Open Nose vs. Closed on Sports Racer Design

[billtebbutt]

If I interpret that wording strictly and literally, it prohibits forward facing oipenings for driver cooling.

Or am I missing something??

The driver IS a heat exchanger!

[Rob E]

The regulations do not specifically define what a heat exchanger is. I would submit that if you made two passages that carried some fluid and placed one at the bottom of the duct and one at the top, or maybe one at each side, that you have ducted all of the air that is entering the opening "through" the heat exchanger. This is why these type of rules run wildly out of control and the regulation creep that frustrates everyone exists.

[Jnovak]

Or, does anybody have a name for the front body section (non-wing) like on many Brabham F1s, others and of course the Novacar? The "goofy" looking white one in the middle was called the "Crab Claw"-- but is there any other name than, "That Nose-Thing?"


Does the Novacar have a reference to it on a parts list that is "more descriptive?"

Thanks and as always,
Cheers - Jim

everyone calls it a sports car nose. We think it reduces aero drag.

[t walgamuth]

everyone calls it a sports car nose. We think it reduces aero drag.

I'd call it a cowcatcher.

As for the opening in the nose, if AJ does it for qualifying at the speedway it must be faster!

[Jnovak]

All.

Focus is on aero drag reduction, not downforce generation or reduction.

Given:
1) The radiator in the front of my sports racer is no longer required for cooling.
2) Radiator is removed and air flow passing into the chassis/body will have little to no interference.
3) Clear/clean flow into the driver's compartment.
4) Most air flow exiting through the driver opening. Some exiting through normal body openings in rear of car.
5) Radiator opening is small and air speed is low enough that flow through the driver opening will create only very small internal drag.
4) No safety-related issues to comply with.
5) Loss of down force from nose mounted splitter in front of radiator opening is not an issue.

Again, focus on lowest drag design:

Should I cover the opening to force air to flow around the sides and top of body, or, leave the hole open and let air flow through the body and out the driver opening?

have you tried it to get a result? Very curious!

[RussMcB]

I'm curious to know how the engine is cooled now the front radiator has been removed.

(and yes, I know this is an old thread).

[stvsxm]

I am not an aero expert, but it is generally accepted that air flowing through the car body usually creates what is called parasitic drag - i.e., the increased surface contact plus any twists and turns the air does inside the body results in more drag than keeping it on the outside.

i think this is precisely correct, i did some work with pratt and whitney on the aero of my GTP car and i asked the engineer the best way to improve duct work and his answer was simple... " eliminate them " . the long explanation boiled down to that any duct, no matter how well designed is always worse than a streamlined shape for drag for exactly the reasons that dave explains. assuming i understand your question, if you now have a hole in the front of your car where your rad used to be and the rules allow it, , make a properly shaped streamlined, lowest frontal and wetted area shape you can and that will be the lowest drag solution