I am the only one who thinks the Corrado looks stupid.......

[dr_mat 0]

The uplift is due to the increased velocity of the air travelling over the car compared to the air travelling underneath - and this difference is entirely due to two things:

 

One - the shape of the car's upper and lower surfaces. Lowering the suspension changes nothing.

Two - the angle of attack of the car into the air. Lowering the suspension by the *same* amount front and rear has no effect on this.

 

Ground effect on the other hand is brought about by shaping the air flow under the car, which involves shaping the underside of the car.

 

So: the spoiler still has just as much impact on a lowered car as on a normal/highered one.

 

That said, improving the damping makes the back end more stable anyway, which would no doubt help with high speed stability.

 

But at the end of the day, all Corrados had the same automatic spoiler. If you don't like it, buy a different car! This entire argument is completely pointless! :-P

[Blair 0]

This entire argument is completely pointless! :-P

 

Hehe, I'll second that one! I had been sitting here thinking the same thing, but wondered if my jet-lag is making me less patient and so didn't post it :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

But at the end of the day, all Corrados had the same automatic spoiler. If you don't like it, buy a different car! This entire argument is completely pointless! :-P

 

Or disconnect it leaving it permanently down, which - going back to the original post - would solve the ugliness of it when raised ;-)

 

I don't think this argument is pointless. It's always good to get debates going, whether the posters are right (not saying I am) or wrong.... it keeps the forum ticking over ;-)

[davidwort 0]

The uplift is due to the increased velocity of the air travelling over the car compared to the air travelling underneath...

 

That said, improving the damping makes the back end more stable anyway, which would no doubt help with high speed stability.

...

 

if you get increased uplift, i.e. the back takes off, how's stiffer dampers going to help :wink:

 

If you're really bored:

 

Aerodynamic Considerations

 

Aerodynamic factors, considered carefully, can improve many aspects of a vehicle. Some key aerodynamic considerations have been summarised here.

 

 

[(vi) refers to Road Vehicle Aerodynamic Design by R.H. Barnard]

 

With an object moving through a fluid, the wake is extremely significant. When considering family vehicles, the nature of the vehicle’s rear, in three dimensions, can make the difference between a low or a high coefficient of drag (Cd).

 

Improvements at the front can be made by ensuring the ‘front end is made as a smooth, continuous curve originating from the line of the front bumper’. On normal two and three box shapes, drag is often caused by high pressure just upstream of the front windscreen, ‘often with a separation bubble of recirculating air at the base of the screen’. The magnitude of this effect depends upon the windscreen ‘rake angle’. Making the screen more raked (ie. not as upright) ‘tends to reduce the pressure at the base of the screen, and to lower the drag’. However, much of this improvement arrives because a more sloped screen means a softer angle at the top where it meets the roof, keeping flow attached. Similar results can be achieved through a suitably curved roof.

 

Design in plan as well as profile, is significant. ‘Curving the windscreen in plan view modifies the flow patterns considerably ... which reduces the extent and intensity of high pressure.’

 

The A-post is also an issue: ‘A strong outward cross-flow can occur towards the edges of the windscreen, tending to produce separated vortices around the A-posts.’ These effects can be minimised by smoothing the form of the A-post and increasing the curvature of both the A-post and the screen. Smoothing the transition from the body to door mirror is also significant as it can otherwise be a major source of drag and wind noise.

 

At the rear of vehicles, the ideal format is a long and gradual slope. As this is not practical, it has been found that ‘raising and/or lengthening the boot generally reduces the drag”.

 

Results of research state that drag due to rear slope angle will be at its ‘peak at 30º and minimum at around 10º’.

 

Increasing the curvature of the roofline will also reduce the drag coefficient. Benefits are gained by bringing the roof line down at the front and rear. Simply ‘bulging the roofline up’ however, may cause such an increase in frontal area that any gains may be negated.

 

In plan view, rounding corners and ‘all forward facing elements’ will reduce drag. Increases in curvature of the entire vehicle in plan will usually decrease drag provided that frontal area is not increased. ‘Tapering the rear in plan view’, usually from the rear wheel arch backwards, ‘can produce a significant reduction in drag’. Under the vehicle, a smooth surface is desirable as it can reduce both vehicle drag and surface friction drag. ‘For a body in moderate proximity to the ground, the ideal shape would have some curvature on the underside.’

 

In (vi), the author lists the following significant areas for thought when attempting to design a typical car (not a sports car or commercial vehicle):

 

 

Smooth unbroken contours with favourable pressure gradients as far back as practical should be used.

 

Strongly unfavourable pressure gradients at the rear should be avoided; some taper and rear end rounding should be used.

 

The form should produce negligible lift.

 

A If a hatchback configuration is required, the backlight angle should not be in the region of 30º, and if a notchback (saloon) is to be used, the effective slope angle (ie. the angle of a direct line between the roof and the highest, most rearward point) should also not be in the region of 30º.

 

 

The underbody should be as smooth and continuous as possible, and should sweep up slightly at the rear,

There should be no sharp angles (except where it is necessary to avoid cross-wind instability).

The front end should start at a low stagnation line, and curve up in a continuous line.

The front screen should be raked as much as is practical.

 

All body panels should have a minimal gap.

Glazing should be flush with the surface as much as possible.

 

All details such as door handles should be smoothly integrated within the contours.

 

Excrescences should be avoided as far as possible; windscreen wipers should park out of the airflow.

 

Minor items such as wheel trims and wing mirrors should be optimised using wind-tunnel testing.

 

The cooling system needs to be designed for low drag.

 

 

Although aerodynamic concerns are not as strong in this vehicle as they may be in a sports car, for example, the basic principles outlined here should be observed throughout the design process. Energy efficiency can be improved with low drag and low levels of wind noise improve passenger comfort.

 

Source: http://www.cardesignonline.com/design/a ... amics2.php

[dr_mat 0]

That said, improving the damping makes the back end more stable anyway, which would no doubt help with high speed stability.

...

 

if you get increased uplift, i.e. the back takes off, how's stiffer dampers going to help :wink:

 

But since the back doesn't actually *take off* (it just goes light) improved damping may be what keeps the tyre on the ground better and prevents you going backwards into the armco.. You see where I was coming from?

 

(I never said better damping increased the uplift ...)

[cymru-corrado 0]

Maybe we need some hard facts, perhaps a few laps around a fast track, spoiler up, then spoiler down, to see what the lap time difference would be? or which C sustained the most tyre wall damage? :lol:

 

 

bring on the stig.....another chance to get the C on top gear.......and inflate Corrado prices. :D

[davidwort 0]

That said, improving the damping makes the back end more stable anyway, which would no doubt help with high speed stability.

...

 

if you get increased uplift, i.e. the back takes off, how's stiffer dampers going to help :wink:

 

But since the back doesn't actually *take off* (it just goes light) improved damping may be what keeps the tyre on the ground better and prevents you going backwards into the armco.. You see where I was coming from?

 

(I never said better damping increased the uplift ...)[/quote:2fb8f]

 

sorry, just trying to be funny, perhaps I should borrow your sig.

[Claret Badger 0]

VW reckons it increases downforce by almost 30% at "high speed"

 

 

don't know what speed just at "high speed"

[Claret Badger 0]

VW reckons it increases downforce by almost 30% at "high speed"

 

 

don't know what speed just at "high speed"

 

 

I have a quote in VW Car and Driver 1989 that says so - so it must be true!

 

The TT recall was not simply the addition of a 'tache - it was also a thicker antiroll bar - and some other front and rear adjustments.

 

This induced understeer rather that oversteer - but the reality was not an unstable car - just unstable drivers in Europe.

 

hth

 

 

btw - I think it looks silly also

[Blair 0]

Funny how the only people I've ever heard not think it's cool are Corrado owners...

 

The world's a funny place sometimes :)

[dub envy 0]

I dont like them when they're up. I really hate it when people leave them up at shows.

 

If I've slowed to under the magi8c 45/55 (I cant remember how fast it is when mine does it's thing) and am travelling in slow moving traffic I'll put mine down.

 

They make the rear of the car look too high.

 

Lets be honest, the rear end isnt the nicest view of the car anyway, and a big silly spoiler poking up doesnt help things!

[double-6s 0]

its orrible.

it looks like some early form of those hideous things you see mounted on aluminium struts these days, a la TVR sagaris or whatever its called.

 

imo it is designed for florida-dwelling men with orange skin, thongs and questionable sexuality (only questionable from my point of view might i add - each to their own of course).

 

personally i think it rocks when down - a little sort of 'duck bill' if ya like? the flick up at the rear (when down) just looks so cool and flows so well from the down-turned front.

 

just my opinion :)

[Andy T 0]

No, you think? The same people that went to the trouble of making an aerodynamic shell, smooth mirrors, retractable spoiler and few obstructive appendages, and then finished it off with brick like door handles, a roof aerial, wipers in the airstream, 4x4 ride height and squishy rear axle bushes? The spoiler is just peacemeal.

The slippery and more powerful 350Z seems OK without a retractable spoiler. Someone needs to contact Nissan and inform them they're making a huge mistake.

 

Like Blair says, you can't compare two cars like that, a few mm here and here, and small changes between front & rear screen angle ratio can make a big difference - And I doubt the wind tunnel shows the complete picture either.

 

Yes the door handles are crap, wipers are not that much in the airstream, a std. height corrado probably handles as well as a lowered one "on the road", and rear axle bushes, when new, are designed to allow some rear wheel steer - that contributes to the car's excellent handling, you would NOT catch me fitting hard bushes on the rear axle (but these are two seperate arguments!)

 

Good idea. I'd wager top speed would be greater with the spoiler down too, as a seperate experiment.

 

Can't see it making a difference more than 1mph

 

Or disconnect it leaving it permanently down, which - going back to the original post - would solve the ugliness of it when raised

 

I thought we drove corrado's for the driving experience, handling, power etc., not for poseability at speeds above 55mph. I don't really give a shit what total strangers on a motorway driving modern souless boxes think of the look of my spoiler.

 

I don't think this is a pointless argument, I've learned quite a bit from this thread, there is always more than meets the eye, just because something may look unpurposeful, it doesn't mean that it is, and some things just shouldn't be messed with.

[KADVR6 0]

well i think its cool, the only slight downside i have at the moment is that my last corrado a late 94, the spoiler went up as it should at 54mph, but my present one a mid 93 model, the spoiler is always up as i cant keep the car going less than 45mph :D, is there anyway you can set the speed the spoiler goes up. ie about 70mph. :?

[OSV 0]

I don't like the look of it up but I like seeing slowly drop back down into place.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I thought we drove corrado's for the driving experience, handling, power etc., not for poseability at speeds above 55mph. I don't really give a **** what total strangers on a motorway driving modern souless boxes think of the look of my spoiler.

 

We do, just because there are differences of opinion on the spoiler doesn't mean we don't all enjoy driving our cars. I don't feel the spoiler adds any value, that's just my opinion and likewise, I'm sure driver's of what you assume to be souless boxes don't care what you think about their cars either.

[CazzaVR 0]

Love the spoiler! Maybe I'm just a big kid, but the spoiler is 8) One of the many facets of the C's character. Never used to get bored looking in the rearview mirror to watch it doing it's work.

 

When I sold my last C, and had to use my wife's Civic Coupe, I used to find myself looking in the mirror for some spoiler action, without even realising, only to realise a second later that I wasn't in a C any more :(

[bcstudent 0]

I thought we drove corrado's for the driving experience, handling, power etc.

Just for the record, I definitely DO NOT drive my Corrado because of its power!

[robbo101 0]

I agree with AndyvRS I am a big kid and I love the spoiler on my car. :lol:

 

I have had my car for over a year now and still watch it go up and down whenever I can. Plus it is fun playing with it at traffic lights to see what other people think of it.

 

I don't think it matters if it makes a difference arodynamicly at all.

 

I just love my C the way it is...... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[andy 0]

Maybe we need some hard facts, perhaps a few laps around a fast track, spoiler up, then spoiler down, to see what the lap time difference would be? or which C sustained the most tyre wall damage? :lol:

 

 

bring on the stig.....another chance to get the C on top gear.......and inflate Corrado prices. :D[/quote:83bc7]

Top idea, someone email Top Gear. :-)

[G 0]

I love the spoiler. Just got my rado so I actualy try and hit 40mph all the time and watch it come up in the mirror! lol. I'm gonna crash one of these days.

[bcstudent 0]

My friend has just told me a story about Corrado spoilers...

 

Back in 1990 he had a not-very-old Mk2 Golf GTI, which he crashed into a stationary car at a set of lights while watching the retracting spoiler on the Corrado in the next lane. Automatic spoilers cause accidents...ban 'em all!

[Trig 0]

I was gonna say, I bet there have been a few accidents caused by the Corrado spoiler moving up or down. I watched it in my rear view mirror for the first week or two.

 

EDIT: Infact that's another thing, it makes what is already poor rear visibility into terrible rear visibility.

[DaveStorm 0]

My spoiler doesn't come up 'til I'm doing 59 - 60, everyone elses is 45 or 54 it seems. Could my speedo be telling porkies?

[STORM 2 0]

when my speed sensor was kaput, the spoiler would be up and down every few seconds whilst driving. At 100mph you can feel the difference when it suddenly goes down believe me!

I must admit I was more concerned what people were making of the spoiler shennanigans - the must have thought the car was fitting or something