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Side Duct

 

Side duct

Said air ducts make any car look real cool when you put it on your car. They are found behind front or rear wheel. They were first adapted for racing coupes. The concept is to make an aerodynamic design on the side that allows air to flow out from the vehicle. Aerodynamics of the vehicle requires that the wind should flow smoothly through the vehicle, speeding it up not slowing it down. With the sleek body design of most sports cars, an air duct further reduces the wind ability to affect performance by providing a vent for air to go through.

 

Audi R18 9 L LMP Side duct

Side duct on Audi R18 9-L LMP car

 

Front side duct on BMW M3 GT3
Front and rear side duct on BMW M3 GT3. Function of both is the same, to provide a smooth outlet for hot and turbulent air
Rear side duct on BMW M3 GT3

Side ducts are primarily seen on race cars for two reasons, because brake and engine cooling is crucial, and because most serious race cars will use a front underbody diffuser that channels airflow toward the rear of the front wheel well. Conventional fender designs trap much of the turbulent air coming off the top and back of the tire generated by the counter rotation of the tires and wheels. Combined with hot air moving through the engine bay and brakes, this generates losses and drag. Side ducting not only provides a smooth outlet for these hot and turbulent gasses, but also turns the flow to exit smoothly along the side of the car instead of directly outward, which would interfere with the turbulent curtain generated by the canards and vortex generators. This reduction of air stagnation inside the tire bay also helps pull more fresh air through the cooling system.

Air ducts can come separate or with customized body kit assemblies. Air ducts will improve your car's speed and make fuel consumption less. The holes on the air ducts are usually large enough to prevent obstruction from objects coming from the vehicle's travel environment. Mesh and similar grill and vent covers can look good but are often hard to apply when the kit is already on the car so spend a little time beforehand thinking about the what you need to do - it can save hours of fitting unfitting and fitting again!
Like any modification to a car you will always get what you pay for. If you don't pay enough you are just wasting your money.

My Citroen C4 side duct

Citroen C4 side ducting

 

Side duct on Nissan GTR

Side duct on Nissan-GT-R road car

 

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Some useful links:

Technical
- f1technical.net, a great site with a lot of technical information’s and explanations. Site is updated daily with news from F1 word.

Autosport
 - autosport.com, This site is a legend. A bible for racing lovers. News from all around the word. Unfortunately, to get access to all news, interviews and to open the site completely you should be subscribed to Autosport magazine. Anyway, great read.

Formula 1 Results
- Check the latest Formula 1 race results here. Follow Formula 1 live results, final race results, practice, warm-up and qualifying times on Flashscore!

Joe Saward blog
- joesaward is the Joe Saward official blog about Formula 1 world. Joe is an journalist, who write primarily about politics in and around motorsport, specifically on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship

Planet F1
 - planetf1, another site with many different articles, news and statistics. Biased toward British teams, but anyway good read.

Gurney flap
 - gurneyflap.com, Great history site. You can learn a lot from this site. Pictures, cars and many many more. Great.

4mula1
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4ormula1 is a database of Formula 1 history and statistics of drivers, teams, grand prix, and all results since 1950.

Missed Apex Podcast
Enjoy range of Podcasts and Articles on Motorsport. Every week a Formula one chat on Missed Apex F1 Podcast with F1 journalist Joe Saward and tech Analyst Matthew Somerfield as guests. Also the exciting all electric racing series formula E on eRadio Show and Bike Show Lean Angle Podcast.

Racecar engineering
-Racecar Engineering, an online magazine with a lot to learn from, a lot of technical information’s and explanations

FIA
 - fia.com, La Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, representing the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. Head organisation and ruler in auto sport.

Wikipedia
 - wikipedia.org, I don’t believe that I have to tell you anything about this site. It’s not about Formula 1 technology, but you can learn a lot about that too.

Sutton Images

grandprix photo

Vehicle freak
Another site for us normal people. Lots of tips, tricks and "What Happens if" related to the maintenance of all types of vehicles and its components. It's worth a visit.

Dare To Be Different
- Daretobedifferent.org Susie Wolff and UK governing body of UK motorsport have joined forces to launch Dare To Be Different, a high-profile new initiative which is about increasing female participation, not just on the track but in all aspects of the sport.

Giorgio Piola web site