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=
P
D
1
2
, pv
2
A
(1)
Where F
D
is the drag force, is the air density, V
is the free stream velocity, and A is the frontal
area of the vehicle. This non-dimensional coeff-
icient allows the drag performance between diff-
erent vehicles and different setups of the same
vehicle to be compared directly.
Lift is the other of the two main aerodynamic
forces imposed on a race vehicle, but unlike drag,
lift can be manipulated to enhance the perfor-
mance of a racecar and decrease lap times. Lift is
the force that acts on a vehicle normal to the road
surface that the vehicle rides on. As its definition
implies, lift usually has the effect of pulling the
vehicle away from the surface it drives on. How-
ever, by manipulating the racecar geometry it is
possible to create negative lift, or down-force.
Down-force enhances vehicle performance by
increasing the normal load on the tires. This
increases the potential cornering force which
results in the ability of the vehicle to corner faster
and reduce lap times. The lift of the vehicle is
characterized by the lift coefficient (C
L
) and is
defined as:
C
L
=
P
L
1
2
, pv
2
A
(2)
Where F
L
is the lift force, A is the area of the up-
per surface of the vehicle, and the other variables
are as defined above. A negative lift coefficient
means that a vehicle is experiencing down force.
The pressure over the vehicle varies across the
surface and is dependent on the geometry of the
vehicle. The pressure on the vehicle acts normal
to the surface and contributes to the lift and drag
forces accordingly. The pressure at each point on
the surface of the vehicle can be characterized by
the pressure coefficient (C
P
) which is defined as:
C
P
=
P-P
1
2
, pv
2
(3)
Where p is the static pressure at the vehicle sur-
face, p
D
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
"
H
2
O
)
Union College Mer331 Fluid Mechanics
Winter 2013 Page 5 of 5 Professor Anderson
Model Car Information
NASCAR
L = 260mm W = 110mm H = 70mm
Top Area = 286 cm
2
Front Area = 77 cm
2
Position of Pressure Taps
(distance from front in mm)
1 0
2 16
3 30
4 52
5 70
6 92
7 114
8 134
9 154
10 174
11 193
12 215
13 235
14 260
MERCEDES CLK
L = 250mm W = 100mm H = 70mm
Top Area = 250 cm
2
Front Area = 70 cm
2
Position of Pressure Taps
(distance from front in mm)
1 5
2 20
3 42
4 62
5 80
6 100
7 122
8 145
9 165
10 185
11 205
12 225
13 250
AUDI TT
L = 250mm W = 100mm H = 70mm
Top Area = 250 cm
2
Front Area = 70 cm
2
Position of Pressure Taps
(distance from front in mm)
1 0
2 10
3 28
4 48
5 70
6 85
7 108
8 125
9 145
10 164
11 183
12 200
13 225
14 240
BAJA PICKUP
L = 235mm W = 90mm H = 80mm
Top Area = 211.5 cm
2
Front Area = 72 cm
2
Position of Pressure Taps
(distance from front in mm)
1 0
2 30
3 50
4 70
5 85
6 100
7 120
8 140
9 153
10 170
11 190
12 210
13 240