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Automotive aerodynamics differs from aircraft aerodynamics in several ways: The characteristic shape of a road vehicle is much less streamlined compared to an aircraft. The vehicle operates very close to the ground, rather than in free air. The operating speeds are lower (and aerodynamic drag varies as the square of speed).
Vehicle dynamics is the study of vehicle motion, e.g., how a vehicle's forward movement changes in response to driver inputs, propulsion system outputs, ambient conditions, air/surface/water conditions, etc. Vehicle dynamics is a part of engineering primarily based on classical mechanics.
This is a list of auto parts, which are manufactured components of automobiles. This list reflects both fossil-fueled cars (using internal combustion engines) and electric vehicles; the list is not exhaustive. Many of these parts are also used on other motor vehicles such as trucks and buses.
Top: Lateral view; the red circles mark the front air dam/splitter and rear diffuser. Bottom: Rear. A diffuser, in an automotive context, is a shaped section of the car rear which improves the car's aerodynamic properties by enhancing the transition between the high-velocity airflow underneath the car and the much slower freestream airflow of the ambient atmosphere.
An illustration of several key components in a typical four-stroke engine. For a four-stroke engine, key parts of the engine include the crankshaft (purple), connecting rod (orange), one or more camshafts (red and blue), and valves. For a two-stroke engine, there may simply be an exhaust outlet and fuel inlet instead of a valve system.
The term drag area derives from aerodynamics, where it is the product of some reference area (such as cross-sectional area, total surface area, or similar) and the drag coefficient. In 2003, Car and Driver magazine adopted this metric as a more intuitive way to compare the aerodynamic efficiency of various automobiles.
A turbocharger for a car engine A supercharger (on top of a dark-grey inlet manifold) for a car engine. In an internal combustion engine, forced induction is where turbocharging or supercharging is used to increase the density of the intake air. Engines without forced induction are classified as naturally aspirated. [1]
In car design, ground effect is a series of effects which have been exploited in automotive aerodynamics to create downforce, particularly in racing cars.This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic focus on streamlining.