Aerow-E ( my new car design )

Jason Lattimer said:

O.K. so I've started building the frame for my new car. I think I have finally started to get a handle on how Google Sketchup works. So I now have a general idea of what my car will look like in 3d. Tell me your opinion, how does it look and what would you change if anything?

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I would add wheels

All kidding aside though it looks good, however the wheels and other things that stick out should play a part in the overall design, for it to look and function well for airflow.

rwaudio said:

I would add wheels

All kidding aside though it looks good, however the wheels and other things that stick out should play a part in the overall design, for it to look and function well for airflow.

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Agreed. I would love to add wheels but I am a novice using this software and cannot do much beyond what you see. I want to have fender skirts on as much as possible, even the front wheels if I can figure out how to do it and still be able to turn the car.

It is an aerofoil shape, the cross-section of an aircraft wing.
That means that it will lift and become unstable.

Unless you are running on very flat water it would only take one wavelet and you will go the same way as Donald Cambell in 1967.

You know, the more I look at my own design, I am wondering if I am driving it the right way. The tapered long angle was supposed to be the front, but it almost looks like it should be going the other way.

Jason Lattimer said:

You know, the more I look at my own design, I am wondering if I am driving it the right way. The tapered long angle was supposed to be the front, but it almost looks like it should be going the other way.

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Ahhh, I was seeing the blunt end as the front as it would be more aerodynamic that way. But it is also more wing like in that direction and more likely to cause lift.

Add an airdam under the front end and skirts down the sides so that it prevents air rushing underneath. The much reduced airflow under the wing, erm, body will cause a lower pressure underneath sucking it downwards to counter the lifting from the faster airflow over the top. Also a hollow section under the floor will also drop the pressure underneath too.


There is a lot to take into account with car body design. It may be worth your while making a mini wind tunnel to test models with.
Here is a small scale wind tunnel.
I would advise fitting a bundle of straws into the inlet to make the flow more linear as it is drawn through the tunnel.

Thats a great idea, once I've come up with a design I like, I will sculpt it out something and give that a try.