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Tire aerodynamics has long been viewed as a critical area in the ongoing research on vehicle drag reduction as it is a significant contributor to the overall automotive parasitic drag. Previous wind-tunnel experiments have revealed that the flow over a rotating wheel is a very complex phenomenon. This complexity arises from the tire-ground contact patch, various points of flow separation due to the wheel geometry, and the effects of wheel rotation. These aspects make the numerical simulation of this type of flow rather challenging. Existing literature shows a number of ways, like sliding mesh, by which to simulate the flow over an isolated wheel, but the problem of finding an accurate yet cost-effective solution still remains elusive. The current paper attempts to investigate the different methodologies to emulate the wheel motion. In addition, the paper will address the influence of mesh parameters and solver setting dependency of the solution.

Tire modeling has been an area of major research in automotive industries as the tires cause approximately 25% of vehicle drag. With the fast-paced growth of computational resources, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has evolved as an effective tool for aerodynamic design and development in the automotive industry. One of the main challenges in the simulation of the aerodynamics of tires is the lack of a detailed and accurate experimental setup with which to correlate. In this study, the focus is on the prediction of the aerodynamics associated with an isolated rotating Formula 1 tire and brake assembly. Literature has indicated differing mechanisms explaining the dominant features such as the wake structures and unsteadiness. Limited work has been published on the aerodynamics of a realistic tire geometry with specific emphasis on advanced turbulence closures such as the Detached Eddy Simulation (DES).