[Shotimes] RE: Dimples Was: 96 SHO damage report

[James F. Ryan III]

> I didn't know that the dimples made it go faster, I thought it would just
> make it fly straighter!

Straighter?  No.  Faster?  Slightly (but that's not important to a golfer).
Stay in the air longer?  Yes; which equates to longer distance.

The problem with a golf ball (or baseball) is that they're round, or
spherical.  As a ball (without dimples or laces) travels through the air,
the boundary layer air is unable to conform to the spherical shape and
separates from the surface of the ball.  This creates 'dirty swirls' which
we know as drag.

The dimples (or laces) create turbulence which actually allows the boundary
layer air to conform to the shape of the ball, which in turn reduces the
dirty swirls/drag and allows the ball to fly farther (and faster).  Also,
the direction of spin creates a lower pressure area above the ball
(Bernoulli's principle) and the helps to 'lift' the ball.  Anyone who has
ever whacked a golf ball is familiar with this upward-curving flight path,
especially with a nice 1- or 3-wood.

Our cars are not as streamlined as boats or airplanes but they are better
than a golf ball.  Most cars have a sloped/tapered front end, a high middle,
and a sloped/tapered rear end.  Not perfect but it does have the overall
shape of an airplane wing, save for the very tapered trailing edge of the
wing.  Because of the car's already 'superior' (compared to a golf ball)
shape the dimples will do more harm than good. 



Jim Ryan
(Living and working in Kentucky for the next 2 months)
Wayne, NJ
'91 Plus - all white/mocha with fiberglass hood, rod shifter, & rear spoiler

255 Lph fuel pump, SHO Shop can & horn, 80mm MAF, S&B cone filter, SHO Shop
HiFlow Y-pipe & cat-back exhaust, SHO Shop LPM, SHO Shop underdrive pulleys,
SHO Shop HiRevs Jr clutch & steel billet LiteWeight flywheel, reinforced
engine & trans mounts, SHO Shop TQ limiters, SHO NUT aluminum SFBs, FPS '96
SHO front brakes, Carbotech F brake pads, Nook's full-body SFCs, Koni adj
struts, SHO Shop linear springs, 24mm FSB, 26mm RSB, SHO Shop steel f&r
STBs, Bridgestone Potenza RE-730 225/55-16, CATZ MSP fog lights, police
grille