How does drafting work?

[malrak]

I'm not a huge racing buff, so I don't exactty understand how to draft and what the benefits are. After looking online, some sites claim that when 2 cars draft, both cars increase in speed while sharing the draft. Other sites claim that the first car is slowed greatly, while the car behind reaps all the benefits. Heck, some even said that the first car was towing it, the same as if they were connected by a chain. That sounds kinda wonky to me, but....

anyone?

[catcatch22]

Re: How does drafting work?

It depends on which form of racing your talking about. Different cars present different aero possiblities. If your talking about NASCAR stock car drafting then when there are more cars lined up together in a line they will increase their speed as oppsoed to a single car. What happens is the lead car breaks a whole into the air. When a car or many cars follow in that lead cars wake there is reduced air resistance which allows them to gain speed. In Nascar they will even use their bumper to push the lead guy to give him a boost of speed there buy allowing the pusher and others behind him to gain more speed.

In open wheel it is quite similar but I hear because of the aero packages they run the draft works a bit differently. The lead car can at times become tight or push because of a car behind it and actually may cause him to slow down or lose speed giving the guy behind him/her the advantage and sometimes vice versa. Which is why open wheel cars like to run in open air with no car in front, open wheel cars run and handle better with no one around them taking air of the front or rear spoilers.

[mercalnd]

Re: How does drafting work?

In open wheel it is quite similar but I hear because of the aero packages they run the draft works a bit differently. The lead car can at times become tight or push because of a car behind it and actually may cause him to slow down or lose speed giving the guy behind him/her the advantage and sometimes vice versa. Which is why open wheel cars like to run in open air with no car in front, open wheel cars run and handle better with no one around them taking air of the front or rear spoilers.

Not quite. The front car can get loose because part the air is taken off its rear wing. Similarly, the following cars have less air hitting their front wing so they tend to push or be tight.