Neat ideas for racecars

22Silver · Postby **22Silver** » Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:05 pm

How cool would it be if you could get turbine shaped rims that when spun, force air that's underneath the car to get pumped out through the rim, creating negative pressure under the car. I believe they have this simply to cool brakes, but I like the idea of rims adding downward force subtly

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm

22Silver wrote:How cool would it be if you could get turbine shaped rims that when spun, force air that's underneath the car to get pumped out through the rim, creating negative pressure under the car. I believe they have this simply to cool brakes, but I like the idea of rims adding downward force subtly

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Airfoil_20Rims
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1433413-Wheel-info

22Silver · Postby **22Silver** » Fri Sep 27, 2013 4:09 pm

Pretty cool. Shame it doesn't work well.

Rasputin · Postby **Rasputin** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 5:48 pm

I believe this would not work.

This would distort airflow underneath and around the car.

The idea of underbody aero is to get as little air, to the rear in the smoothest most orderly fashion possible; to fill the low pressure void behind your car as efficiently as can be.

To add-

I can't see a wheel spinning at even 300KMh would be enough to produce a vacuum in such a large body of air; that your car passes over every split moment.

(Consider how fast a turbocharger spins to create positive pressure (over 150,000RPM))

Splitters, wings, trays, canards and vents do more than enough in regards to sucking your car to the floor.

Edit: Just had an additional brain-fart.

Say one did attach turbines that were spun seperate to the wheels, on electric motors (those wheels called "spinners" come to mind).

You may end up actually reducing effectiveness by literally sucking more air under the car, and vacating more air than required.

22Silver · Postby **22Silver** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:29 pm

Interesting.

Anyone else have any ridiculous ideas that sound cool but probably don't work?

mr2 spyder · Postby **mr2 spyder** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:53 am

All the time.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:09 pm

4 wheel steering comes to mind.
What happened to that?

Locutus · Postby **Locutus** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:32 pm

cost & reliability issues.

it's still used these days, but typically only for reducing turning circles on larger wheelbase vehicles.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:07 pm

Tyrrell P34

Sidewinder · Postby **Sidewinder** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:56 am

Someone once suggested that I route the air conditioner output to the engine's air intake, since engines produce more power with cold air. I wonder why nobody ever thought of that.

Rovy · Postby **Rovy** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 11:45 am

Sidewinder wrote:Someone once suggested that I route the air conditioner output to the engine's air intake, since engines produce more power with cold air. I wonder why nobody ever thought of that.

Ask yourself what powers the A/C?