Aerodynamics For Fast Electric RC Cars

Speed thrills and that is why fast electric rc cars areWhere P = Pressure
popular among radio controlled hobbyists. But did youV= Velocity
ever wonder how much effort goes into designing aThe relationship above means that on a surface like
system that goes up to once unimaginable speeds thatthat of your fast electric rc cars body if the velocity of
we are now accustomed to.air increases then the pressure exerted on that
Simply put it's immense.surface would reduce.
There are so many aspects of making fast electric rcNow let me make it more lucid for you to understand.
cars that are responsible for the kind of speed thatYou have two surfaces of your rc car. One is the top
they are designed for. One of those very importantsurface and the second is the bottom surface. When
parameters is the aerodynamics of the car body. Youthe car rushes through air in one direction essentially air
will see how and why the aerodynamics of a fastflows along the surfaces in opposite direction.
electric rc car plays such a pivotal role in designing theHowever because of the design it so happens that the
vehicle.speed of air flowing through the top surface is slower
Aerodynamics is basically the study of forces thatas compared to that of the air flowing along the
come on a body when it travels at a great speedbottom surface. As per the principle above with
through a medium especially air or atmospheric air. Thisdecrease in speed the pressure on top surface
word is mostly used in context of aeroplanes, rocketsincreases. This increase in top surface pressure
and spaceships. But then it becomes equally importantgreatly improves the stability of the vehicle while
in case of fast cars.running at high speeds. It pushes the car down which in
Basic Governing Principleturn provides the traction needed for smooth running.
The principle that forms the basis of aerodynamicRC sprint cars have a very high speed to weight ratio.
study is the Bernoulli's theorem. It says that the totalThus it is very important for them to have a design
energy at any point of flow will always be constant.that is favorable and can take care of the
However energy will change from one form toaerodynamic forces to come up with a much more
another. For e.g. potential energy may be converted tostable rc car.
kinetic energy or heat or some other form of energyOverall aerodynamics plays a very important role not
without disturbing the total amount of heat.only in case of fast electric rc cars but also in many
On a closer mathematical analysis you will find theother areas like real life cars, aeroplanes, rockets, sail
following relationship.planes, missiles, fighter aircrafts etc.
P α 1/V