Tuft Testing the Stock Body 

Not everyone has access to wind tunnels, so to gather aerodynamic data on a budget, I performed a tuft test. By capturing highway-speed footage from multiple angles, I was able to identify key areas of turbulent airflow that will inform the design of future custom carbon Kevlar panels. While some findings aligned with common problem areas—such as disturbed flow around the front and rear wheels—other results were unexpected and provided valuable insight for refinement. 

The center of the hood maintained relatively clean, attached flow. However, the front bumper design introduced several interesting areas. A prominent step below the grille created a stagnation zone, while the secondary step beneath the headlights caused flow separation, redirecting air around the headlight housings. This flow around the car is desirable and be increased to reduce over body flow that may possibly generate lift.

The lower vent section of the bumper appeared to be the primary source of airflow intake. Interestingly, the bottom edge of this vent displayed conflicting flow behavior—some air was directed beneath the vehicle, while some was drawn into the vent itself. Additionally, the edges of the headlights showed signs of turbulent flow, further confirming local separation and instability in this region.

The turbulent wake observed at the rear of the vehicle is most likely due to the lack of a flat underbody. The spare tire well was removed to create space for a future rear diffuser, but in its absence, it left a large recessed cavity beneath the rear bumper. It’s safe to assume this cavity does not help the already turbulent airflow exiting from under the car—in fact, it likely worsens separation and vortex formation in the rear wake.

The planned addition of a diffuser and flat floor is intended to resolve these issues. Together, they will accelerate and manage underbody airflow, reduce separation, and minimize drag. Most importantly, they will help generate low pressure beneath the chassis, producing mild but useful downforce and improving high-speed stability.

To explore intake airflow behavior, I fabricated a rough ram-air system in place of the stock corner lights. This test provided valuable insight into how air is directed toward the intake zone. Unfortunately, an alignment pin had loosened during testing, resulting in a less-than-ideal transition between the intake and bodywork.

Despite this, I was able to gather meaningful observations. Airflow entering the intake is largely influenced by the lower portion of the headlight assembly—specifically near the main headlight bulb—where airflow begins to divert around the side of the vehicle rather than traveling up over the hood. The upper section of the intake, located near the top of the headlight, struggles to receive consistent airflow, indicating the need for redesign to improve flow capture and overall intake efficiency. The new design will most certainly incorporate a NACA duct design to better use the airflow.

In some cornering situations, we were able to briefly observe the effects of varying yaw angles on airflow behavior across the body. While the lack of confirmed wind direction introduces some variability and limits the precision of the data, the results still provide some insight for estimating general airflow patterns and identifying areas for aerodynamic improvement.