Do Aero parts affect performance?

[theotherspongey]

I just had a thought, do aero parts like spoilers and extensions do anything? I would think that spoilers affect drag a little bit, but I can't really tell.

 

[GTPorsche]

Only the ones that have adjustable downforce.

 

[theotherspongey]

Where can you do that?

 

[HippieGiraffe]

Right in the tuning screen under 'Body/Chassis', up at the top.

 

[Techy]

I just had a thought, do aero parts like spoilers and extensions do anything? I would think that spoilers affect drag a little bit, but I can't really tell.

Installing Aerodynamic parts will improve airflow at high speeds drastically, depending on the settings you set (see HippieGiraffe's post). Basically, it influences downforce, drag, and lift. However, you don't have to install one if the settings is available on the car.

 

[theotherspongey]

I ask this because, after removing a spoiler from my Enzo ( after half my friends called it ugly ) , I noticed a large decrease in acceleration on the La Sarthe straight.

 

[Techy]

I ask this because, after removing a spoiler from my Enzo ( after half my friends called it ugly ) , I noticed a large decrease in acceleration on the La Sarthe straight.

Oh. I have an Enzo with a spoiler as well (not sure how it looks ugly -- it looks nice ), but I didn't notice much difference in speed or acceleration before and after on the Mulsanne straight. Probably was drafting during the time.

 

[theotherspongey]

Finally a person who agrees, everyone always asks "why do you put that spoiler on" >_<

 

[Techy]

Finally a person who agrees, everyone always asks "why do you put that spoiler on" >_<

Lol. Did you put on the CF/CFRP one or the matching-paint one? I chose the CF/CFRP one as it looked nice with the color of my Enzo

 

[theotherspongey]

The CF one, I think it looks rather nice with a white Enzo ^^

 

[BradKinder]

For most courses in GT5 you should greatly benefit from maxing out your downforce. This is, of course, assuming you've also added power to the car. If you're not adding power, then the additional drag may slow down an already slow car that will be spending extra time on straightaways due to it's low power.

Downforce is primarily useful for increasing grip in high speed turns. The faster the corner, the more grip downforce adds. Lower speed corners will benefit less or not at all from aerodynamic modification.

 

[Techy]

The CF one, I think it looks rather nice with a white Enzo ^^

Same with a Rosso Monza (AKA a dark red metallic)-colored Enzo 👍

 

[theotherspongey]

Same with a Rosso Monza (AKA a dark red metallic)-colored Enzo 👍

That was what my enzo color was before : tup:

 

[FishHunters]

I did a race in a corvette on the 24hr Nurb. I practice with full down force and with 60% downforce. Lap times were almost identical. I think the aero helps traction but in GT5 I don't think it has any impact on speed. The more down force you use (as advertised) the slower you should go. I'm going to do a test in the next few days on the High Speed Ring to prove/disprove that. We will see.

Which if that is true then we should all use max downforce ALL the time; if it has no impact on speed.

 

[BradKinder]

I did a race in a corvette on the 24hr Nurb. I practice with full down force and with 60% downforce. Lap times were almost identical. I think the aero helps traction but in GT5 I don't think it has any impact on speed. The more down force you use (as advertised) the slower you should go. I'm going to do a test in the next few days on the High Speed Ring to prove/disprove that. We will see.

Which if that is true then we should all use max downforce ALL the time; if it has no impact on speed.

If you're not experienced you may not take advantage of downforce. If you slow down more than necessary at corner entry, the downforce advantage is negated. Most inexperienced players get into the habit of slamming as hard as they know how to on the brakes and then flooring the gas as soon as they're able. Their overall cornering speed suffers. If you're skilled enough to be able to turn into a corner at the right speed and put the throttle at just the right position to maximize your cornering velocity... Then you'll be turning faster and exit the corner faster than you would without downforce. Corner after corner in an extended race, this adds up to a lot.

SSR7 may be an exception. Downforce in GT5 probably reduces your top speed, although I don't know how much it would.

 

[BradKinder]

I would imagine that maxing your downforce has a much greater impact on lighter cars. If you can't notice a difference, it may be due to the weight of the car you're using. Try using a lighter car and max the downforce on that. The difference ought to be extreme. In higher speed corners. For lightweight cars.

 

[ugabugaz]

When it comes to Top Speed runs, rear downforce is everything.

 

[BradKinder]

When it comes to Top Speed runs, rear downforce is everything.

Even in GT5?

I understand that in RL you would want to make sure to keep the car from losing control... But in an ideal setting, do you think adding a rear wing for downforce would actually help the top speed?

 

[theotherspongey]

Why does every thread I make go from simple question to complex discussion ._.

 

[FishHunters]

Why does every thread I make go from simple question to complex discussion ._.

Because cars and tuning them is a COMPLEX subject.

 

[HippieGiraffe]

Because cars and tuning them is a COMPLEX subject.

Meaning, most member are likely male. And as such it takes a bus load of us to do anything useful

 

[red ice]

The more downforce a car has the better it corners and the lesser its top speed will be on straights.
Too much aerodynamic downforce is not good for tracks like La Sarthe which has a very long straight at Mulsanne.

 

[Wyvern_64]

I think the right spoilers can make everything look good. And yes, I notice a huge performance difference.

@red ice: It's not downforce that reduces top speed, it's drag. X2010 has a ton of downforce and little drag. Sure, more downforce created by a spoiler means more drag, but still.

 

[red ice]

^forgot to mention "drag"^ thanks for that.

The creation of downforce by passive devices almost always can only be achieved at the cost of increased aerodynamic drag (or friction), and the optimum setup is almost always a compromise between the two. The aerodynamic setup for a car can vary considerably between race tracks, depending on the length of the straights and the types of corners
-wiki-

 

[Mic_Col]

I think the aero helps traction but in GT5 I don't think it has any impact on speed. The more down force you use (as advertised) the slower you should go. I'm going to do a test in the next few days on the High Speed Ring to prove/disprove that. We will see.

Which if that is true then we should all use max downforce ALL the time; if it has no impact on speed.

I've done a few tests like this, actually I used La Sarthe (No chicane) run down the Mulsanne straight and there's a slight downslope towards where the 2nd chicane complex is, then it flattens out at the chicane and climbs slightly toward the kink. So I take a speed reading at the bottom of the downslope.

Max wing vs Min wing. The results, a fractional difference, quite surprising.

I've found similar results with other cars too.

Even a low powered car. Citroen C4 with the honking great big wing on the back set to 5(deg?) and then set to max 20(deg?).

The results: wing at 5 = 245kph, wing at 20 = 244kph

So a huge difference in handling / grip levels with no real drag cost. So it looks like the physics in GT5 are non-realistic here.

 

[red ice]

anyone tested on SS route 7?

 

[ugabugaz]

Even in GT5?

I understand that in RL you would want to make sure to keep the car from losing control... But in an ideal setting, do you think adding a rear wing for downforce would actually help the top speed?

Absolutely. If you check out the Top Speed thread...I hold many of the Top 20 records . In offline mode the wing doesn't seem to generate drag but what it does is generate down-force thereby pressing the rear wheels to the ground and allowing more power to be transferred down, or something like that. Simple fact is, it works.

GT5 is a little weird in the way it does Physics. Offline and Online are not the same. What works offline does not online. Online is more accurate. The way I setup my cars for offline runs DO not work in online. What happens especially in LMPs online, is at speed the front lifts clean off the ground and then drops back down limiting what you can do. Enough about that though. Let me not derail this topic. Carry on!

 

[BradKinder]

Absolutely. If you check out the Top Speed thread...I hold many of the Top 20 records . In offline mode the wing doesn't seem to generate drag but what it does is generate down-force thereby pressing the rear wheels to the ground and allowing more power to be transferred down, or something like that. Simple fact is, it works.

GT5 is a little weird in the way it does Physics. Offline and Online are not the same. What works offline does not online. Online is more accurate. The way I setup my cars for offline runs DO not work in online. What happens especially in LMPs online, is at speed the front lifts clean off the ground and then drops back down limiting what you can do. Enough about that though. Let me not derail this topic. Carry on!

Considering what the guy above found, it's not surprising. Apparently max (GT5) downforce will not slow down a high power car down Sarthe's straightaway.

The difference people experience between online and offline I think comes down entirely to tire wear being on or off. Most of the time people leave it off in single player while in multiplayer it's usually on. Tire wear on is a much more real experience. I think time trials with tire wear off are sort of ridiculous.

and for the OP... Max the downforce for pure speed!

 

[watermelon punch]

Totally depends on the car, the track, & other tuning options & needs.

Some cars are just made worse by aero. Some FF cars actually benefit from aero, but most don't seem to benefit, and some it actually seems to disadvantage them.

Many high powered RWD cars definitely get some handling advantage from downforce.

Some low power cars actually benefit from aero - a maxed out Autozam the wing actually helps, because it's super-light & MR drivetrain.

Whereas the Honda Beat, at the same hp/weight, doesn't actually seem to be benefit as much.

And a wing on a maxed out RM Cappucino... the downforce doesn't seem to make any difference whatsoever in any situation, that I've noticed. (But that car's a POS handling in that state, as it is.)

 

[brennonyo]

Imo i think it does have some affect to the car but not so much speed but more with aero effects like turning and braking