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The radiator is the key component of a vehicle’s cooling system. The cooling effectiveness of a radiator largely depends on the flow of fresh air through it. Thus, at high vehicle speeds, the mass flow rate and flow-distribution or flow-uniformity over the radiator surface are the major operating parameters influencing the performance of a radiator. Additionally, the mass of air coming from the front grille plays an important role on the total drag of the vehicle. This paper presents computational studies aiming at improving simultaneously the efficiency of a radiator and reducing the total drag of the vehicle; this is achieved using passive aerodynamic devices that alter the flow pattern approaching the radiator. The vehicle model considered is a Hyundai Veloster and all analyses were carried out using a commercial CFD code Star-CCM+ version 10.04 by CD-adapco.

Although, the implementation of lift-off prevention devices such as the NASCAR roof flaps have greatly reduced the frequency and severity of race vehicle aerodynamic lift-off incidents, airborne incidents still occur occasionally in motorsports. The effectiveness of existing lift-off prevention measures and future trends in lift-off prevention are addressed in this paper. The results and analysis presented in this paper will be of paramount interest to race vehicle designers and sanctioning bodies because the effects of aerodynamics on vehicle lift-off need to be comprehended, but there exists a scarcity of reliable data in this area.