I not an expert on arrow dynamics, but I really want to know if you put a wing on your car, will say mounted centered on your cars balance point. Lets say this wing wasn‘t like those ricers trying to produce down force so there civic doesn‘t fly off the highway, but a wing that produced lift, this could improve the gas mileage of your car. I‘m thinking it could even be mechanical in some way providing various amounts of lift, but on the highway you could make a 3000lb car drive like it was 2000lbs. That‘s a big *** difference, i just don‘t know how crazy drag would be on the wing itself, but I was just reading about something called the tube plane, a large percentage of its lift was created with the main body of the plane, technology is a far larger market than oil, driving around in vehicles shaped like bricks isn‘t helping MPG‘s. Any comments
No as you accelerate the lift reduces the cars weight, however the wing increases parasitic drag which increases with speed. next problem as apparent weight decreases so does the necessary friction tires-pavement reducing grip which reduces acceleration also If you have a friend who is a pilot have them take you up on a day when you can experience the fun of a cross wind landing. now imagine driving down the road and suddenly the left side of the car lifts up off the ground and decides it wants to be on the right side. get the picture.
A lighter vehicle would be more fuel efficient if the driver used the loss of mass to their advantage. If the loss of weight was used to gain more speed, the gain in efficiency would be lost. But if the driver were to drive in the same manner as usual, the lost weight would have a large advantage. The drag coefficient on the wing worries me a little, and also the wing may add some awkwardness to driving in general, but if done correctly could be a good thing. I am not an Engineer, but can see the advantages and disadvantages to both sides of the equation.
The idea of lift to reduce weight of a car, could create a hazard as far as handling and braking! The use of high tech plastics and lighter metals will reduce weight and increase mileage.
