Analysis of road vehicle aerodynamics with computational fluid dynamics

A road vehicles aerodynamics can be one of the most influential aspects of its performance. With the increased importance on fuel efficiency in recent years, new road vehicles are being developed smaller in size, with smaller displacement engines, as well as with improved aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of a vehicle can have a significant effect on its fuel efficiency, as well as other important aspects of the vehicles performance such as the top speed, acceleration, and handling. A study focusing on analyzing aerodynamic effects due to vehicle geometries such as wheels covered by the vehicles body in comparison to open wheels outside the body. Where the effects of the wheels show considerable difference in drag force. The effects of vehicle distance from the road surface is also studied, where the distance from the surface shows minimal differences in drag and considerable differences in negative lift force.