An Experimental Study of the Flow Around a Formula One Racing Car Tire

Abstract

The wake of the front tires affects the airflow over the remainder of a fenderless race car. The tires can also be responsible for up to 40% of the vehicle’s drag. Prior experiments have used compromised models with solid, symmetric hubs and nondeformable tires. The present experiment acquires particle image velocimetry measurements around a 60% scale model of a deformable pneumatic tire fitted to a spoked Formula 1 wheel with complete brake geometry and supplementary brake cooling ducts. The results show reversed flow regions in the tire wake, asymmetric longitudinal vortex structures behind the tire, and a tire wake profile that is unlike previous experimental results and postulations. The flow through the hub of the wheel causes a shift of the wake inboard (toward the car) so that the outboard side of the wake does not extend past the outline of the tire.