two horses running
comfortably side by side drawing a carriage. Length is not as much of a
restriction but long bodies were not efficient enough for traffic use.
They hadnt yet been able to do something with the long tail. It offered so
much in the aerodynamic effects that it was difficult to design a low-drag
vehicle without a long tail.
The designers tried to find solutions in reducing drag, producing attached
and gentle flow with working with small details on the body and shape
optimization. Details such as radii of edges and pillars, camber of panels,
tapering, size and location of spoilers can be varied to give smoother flow
and thus less drag. Later in addition to that the aerodynamists started with
a basic body which is a one volume body having the dimensions of the
final car.
Many improvements in car design made it able to achieve a body with
very low drag coefficient from the 1980s but some of them were
followed by complaints. For example there were many complaints for the
windows of cars being inclined more and more, allowing sunrays to enter
through even larger glass panels and heat up the car interior. Indeed, it

does not seem rational to reduce drag coefficient in order to save fuel, but
require an air-conditioning system that uses up all the fuel just saved.
The designers nowadays are trying to develop, the concept of the car as a
mean of comfortable transportation which could offer to the occupants
safety and most of all style.
Aerodynamic drag
In order to explain the Aerodynamic drag the two forces - the frontal
pressure and the rear vacuum have to be analyzed.
Frontal pressure is caused by the air attempting to flow around the front
of the car. As millions of air molecules approach the front part of the car,
they begin to compress, and in doing so raise the air pressure in front of
the car. At the same time, the air molecules traveling along the sides of
the car are at atmospheric pressure, a lower pressure compared to the
molecules at the front of the car. The compressed molecules of air
naturally seek a way out of the high pressure zone in front of the car, and
they find it around the sides, top and bottom of the car.
Rear vacuum or wake is caused by the "hole" left in the air as the car
passes through it. This empty area is a result of the air molecules not
being able to fill the hole as quickly as the car can make it. The air
molecules attempt to fill in to this area, but the car is always one step
ahead. As a result, a continuous vacuum in the rear of the car sucks in the
opposite direction of the motion of the car. This inability to fill the hole
left by the car is technically called Flow detachment.
Flow detachment applies only to the "rear vacuum" portion of the drag
equation, and it is really about giving the air molecules time to follow the
contours of a car's bodywork, and to fill the hole left by the vehicle, it's
tyres, it's suspension and protrusions (i.e. mirrors, roll bars).
The flow attachment is very important because the drag created by the
vacuum far exceeds that created by frontal pressure, and this can be
attributed to the turbulence created by the detachment. That is why in the
early years of automotive industry the cars used to be designed with long
tail. This was done as to maintain the streamlines created by the flow,
attached.
Turbulence generally affects the "rear vacuum" portion of the drag
equation, but if we look at a protrusion from the race car such as a mirror,
we see a compounding effect. For instance, the air flow detaches from the

flat side of the mirror, which of course faces toward the back of the car.
The turbulence created by this detachment can then affect the air flow to
parts of the car which lie behind the mirror. Intake ducts, for instance,
function best when the air entering them flows smoothly. Therefore, the
entire length of the car really needs to be optimized to provide the least
amount of turbulence at high speed.
Lift (or Down force)
One term very often heard in race cars is down force. Down force is the
same as the lift experienced by airplane wings, only it acts in the opposite
direction, to press down, instead of lifting up. Every object traveling
through air creates either a lifting or down force situation. Race cars, of
course use things like inverted wings to force the car down onto the track,
increasing traction. The average street car however tends to create lift.
This is because the car body shape itself generates a low pressure area
above itself.
According to Bernoullis principle, for a given volume of air, the higher
the speed the air molecules are traveling, the lower the pressure becomes
and the lower the speed of the air molecules, the higher the pressure
becomes. This of course only applies to air in motion across a still body,
or to a vehicle in motion, moving through still air.
When we discussed Frontal Pressure, we said that the air pressure was
high as the air rammed into the front area of the car. Actually, the air
slows down as it approaches the front of the car, and as a result more
molecules are packed into a smaller space. Once the air stagnates at the
point in front of the car, it seeks a lower pressure area, such as the sides,
top and bottom of the car.
Now, as the air flows over the hood of the car, it's loses pressure, but
when it reaches the windscreen, it again comes up against a barrier, and
briefly reaches a higher pressure. The lower pressure area above the hood
of the car creates a small lifting force that acts upon the area of the hood,
to suck the hood off the car. The higher pressure area in front of the
windscreen creates a small down force. This is similar to pressing down
on the windshield.
Where most road cars get into trouble is the fact that there is a large
surface area on top of the car's roof. As the higher pressure air in front of
the wind screen travels over the windscreen, it accelerates, causing the
pressure to drop. This lower pressure literally lifts on the car's roof as the
air passes over it. Worse still, once the air makes its way to the rear

window, the notch created by the window dropping down to the trunk
leaves a vacuum or low pressure space that the air is not able to fill
properly. The flow is said to detach and the resulting lower pressure
creates lift that then acts upon the surface area of the trunk. This results in
the rear of the car to feel lighter.
Not to be forgotten, the underside of the car is also responsible for
creating lift or down force. If a car's front end is lower than the rear end,
then the widening gap between the underside and the road creates a
vacuum or low pressure area, and therefore "suction" that equates to
down force. The lower front of the car effectively restricts the air flow
under the car.
Concluding, the airflow over a car is filled with high and low pressure
areas, the sum of which indicates that the car body either naturally creates
lift or down force.
Drag Coefficient
The shape of a car, as the aerodynamic theory above suggests, is largely
responsible for how much drag the car has. Ideally, the car body should:

Have a small grill, to minimize frontal pressure.

Have minimal ground clearance below the grill, to minimize air
flow under the car. In combination to this, a raked underside with
the rear of the car raised can create down force.
Have a steeply raked windshield to avoid pressure build up in
front.
Have a "Fastback" style rear window and deck, to permit the air
flow to stay attached.
Have a converging "Tail" to keep the air flow attached.

To be ideal, a car body would be shaped like a tear drop, as even the best
sports cars experience some flow detachment. What all these "ideal"
features results to is called the Drag coefficient (Cd).
The best road cars today manage a Cd of about 0.28. Formula 1 car, with
their wings and open wheels only manage a minimum drag coefficient of
about 0.75. It really seems inefficient, but what an F1 car lacks in
aerodynamic drag efficiency, it makes it up for in down force and
horsepower.
To understand the full picture, we need to take into account the frontal
area of the vehicle. One of those new aerodynamic semi-trailer trucks

may have a relatively low Cd, but when looked at directly from the front
of the truck, we realize just how big the Frontal Area really is. It is by
combining the Cd with the Frontal area that we arrive at the actual drag
induced by the vehicle.
WIND TUNNELS
In automotive industry before a car design is sent for production, it is
tested for aerodynamic efficiency.
High performance vehicles are primarily characterized by high power-toweight ratio. Powerful acceleration, massive deceleration, excellent
control, combined with a high top speed and relatively low fuel
consumption is things to consider in building a race or sports car.
There are three categories in which high performance cars can be divided.
The sports cars which are designed for everyday use on public
roads, the racing cars; built for competing with other cars in the
same category on race circuits and the record cars which are
specifically designed for high speed or maximum acceleration.
In all three categories the aerodynamics of such cars are of vital
importance. They affect the cars stability and handling. They
influence both performance and safety.
The main focus in race cars is on the down force and drag. The
relationship between drag and down force is especially important.
Aerodynamic improvements in wings are directed at generating down
force on the race car with a minimum of drag. Down force is necessary
for maintaining speed through the corners.
A track with low speed
corners requires a car
setup with a high down
force package. A high
down force package is
necessary to maintain
speeds in the corners. This
setup includes large front
and rear wings. The front
wings have additional
flaps which are adjustable.
The rear wing is made up
of more than one section that maximizes down force.

The setup for a fast circuit with long straights and not so many low speed
corners looks much different. The front and rear wings are almost flat and
are used as stabilizers. The major down force is found in the shape of the
body and underbody as explained above. Drag reduction is more critical
on the fast circuit than on other circuits. Effective use of down force is
especially pronounced in high-speed corners.
Bernoullis principle
One of the fundamental laws governing the motion of fluids is Daniel
Bernoulli's principle, which relates an increase in flow velocity to a
decrease in pressure. For example, for the same volume of air at the entry
to the venturi tube below to pass through the constriction in the middle,
the air must speed up. Based on Newton's theory that energy cannot be
created or destroyed, just transferred, this increased speed must have a
corresponding decrease in pressure, if the same volume of air is to move
through the tube. As the air exits the constriction, it slows and regains its
original pressure.

Bernoulli's principle is used in aerodynamics to explain the lift of an

airplane wing in flight. A wing is so designed that air flows more rapidly
over its upper surface than its lower one, leading to a decrease in pressure
on the top surface as compared to the bottom. The resulting pressure
difference provides the lift that sustains the aircraft in flight. If the wing is
turned upside-down, the resultant force is downwards. This explains how
performance cars corner at such high speeds. The down force produced
pushes the tires into the road giving more grips.

Aerodynamics is found in everyday life in automotive applications, in

passenger and commercial cars. The aerodynamic flow of air
around every body in motion, as mentioned above, is affected by

the shape of the body. This however affects the stability, the
maneuverability of the car. The flow of air around the vehicle also
causes noise.

The passenger cars have to be designed in such a way to fulfill the needs
of the driver and passengers. These are safety, comfort, reduced
noise, ventilation of passenger area. Passenger cars are required to
have style. The shape has to be acceptable by the people to buy
the cars. The marketing comes into the equation and in order for an
automotive industry to sell its products; it must design them to look
nice. The people buying the cars do not know about the
aerodynamic but still the designer need to make the car within
acceptable limits basically for fuel economy.
Nowadays cars are changed by their owners (young) to make the look
sportier. They somehow have the need to get more out of their car,
downforce, stability, better handling, and more power. Having
more power under the hood leads to higher speeds for which the
aerodynamic properties of the car given by the designer are not
enough to offer the required downforce and handling. Extra parts
are added to the body like spoilers, lower front and rear bumpers as
to direct the airflow in different way and offer greater handling to
the car.
Spoilers for example act like barriers to air flow, in order to build up
higher air pressure in front of the spoiler. This is useful, because as
mentioned previously, a sedan car tends to become "Light" in the rear end
as the low pressure area above the trunk lifts the rear end of the car.

Front air dams are also a form of spoiler, only their purpose is to restrict
the air flow from going
These components combine to produce huge amounts of downforce,
helping to keep the car planted through corners at high speeds. They also
improve braking performance and acceleration due to the added traction.
There is a price for this amount of downforce i.e. Drag. Redirecting the
energy of the airflow to hold a car down creates more resistance for the
car to push against.
Although drag reduces top speed somewhat, the increase in cornering
speeds makes for faster cornering, improved braking and acceleration so
some drag is acceptable. Many race cars have drag coefficients of over
1.1, while modern production cars around 0.35. The big difference is that
race cars have enough horsepower to compensate.

The key is to produce just enough downforce to maximize the average

speed around a corner. If we produce too much downforce, the increased
drag will slow the car excessively, too little downforce will hurt cornering
speeds. It usually takes some experimenting with wing settings and other
components to find the sweet spot for optimal performance.
Keeping in mind that the basic shape of a production car generates a
lifting force when moving through the air. The lift characteristics increase
as speed increases. As a result, several aero components are mounted at
the front and rear of the car. For example, a wing is usually mounted on
the trunk lid; an air dam is attached to the front bumper cover.
The effect produced by the component will generally be felt around the
area it is mounted. Consequently, the rear tyres will 'feel' more of the

wing's downforce than the front tyres. Since a wing is usually mounted
behind the rear wheels, there will be a decrease in the load acting on the
front tyres due to the fulcrum effect. Downforce from the wing will
actually lift the front of the car.

If a wing is added to an already 'balanced' car, then the tendency will be

to increase understeer because of the slight front-end lift. Since most
production-based cars are designed to understeer, the addition of a wing
will make this tendency even worse at higher speeds. To correct
understeer, the easy fix is to add downforce to the front. A properly
designed air dam - with or without a splitter - will add some much-needed
downforce.
To improve high-speed handling, we would normally add downforce in
proportion to the car's lengthwise weight distribution. In many frontwheel-drive cars, which have about a 60/40 split, adding downforce in the
same percentages to the front and rear retains a balanced handling feel.
The size and design of the wing and the size and type of the air dam and
splitter will determine how the high-speed handling will be affected.
Usually the air dam is a fixed size and shape, whereas the wing can be
adjusted for more or less downforce, depending on the wing's angle of
attack relative to the oncoming air stream. Increasing the nose-down
attitude will result in more downforce - up to a point.
Inverted wing

An inverted wing is a device that generates downforce by creating a

pressure difference between the top and bottom wing surfaces. The

oncoming air splits at the wing's leading edge, where some air goes over
and the rest goes under the wing. Because of the wing's profile, the air
going over the top is moving slower than the air on the bottom. In
addition, Bernoulli's law states that slower-moving air possesses a higher
static pressure. As a result, the higher-pressure air on top pushes down
more than the lower pressure air on the bottom pushes up. This pressure
difference creates downforce. The presence of the wing modifies airflow
over the car, resulting in slight pressure differences that need to be
considered for the generation of overall downforce.

Most wings have a constant cross section along the wingspan. Other more
sophisticated wings change in both airfoil type and size in addition to a
step in the wing's angle of attack (at approximately 20 to 25 per cent of
the wingspan) towards the end of the span. These complex three
dimensional '3D' wings can be more effective than the simple examples
because the design takes into account the actual flow arriving at the wing.
At both ends, the air coming off the rooftop-to-window juncture has a
different angle of approach compared with the air going over the middle
of the roof. By designing a wing to take into account this local airflow
condition, more downforce and less drag can be achieved.
Diffusers
The diffusers help to drive the low-pressure from beneath the car. The
most common one is the upswept duct at the rear and below the bumper.
The other type is located directly behind the splitter leading into the front
wheel wells. Aerodynamically, both of these diffusers achieve the same
thing i.e. minimising pressure under the car
A rear diffuser helps drive the under-car flow by exposing it to the
turbulent low-pressure wake region behind the car, using this low
pressure to suck the flow out. In addition, the diffuser slows the air
emerging from the underbody region by expanding it through a largerarea opening. They are effective in generating large amounts of
downforce by increasing air speed underneath, thereby reducing pressure.

Since this low-pressure region acts on a large surface area, plenty of

downforce can be generated. Even if pressure below the diffuser is only
half a psi lower than outside, over a 3x6-foot area, that equates to over
1000 pounds of downforce.
Vertical fences are installed within the diffuser channel to ensure that
flow remains attached to the diffuser.
Side skirts

Side skirts are used to reduce the amount of air that goes under the car
from the sides. If an air dam is used, air under the car is at a low pressure,
which causes the higher-pressure air on the outside of the car to come
rushing in. The effectiveness of the skirts depends primarily on how close
to the ground the lower edge can be maintained. That edge should be less
than a half-inch from the ground, otherwise the skirts' effectiveness
diminishes rapidly as the gap increases.
Air Dams and Splitters
Air dam's job is to restrict the amount of air going under the car. By using
a vertical barrier made from either a composite material or aluminium
sheet, the air dam effectively reduces the opening leading to the underside
of the car. By restricting flow under the car, more air is forced around the
sides and over the top of the bodywork at higher pressure. The limited air
forced underneath has to pass through faster and thus at a lower pressure
which causes a suction effect. Air dams are more common in production
cars with higher ride heights and bumpers.

Splitters, the horizontal plate extending forward and underneath the air
dam, use the same principle but operate differently. Since the front of the

car is a blunt shape, the oncoming air is slowed substantially, resulting in

a high-pressure zone known as a stagnation point. By placing a
horizontally protruding splitter plate right in the thick of this highpressure zone, a large amount of efficient downforce can be generated.
The splitter splits the high-pressure zone from the low-pressure highspeed flow moving under the car. Pressure varies with the car's speed
squared, so downforce increases quickly as the speed increases.
Generally, the effects are felt at speeds over 75mph.
Downforce can be increased or decreased, depending on the amount of
exposed splitter area, and an adjustable splitter area can be used to finetune the aerodynamic balance.