Vortex Generator Strip

[helidrvr]

There are a dozen or more threads which touch on this subject, so it seemed sensible to start a specific one. Attached are some pictures of my installation yesterday of the strips obtained from Performance Products Inc. - prfprod.com.

According to Mike Nish mine are is installed as intended and should noticeably enhance lateral stability at highway speeds while the much cleaner airflow should also help keep the rear windshield clean and last but not least improve fuel efficiency.

Once I've had a few weeks of use, I'll report on my findings.

[Gene_SD]

helidrvr, so give us the details of what size you purchased and how did you adhere them to the rear spoiler of the smart.

[jwight]

Moved this to the mods section. Be very interested to hear how they turn out, as there are some naysayers concerning these.

[brian r]

Originally Posted by jwight

Moved this to the mods section. Be very interested to hear how they turn out, as there are some naysayers concerning these.

A friend of mine is a pro rally driver; he says that the ones Mitsubishi puts on the Evo are pure cosmetics.

[torqueaholic]

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/cor...004/16E_03.pdf

Technical article regarding voretx generators.

[brian r]

Originally Posted by torqueaholic

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/cor...004/16E_03.pdf

Technical article regarding voretx generators.

A .006 reduction in Cd and Cl. Now I see why my friend laughed at them.

Those three engineers look light they could use a night out of the lab...

[helidrvr]

Originally Posted by Gene_SD

helidrvr, so give us the details of what size you purchased and how did you adhere them to the rear spoiler of the smart.

I used three 3X12 strips. Used the adhesion method and materials recommended by the vendor, which worked exactly as described.

As far as that Mitsubishi study is concerned, it has little or no bearing on the Smart. An autmobile with a completely flat box rear end behaves very differently, aerodinamically speaking than the contoured sedans referenced in the study.

For me the principal objectives are both related to highway driving.

(1) Keep backwash off rear windshield in inclement weather.
(2) Improve stability at highest speed quadrant (55-75MPH).

Note: Fuel efficiency is here only of secondary, incidental interest to me, especially since MPG is so heavily dependent on other factors, such as driving style etc.

Having spent a lifetime around aircraft in particular, I have a very good understanding of fluid dynamics and the use of vortex generators. There is absolutely no doubt that they can significantly improve airflow consistency, especially for box-ended vehicles like the Smart.

Last but not least, I should mention that at less than $50 this is probably the cheapest performance mod you will ever find and to the casual observer a barely noticeable one at that.

[torqueaholic]

The drag coefficient of the Fortwo is 0.29. So a 0.006 improvement would be 2% if the vortex genrators were designed and installed correctly.

IF fuel highway economy were inversely proportional to drag, that could bring the 41 mpg hwy to 41.8 mpg hwy.

[getsmartusa]

I have mine ready to install as soon as my smart arrives. I spoke with the guys from prmod about putting some down the sides along the trideon. I bought some silver ones in the event I want to try that out. As you pointed out, they are inexpensive and if they reduce the air turbulence behind the smart it can't help but stay cleaner. I will have two Cabrios, one with and one without the generators but other wise identical, so I should be able to see the difference.

[ckigar]

I found this article on Vortex generators. It is a VERY methodical study. One interesting point (in part 4) is that you're putting the Vortex generators on the wrong side... the study found significant improvements putting a set underneath a Honda Insight.

http://autospeed.com/cms/search/inde...tex&x=827&y=17