Coefficient of drag as a function of vehicle profile

[Onizukachan]

I read once about how over 200 mph the steering is backward. Not as right is left, left is right, but rather that the car steers you and you have to convince it where to go. Scary stuff. I think I'll stick to road courses with lots of traffic in sketchy cars.

Having been up to the very near side of 200 in a nearly stock 2g DSM (gear limited to 194-195) I can tell you that front lift (air trapped in the engine bay, wheel wells etc ) is what that is. Happened on mine at about 165.
I’ve felt it amd it’s more like constantly caressing the wheel to stay in a straight line and not feeling much feedback or centering on it. Like you turned the steering wheel boost to max changed the locks to 2:1 and put super skinny tires on it. If someth8ng happened amd it went too far sideways there’s no way you’d ever have the grip to catch it Amd straighten it out
I did it once just to see what it would do, but never went over 160 in it or any of my later german wagons ever again.

 

[Will Fuller]

I stumbled upon this graph which illustrates the coefficient of drag as a function of vehicle profile, at least in crude terms.

The utility body style is illustrated, but the pickup-truck body style isn't.

No real surprises here. Crappy front end design means there's less Cd sensitivity to the rear end design, and vise versa, generally.

The negative slope evident in at least one of the curves does come as a bit of a surprise, although the segment(s) with negative slope is shallow and brief.

$0.02

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interesting