Mike B. writes:
>
> >At what speed do ground effect type cars start to make real down force?
> >Does anybody have an answer?
WRT actual ground effect (not wings), simply lowering your car will
generate some downforce. It is noticeable at highway speeds (60mph ad
up). For most production-based cars, you'll have to rely on friction to
provide grip at lower speeds.
Josh2 wrote:
>I recall a comment overheard in Topeka this year. I think it was uttered by
>the fastest driver of the year, Gary Milligan, when he said "I entered that
>turn too slow and got loose, I'll need to take it faster to get the rear to
>stick.". Sure enough, the next run he took it alot faster, at least that was
>what I was told, and the it stuck like glue. DOWNFORCE, and big fat super
>sticky tires. That's the ticket...
>
>Even if this isn't a true story, it still has the ring of truth to it.
This is indeed true of airfoil-induced downforce. I 'test drove' the
Phantom last fall, just after Joe and Gary got back from Topeka. Both
Gary and Joe told me I was slowing down too much for the corners-
relying too much on the mechanical grip provided by the tires alone.
Sure enough, I was experiencing understeer going in and a loose
condition when accelerating out of the corner. Learning to trust the
wings is something like diving into a swimming pool for the very first
time. But done right, you can turn almost any turn into a sweeper-
little or no braking. Just back off and turn in and the rest will take
care of itself. It's pretty amazing. I would guess that the wings
provide enough downforce at 35-40mph cornering speeds.
Keep in mind that a state-of-the-art A-Mod car doesn't have a lot of
underbody surface area to generate significant downforce via ground
effects. It's very narrow. But to answer Mike original question- I
don't know. Active ground effects (sucker cars) can have downforce
while parked. Remember the Skipad Challenge? There was a sucker kart
that couldn't get started becuase there was too much suction. But both
active (sucker) and passive ground effect (sliding skirts) car are
illegal in Solo events. No one has yet developed a tunnelled chassis
for Solo.
-c.
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Cliff Loh, Vancouver, B.C. CANADA
"Cultivate the great by nourishing the small,
the impossible is composed of the possible."
vcmc001@ibm.net
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