ALL ABOUT AERODYNAMICS
We’ve all seen race cars and seriously quick performance road cars draped in fancy carbon fibre aerodynamic aids, but far from just giving the car an aggressive get-out-of-my-way appearance they are there to do a specific job. And that job is to direct air into places you want it and divert it away from areas you don’t.
In doing so you can actually use the pressure of the air as you drive through it to gain performance and safety advantages. Get it wrong, and all you will do is increase your car’s drag and therefore hinder its performance. So, let’s take a closer look at what aerodynamics is, what it does, and how you can utilise it on your fast Ford.
Before we begin, though, let’s first look at what aerodynamics actually is. The term ‘aerodynamics’ refers to the study of moving air, in particular when it comes into contact with an object. The movement and behaviour of air over an object (in this case, a car) is a technical and highly mathematical area that many experts spend their lifetimes studying. Thankfully, we can pull out the key points that affect you and your performance car, and leave the equations to one side.
Over the next few pages we investigate some of the design basics and the key areas to
