Quote:
Originally Posted by ayau
i'm not arguing that you're wrong, but don't you think that are a lot of other variables to take into account?
tires, suspension, driver skill, engine conditoin, etc, etc.
you're not isolating the aero parts as the only variable that can affect those exit speeds.
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Colatkitty's a faster driver, but it doesn't take much to floor it from turn 6 through 8; there's almost no variable other than engine output and aerodynamics. S2ks are power limited through that section. We all take the shortest line, and there's not enough lateral load for it to matter there; I've done it flat with all-season tires on in a buddy's CR. :p
s2ki handle is psychoazn
Quote:
Originally Posted by AeroWRX
You missed my entire point. I'm saying CD doesn't matter in this discussion and in cases where you are comparing apples to oranges. You compare two cars: your CR and colatkitty's S2K. Both cars with same profiles minus the difference in wing area. Assuming all else equal and both driver skill levels are identical -now you are comparing apples to apples .
My second point was that CD is unfortunately an afterthought in the automotive industry as aesthetics are more important than engineering. Experimentals and exotics? We're talking about apples and oranges and you show up with a coconut?
I have a degree in aerospace engineering with emphasis on aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics so I care about CD more than anyone here probably.
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How does it not matter? T6-T8 has no other significant variables in that every s2k takes the same line. Furthermore, the comparison extends out to other cars with stunning accuracy. S2ks with a GTC-200 low mounted and CR wings will hit the same top speed as S2ks with a high mount GT wing. The high mount GT winged cars are universally exiting T5 faster, and ALL s2ks are flat from the T5 exit to T9 entry. My sample size is roughly 30 cars of varying setups that all consistently yield the same data. Most of these cars are running dataloggers, which confirm the findings.
The tire variable, besides rolling resistance, is eliminated because lateral grip is not an issue, and the s2k doesn't have enough power to spin the tires at triple digit speeds. There's enough variance in rims without correlating data to effectively eliminate that. The section of track involves flooring it for 30+ seconds; everyone can do it, eliminating the driver variable. Power output of the given cars are more or less equalized.
Great, you have a lot of theoretical knowledge. I have real world results. You're welcome to our data if you'd like to take a look. How about a zero-lift G37? I'm sure that was an afterthought.
Aero matters.