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My partner is an aerospace engineer, and while I know very little on the subject, I have always wondered why cars don't have flaps like planes to slow them under really hard breaking. I asked my partner, and he said he hadn't really thought about it, and that he knows little about cars. So what do you all think? Especially any of you with a physics or engineering background.
It might not be very useful at the speeds cars typically travel at. On top of that you have packaging restrictions and pedestrian safety issues to deal with. Slamming on your brakes to avoid an accident only to find someone impaled on one of your flaps isn't a good way to start your morning.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Originally Posted by OKChiGuy
My partner is an aerospace engineer, and while I know very little on the subject, I have always wondered why cars don't have flaps like planes to slow them under really hard breaking. I asked my partner, and he said he hadn't really thought about it, and that he knows little about cars. So what do you all think? Especially any of you with a physics or engineering background.
Anybody, with that kind of a background, would never spend time on that idea.
It might not be very useful at the speeds cars typically travel at. On top of that you have packaging restrictions and pedestrian safety issues to deal with. Slamming on your brakes to avoid an accident only to find someone impaled on one of your flaps isn't a good way to start your morning.
Never thought of that. That really would be bad... Anyways it was just a thought that came to me in a dream. Perhaps cause flying makes me nervous and I am flying today. And I get strange dreams when I am nervous.
As egg mentioned, the impact of air's fluid properties on a vehicle don't significantly come into play until very high speeds and/or instances of large, blunt surface area such as a truck.
Actually the MacLaren does use a variable downforce spoiler that deploys under heavy braking at speed. This type of technology is just not very cost-efficient for most ordinary street cars.
Doesn't the Chrysler Misfire have a spoiler that will pop up too?
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