Product Description

Aerodynamics is a science in itself, and is one of the most important factors in modern competition car design. This book covers all aspects of aerodynamics, including both downforce and drag, and explains in down-to-earth terms, with the aid of numerous illustrations, including color CFD diagrams to demonstrate how aerodynamic devices work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #132061 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review

“We might as well say it up front, every racer – vintage or contemporary – will benefit from reading this book for performance and safety.

“It is a very useful handbook for all racers and requires careful reading and thought, but not a technical degree.”

“Every racer – vintage or contemporary – will benefit from reading this book for the performance and safety.”

About the Author
Simon McBeath is a gifted technical writer. His four books in this series have acquired a fine reputation.

Customer Reviews

A terrific introduction for the racer who doesn't have a PhD
This book is very specific in its approach. It goes over the broad theory of aerodynamics as it applies to racing, and then explains each component of a contemporary race car, covering the front end (airdams, splitters and spoilers), the back end (wings), the underside (underbody aerodynamics), and other miscellaneous aero aids. In each chapter, he walks through a host of different tests to show not just which configurations are going to work best, but also why they are going to work best.

For drivers of open wheeled or production-based race cars, this is a great handbook to use in formulating your approach to the often misunderstood world of aero.

Excellent overview and introduction
Jack Olsen and João Carlos Matoso are both correct: this book has some excellent information aimed at the person who does not have any specialized knowledge of aerodynamics. I'm a track car driver and aeronautical engineer, and I found the book to be a little too simplified for my background. But I've recommended it to a lot of non-aerodynamicists as an introductory work, and they have all loved it.

If you are a racing fan who wants to understand the aero packages, or if you are a racer or track driver who wants to know which aero options will be appropriate for your needs, this is a great place to start educating yourself. Even if you are an airplane engineer (like me), this does give you some insight into the differences between car and airplane aerodynamics. But if you are looking for a technical discussion on boundary layer models and doing CFD gridding, this isn't the book you are looking for.

A good introduction to car aerodynamics
The book was well written in a very British style. It covers most aerodynamic devices on modern competition cars and gives a few examples focusing on a Nascar study and a Formula-1 BAR Honda study. I would have liked to have seen more original work from the author to specifically and graphically detail each component that goes into the aerodynamics of a competition car instead of just reproducing other studies. However, as an introduction to the field of aerodynamics of cars this book is easy to understand and fairly informative.