Influence of Side Spoilers on the Aerodynamic Properties of a Sports Car

This paper discusses the capabilities of side spoilers to improve the aerodynamic properties of a sports car exposed to a non-zero yaw angle flow. In such conditions, the aerodynamic drag and lift both increase with the introduction of a side force and a yawing moment, which contribute to the decrease of the car’s handling properties and force the car to change its driving path. Elements mounted on the side of the car make it possible to obtain an asymmetric aerodynamic load distribution and generate additional forces that can be used to counter these effects. The performance of the side spoilers was analyzed at yaw angles ranging from 0° to 15° using the results of numerical calculations. It was established that the side spoilers made it possible to generate at low yaw angles aerodynamic forces that exceeded those caused by a crosswind.