Vehicle Aerodynamics - Testing, Modification & Development: For road, racing and alternative transport

It is a comprehensive and well written book on automotive aero. Very thorough and informative.

It is rare to find a book so thoroughly and well illustrated. Aerodynamic theory is well summarized, but the bulk of the book emphasizes flow visualization and pressure measurements, which provide an intuitively clear picture of the concepts being discussed. There are many instances where professional aerodynamicists from Tesla, Jaguar, Porsche and others provide substantial quotes, and these add significant value and insight into the aerodynamic priorities of road car designers.Whether it is flow visualization, pressure measurement, or downforce measurement, the book provides a variety of approaches, so it is not unduly prescriptive. The practical limits of amateur CFD are well described and illustrated.The book includes extensive examples of manufacturer data that would be difficult to compile, in particular with regard to active aerodynamics. The author's own experimentation provides a particularly interesting example of the effectiveness of a Porsche Cayman rear spoiler. Porsche manages achieving favourable lift distributions, very low drag coefficients and effective cooling, and the book provides some fascinating insight into how this is accomplished.An appendix provides third-party wind tunnel test data of nearly 80 sporty cars, many with smoke visualization of the streamlines. Most authors would be content to provide a couple of representative examples, but this book is much richer for for the fullness of this collection.For those of us hoping to modify the aerodynamics of our own cars, this book has no equal.While many of the chapters contain material that can be applied to race cars, I do find myself wishing there was a Chapter 10 "Maximizing Downforce", for those of us with track cars. As a rule we care more about maximizing downforce and optimizing aero balance than we do about drag. Then again, perhaps "Chapter 10" is necessarily another book entirely.

Really recommend it to anyone with an interest in aerodynamics. I myself am doing a PhD on the topic of drag reduction for ground vehicles and I've read nearly all the mainstream books on the topic, but this book is a bit different offering some unique insides especially those around practically testing your aerodynamic modifications on the road. I really enjoyed the excerpts from aerodynamicists like Rob Palin etc. dotted throughout the chapters. Very well written, easy to understand, and overall a nice read.

Great book

A nice big book with colour photos, and well written easily understandable text that will educate and guide you along your path to not only understanding, but also modifying, and verifying aerodynamic modifications. Most importantly it teaches you how to test and verify for less than the cost of the book. Unlike most of the stuff that I have read where you need a large budget to get results, after reading this book I feel that I can get meaningful results for minimal outlay. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get into meaningful aerodynamic modifications or anyone who just wants to get a good understanding of vehicle aerodynamics.