The Outlaw
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- Bay Area, California
- GTP_timeattack
Otherwise it would have been body-colored
So you leave a rocker panel unpainted, and all of a sudden it becomes a aerodynamic device?
Lower bodywork = less airflow underneath = less drag/lift.
The only thing is, the rocker panel doesn't effectively lower the body work, as there would still need to be some type of body to tie in the transition from the lower door to the undercarriage even if the rocker panel was removed. Obviously you don't just take the rocker panel off the car and suddenly hack 3-4" off of the bottom of the car and undercarriage. For argument sakes (disregarding aesthetics), even if the obtrusive/unaerodynamic rocker panel on the Mustang was left out in the design process and the remaining area was smoothed underneath, it wouldn't have any affect on aero efficiency in that area.
The rocker panel on the Mustang is strictly there for aesthetics and as a means to fill in the gap without any INTENDED affect on aerodynamics. The undertray (on the side) on the 458 is there to improve aero efficiency...not to fill in the gap between the transition between the door to the undercarriage like in the case of the case of the Mustang.
Hopefully we can get this back on topic soon
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