Two new aerodynamic patents on front-end car airflow

Reducing aerodynamic drag through better handling of front-end flows. Note that my most recent aero book (replacing the one shown in this video) can be found here - www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Aerody... or Amazon in your country.

[@simonmartin_ch]

This is an excellent explanation. I have observed this trend with the bonnet vents in supercars and started wondering why everyone was doing it. Awesome video!

[@JulianEdgar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@omg_stoppit]

Julian, ever since I watched this video years ago, I kept in mind the patent to reduce the frontal area. Recently, we've seen a bunch of cars, from the Polestar 3 to the Acura ARX-06 to the new Charger incorporating the design feature. I just thought it was funny how it all came full circle starting with this video!

[@JulianEdgar]

Not sure what you mean by reducing the frontal area? None of the patents reduce the projected frontal area, which is the multiplier for Cd to give total drag.

[@magnusdanielsson2749]

This would be perfect for my Fiero I think. Original it takes in air low, through the radiator and it then needs to do a very sharp turn to exit under the car. This produces alot of lift in the front, already at 90 km/h.

[@xXZ31t6esTXx]

This is exactly the video I was waiting for. If you check for my past comments you will realize

[@Brrrrt675]

Thank you for these highly educational videos, subscribed!

[@JulianEdgar]

Glad you like them!

[@daleandersen6730]

Very nice design and clever! in addition, hot air short cycling (while stopped) would be prevented.

[@marlinmack2570]

Julian I would like to thank you for all of your videos and the wealth of knowledge you have been. I was finally able to show support for you and purchased your book on air suspension. I hope that you remain active on here and continue to make books and videos!

[@captaincurd2681]

Same here...

[@JulianEdgar]

Thanks, but I don't think I'll make many more videos.

[@kovacspis]

@@JulianEdgar Why not?

[@JulianEdgar]

@@kovacspis People typically watch half of one video, get completely the wrong idea, and then do bad modifications. Not really the result I was after!

[@nickcastillo2567]

Fascinating...

[@ShoshinMizu]

Excellent video. I am building my car and have been searching for better cooling solutions. My idea was to try and get the air through the radiators and over the turbo, then onto the windscreen to try and create some under hood heat exhaust action. I might just try to copy this. Might have to try and make a mold of some sort. Make it out of fiberglass or something.

[@JulianEdgar]

Don't guess. Measure first.

[@ScaniaFung]

looks like it also reduce drag of the bubble in front of windshield

[@obeynemo]

Any chance you can do something on the Mercedes 190 Evo 2 as this was the car that supposedly made Bmw redesign there wind tunnel... Keep up the good work, loving the videos.

[@JulianEdgar]

I don't know of any detailed technical data on the aero of the car.

[@renegadeflyer2]

I was wondering if they extended the guide panel beyond the radiator hot exit. If properly done it would draw more air threw the radiator. Just a thought .

[@narancs5]

It seems like the first patent uses a very similar principle to the solution seen on big trucks with huge frontal area.

[@JulianEdgar]

Not really.

[@ashleyjwilliamshand]

If you look at the front of the 2012-2017 Mitsubishi Mirage (Pre 2017 Facelift models only), you see a upper un-ducted intake slit in the front bumper. Given it's position, and if you used the stock vertical radiator with a sealed path to a hood vent/extractor... And if you ducted this slit as pictured, do you think it could accomplish this effect? Edit: Love the videos, about to order your books, and your Autoblog articles blew my mind when I first read them in 2009. They are still amazing, and have recommended them countless times to other enthusiasts.

[@JulianEdgar]

Thanks for the praise. I think the first step would be to see if you can duct the radiator outlet to a hood vent. That's usually pretty well impossible in normal front engine, ICE cars.

[@dukinse5198]

Hello Julian, just today i saw in person jaguar i-pace. So nice car and i noticed many aero characteristics. One question i noticed something weird behind rear wheels... like a perpendicular fin. Any idea about that? How it helps in aero?

[@JulianEdgar]

Got a link to a pic?

[@JulianEdgar]

Separation edge

[@dukinse5198]

@@JulianEdgar i thought those are to reduce wake? It prevents airflow from the rear wheels to the back bumper?

[@JulianEdgar]

I wouldn't think so. Don't look at the styling details but just look at the vertical separation lines that extend from bottom to top.

[@dukinse5198]

@@JulianEdgar ok, thanks. Jaguar seems to really design this car with an emphasis in aero. Looks amazing and muscular too. Very nice 👌.

[@doug-core8850]

I've been considering stuff like this for awhile to change the cooling of the coyote powered falcon. Thing just doesn't get the cooling it deserves

[@JulianEdgar]

It's easy to develop a car cooling system to give better outside airflow. All covered in my book. www.amazon.com.au/Vehicle-Aerodynamics-Modification-Development-alternative/dp/B0C87VYVL8

[@lauriedooker1031]

Why have a flap or gate at the entrance of the heat exchanger duct ? Sub zero air temperatures? Like a aircraft ? I don’t get that one.

[@JulianEdgar]

Most cars today have radiator shutters that open or close, depending on cooling requirements. Maybe buy my book? www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/1787112837

[@ScaniaFung]

hard to do it on front engine car

[@jezreelespeleta3711]

what if instead of taking in the cooling airflow from the front, take the cooling airflow from an opening under the car and use the top ducted airflow to pull air from the bottom through the heat exchangers and out to the top of the hood?

[@JulianEdgar]

Yes you could do that if you were happy with a lower pressure difference (ie less flow) across the heat exchangers.

[@babumoshai6191]

The air coming from the bonnet will be high velocity.What about the air coming from the radiator? Dont we need low velocity air near the cowl?

[@JulianEdgar]

I don't think we *need* low velocity near the cowl, as such. We *get* a lower velocity there because of the increase in pressure at the base of the windscreen. I also think the way the patent describes low/high velocities might be relative, eg a higher velocity exiting the bypass duct than the bonnet flow, but not a high velocity compared to, say, the freestream.

[@ErrorMargin]

Can you share the patent numbers and links? I’d like to study these in detail.

[@JulianEdgar]

The links are in the video.

[@ErrorMargin]

Here are the links: patents.google.com/patent/US10577034B2 and www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/PublicationNumber/GB2555823

[@ErrorMargin]

@@JulianEdgar What is your take on this one: patents.google.com/patent/US10179613B2 I'm building a Dodge Caliber track car and looking at how to manage airflow for square backed cars.

[@JulianEdgar]

It is far better to do some testing (eg by measuring of wake pressures) with various aero mock-ups in place than to copy patents. Step-by-step test and development is the best approach. See www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L5TN94J

[@user-pc1er8zy7c]

So that's the reason behind the frontal side panels on european trucks.

[@darrens3]

The example cars are Jaguars so I believe that these patents are from Jaguar, correct?

[@JulianEdgar]

Yes, didn't I say that in the video?

[@janiwallin482]

Hi. I don't know anything about the subject, but you didn't address one point. You know how a paint sprayer works. If you imagine that the hot air (paint) comes through the radiator and the air passing over the hood (compressed air) is directed through the channel to which the hot air channel is connected. Isn't there a "carburetor phenomenon" going on here?

[@JulianEdgar]

Sure, one flow helps entrain the other.

[@doug-core8850]

A venturi effect by the looks of it. Helps by sucking the air up and out of the heat exchanger, increasing airflow speed I guess

[@harshithsadhana7475]

tesla cars have almost flat front.

[@xXZ31t6esTXx]

The so called refreshed model s has something like this