Racing aero cars and cleanliness

[Ghoste]

Kind of a dumb question maybe, but when it came to keep the racing wing cars clean, did they wax them?  From an aerodynamics stnadpoint, would it even matter?  Does a car that is slippery to the touch slide through air better too?

[Indygenerallee]

I know alot of racers use PAM

[Ghoste]

Was Pam around for 69 and 70?  (a serious question and I guess I can Google the answer myself)

[Indygenerallee]

Any cooking spray heck even WD-40, lots of dirt track racers use it as well as drag racers, spray on and wipe off, when you wash the car the mud, rubber, and bugs just slide right off!

[odcics2]

Wax, yes. other than than, most likely not.  The first car to go 200, DC-93 (the real 88) didn't even have a quarter panel to bumper filler piece, and had exposed bolt heads on the outside of the wing.  It also had all the factory drip rails on it.  And it was at Nascar legal height off the ground.  6.5" measured behind the LF wheel frame rail and the oil pan was 5" from the track.  Front spoiler was also legal at 6.5" from the track.  It still went 200+...    I think good engineering overcomes "PAM" !

[Indygenerallee]

odcics, you obviously don't get it, wax or Pam or any other lube is not going to make the car faster! just going to keep bugs, dirt and other trash off of it and make it easier to wash.

[Dans 68]

odcics, you obviously don't get it, wax or Pam or any other lube is not going to make the car faster! just going to keep bugs, dirt and other trash off of it and make it easier to wash.

Tongue in cheek comment, right?     There is such a thing as coefficient of drag, and the slippier you make a surface, the less drag you have over that surface. Less drag means more velocity with everything else being equal.

So I say it definitely helps. Maybe a 1/3 of a mph. 

Dan

[Ghoste]

But, did the wing car racers do it?

[Dans 68]

I'd give you very good odds they did; the guys with the slide-rules knew what the were doing. The only reason that they would not would be if NASCAR didn't allow it. 

Dan

[RTDaddy]

Harry Hyde was religious about it, even to the point of siliconing tire sidewalls and taping over the slots in the "aero" wheels.

[Budnicks]

Any cooking spray heck even WD-40, lots of dirt track racers use it as well as drag racers, spray on and wipe off, when you wash the car the mud, rubber, and bugs just slide right off!

I used WD/40 on my altered when we went to N20 doorslammers we used silcone sprays, then wiped it down, it was "supposedly slicker", it also saved the cars paint from rubber sticking to it {but ever spec of dust would stick to it, but wipe off very easily}, that was the main reason, but some guys actually thought it would help in air flow, I don't know if it actually helped aerodynamics, much if any or not, we did it for paint protection mainly & ease of cleaning, if there was any benefit it was nominal at best, this was {1974-1998} way before you could get vinyl wraps, instead of ruining custom high dollar paint jobs....

[odcics2]

Indylee, I was answering Ghoste's question, from the aero standpoint, as he asked it.   

[Aero426]

BTW, don't EVER use Pam on your car unless you want to spend hours cleaning the baked on residue off.   

[moparstuart]

BTW, don't EVER use Pam on your car unless you want to spend hours cleaning the baked on residue off.   

easy off oven cleaner   

[Aero426]

There is a story about how some guys heard Pam would make it "easy" to keep their noses and lower quarters easy to clean after driving to Talladega.   Pam was applied liberally to both surfaces.   I have a first hand account that it does not work.    Couple hours of clean up to get it off. 

[notabird]

I heard Millsat works great !

[hemigeno]

Wasn't there also a story from circa 1967 about the Petty's putting baby powder on their vinyl roof just to mess with the competition? 

[Ghoste]

Wasn't the vinyl top itself just a mess with their heads thing??

[Aero426]

Wasn't the vinyl top itself just a mess with their heads thing??

Yes.  The vinyl top was actually black paint and was a diversion tactic.  At least that is what it ended up to be.  

Petty's '68 was very cheated up, 4 to 5 mph faster than any other Chrysler product, including the Chargers.   

[Aero426]

I heard Millsat works great !

Milsek!   Yes, I heard Harry Hyde used to rub the car down with it before qualifying.   

[RamZCharger]

I once saw that for speed record jet type cars they paint them a rough flat color, like a primer consistency.  The thought is air molecules get trapped on the rough surface so you have a shield of air on your car, and air cuts through air better than any glossy paint or wax application.  Seemed to make sense, perhap some of the scientists on the forum have an opinion? . . .

[SRT-440]

This may be all in my head..but after I wash my car after letting it get pretty dirty it seems faster...but again...that may all be in my head. 

[Budnicks]

I know this is off subject some, The Discovery Channel show MYTHBUSTERS, did a show were they did a dimpled type car covering {like a golf ball} , also a dirty car & showed some measurable improvement in airflow/mileage over the car vs's the smooth glossy finishes...

[Ghoste]

Hmm, that is interesting.  The first thing I thought of was aircraft and the importance of keeping them clean especially the wings.  Not being an aerodynamicist I'm sure there is a good reason for both but I sure can't think of explanations for either.

[b5blue]

Look into "Sharklet" type coverings, some for fluid or air dynamics and some are antibacterial.    Buildup of ice is a big issue for aircraft's finish.