Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Need 512TR Spoiler?

[Adam Green (FlatCrank]

You can have some fun with this by buying a "string pot" or two and measuring ride height at different speeds (using a multi-meter) and comparing that to static weight loaded into the car over the front and rear axles (say 50 lbs and 100lbs to compare.)  You'll pretty quickly notice that the chin spoiler "activates" the pressure differential between the air flowing over the car and the air flowing under the car.  Then you can fiddle with things like a half inch or one inch gurney flap to get the lift off the tail and create some downforce.  Getting the first 100lbs of downforce is (or seems to be) relatively easy in a road car -- after that, it's major work.

Of course, 3500lb car, 50 mph, no biggee either way, but I'd still rather scrape the "sacrificial" black plastic splitter than the body of the car.

Adam