The wing has got alot more to do with it than that, the roof flap, is only a foot wide and 6" deep and has been very effective at slamming the car back to the ground in the past, it would only make sense to me that the 5 ft wide 1 ft deep wing could overpower the roof flap and make it soar like a eagle!

^^^ refer yourself to the thread title.

red376 - 03 November 2009 05:46 PM

I think they should go back to the mid eighties G-body two doors and thunderturds. May not help keep them on the ground but at least they'll look better while they're soaring thru the air.

auntysquat - 02 November 2009 10:25 AM

Operating properly, the wing produces some, but not all of the downforce on the rear of the cars. The total rear downforce is much less than the rear wheel weight of the car.

In full reverse, operating as an airdam and not a wing, the thing cannot physically generate sufficient lift to pick the car up. There's no splitter on the azz end of the car ... there's a great gaping maw between the bottom of the bumper cover and the track surface. At high speeds, the airflow fills the hole and lift is generated. The wing helps, as did the spoiler on the old cars. Neither is the culprit.

Then how about some kind of vent or louver on the deck lid near the base of the rear window and/or rear fenders so when a car is backwards it would exhaust or divert the high pressure from under the rear of the car. Similar to the cowl flaps.

aorton27 - 04 November 2009 05:32 AM

auntysquat - 02 November 2009 10:25 AM

Operating properly, the wing produces some, but not all of the downforce on the rear of the cars. The total rear downforce is much less than the rear wheel weight of the car.

In full reverse, operating as an airdam and not a wing, the thing cannot physically generate sufficient lift to pick the car up. There's no splitter on the azz end of the car ... there's a great gaping maw between the bottom of the bumper cover and the track surface. At high speeds, the airflow fills the hole and lift is generated. The wing helps, as did the spoiler on the old cars. Neither is the culprit.

Then how about some kind of vent or louver on the deck lid near the base of the rear window and/or rear fenders so when a car is backwards it would exhaust or divert the high pressure from under the rear of the car. Similar to the cowl flaps.

I'm surprised they haven't put high pressure triggered flaps back there by now. They work well on the cowl and on the roof. Another poster suggested triggering the entire deck lid - an even better idea, imo. Difficult to engineer but well worth the effort.

Vents/louvers would be working all the time and would add downforce as they exhausted high pressure air to the atmosphere. The penalties for the Roush incident with the top of the oil tank cover and the drilled bolts on the deck lid of the Evernham cars at Daytona point to that.

If I remember correctly, the COT designers went with a short deck lid and wing to "disrupt" the airflow behind the car allowing a following car to get close with “minimal” handling effect to the lead car. In addition, the wings placement, close to the deck lid and out of the cleaner air flows, to decrease downforce.

The “downforce” of a “car” wing is “most effective” when it is positioned in the air stream to avoid turbulence (above the roof and behind the car) like a top fuel dragster or Plymouth Superbird. Right side up or upside down the short deck lid, the placement of the wing and tail end of the car would have a “minor” influence on cars becoming airborne. (I think. LOL)

P.S. Newman’s right rear wheel was already off the ground when the roof flaps opened.

The rear wing will produce lift when going backwards, but the magnitude will be much less than the downforce it produces going forward, and not nearly enough to lift the car.

The lift on the car while going backwards is most likely caused by the profile of the bottom of the car. The nose and splitter are very low to prevent air from flowing under the car and the rear has a large amount of clearance (open area) to allow the air to expand and create an area of low velocity that will produce a slight vacuum effect.

When the car is moving backwards, the large opening in the rear (now the front) combined with the tight clearance in the front traps air under the car creating a ram effect and lift. (Houston we have liftoff! ).

The roof flaps are intended to disrupt the air flow over the roof, create some turbulence, and increase the pressure. It didn't work this time did it?