[QUOTE=Straykiwi;30924140]
Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK
If it's the vertical ones, it might just be that the sidepods are pretty much empty and that the shape of the sidepod and the airflow inside mainly have an aerodynamic function, and a zeropod design can be really easily made (so the packeaging of the engine/gearbox/cooling is already fit for that.
Of course if the cooling is more to the center of the car instead of inside the sidepods, that increases agility as less mass is off axis.
/QUOTE]
When I first saw the images of the car the vertical slots remind me of a boundary layer splitter plate seen on supersonic jet fighters like the F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle. Obviously the car is not intended to drive at supersonic speeds but the aerodynamic problems may well be similar - slow, turbulent air close to the body causing vortexes in faster moving air and consequentially, increased unwanted drag. My guess coming from an aviation context is that that slot vents the air underneath the car in a low pressure area to help smooth the airflow over the sides of the chassis or alternatively they could pass the air over the radiators to create a net thrust via the Meredith Effect to accelerate the airflow further back.
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Had to look that up ... thank you
