Assumption:- the Styling department of Honda probably has a bigger budget than the Aerodynamics department.
I made a video test last year, using tufts of wool to show air flow around the outside of the radiators. At low speed the air follows around the front fairing and drops into the slit in front of the radiator. It breaks up, gets confused and ends up flowing forwards, into the fairing - Very odd!
As the speed increases above 40mph. The air stops being able to hug the contours. I think the air pressure out side the radiators is lowered and that allows the high pressure air being rammed in from the front to push outwards through the radiator. Has anyone from the warmer areas experimented with low pressure aerodynamics to draw air out of the radiators?
What you ought to be looking at is design of cowling of Focke-Wulf FW-190. Two stage cooling, radial engine and still better aerodynamic than Spitfire.
If you remove the wool tufts, the airflow will probably improve. We routinely shear the local sheep to prevent them overheating around here.
17 hours ago, Terry
If you remove the wool tufts, the airflow will probably improve. We routinely shear the local sheep to prevent them overheating around here.
Yeah. I hear yah. Has anyone tried fitting the sheep with Gurney flaps?
If you reduce the gaps around the radiator it reduces the bypass flow. Like everything it always takes the path of least resistance, so at low speed the air bypasses if it can. At higher speeds the pressure differential is bigger & the volume of air greater so it passes through the rad core.
When I was having cooling issues a few years back I added additional deflectors in front of the rad vents on the fairing to create a bigger pressure differential sooner. It worked but then I discovered my rads were furred up inside. Do a good clean & all back to normal 👍
Magneto, 6/15/2021 at 8:35 PM
What you ought to be looking at is design of cowling of Focke-Wulf FW-190. Two stage cooling, radial engine and still better aerodynamic than Spitfire.
That design belongs to BMW LOL