I think the aft-facing vents in the rear bumper would be effective in venting the rear wheel wells but the simple practical aspect of this would be like running a car or truck without mud flaps so would make the back of the car really dirty—probably not very becoming of a Ferrari, ha-ha. Venting the air from the side, behind the wheels, seems like a way to effectively “taper” the body behind the wheels for reduced drag. I believe they work this way because of the fact the openings extend from the wheel opening—no fender lip—so exposed to the airflow. As suggested by @mthompson2376 the 3 strakes or flaps could also be used to recover some downforce, also by supporting the flow behind the spoiler, but the flow—being behind the wheels—probably does not have a huge amount of energy so the downforce won’t be great, but could be useful. Combined with cleaning up the side flow, adding taper and maybe even venting the wheel wells the vents will be a useful detail of this car. They also look cool and innovative. Ultimately, a lot of these details are aesthetically driven. As noted, the vent on the rear fender of the F12 was to reduce pressure in the wheel well: Image Unavailable, Please Login It was assumed (by me) that the aero bridge over the rear fender (and at the front too) of 812SF was for the same purpose: Image Unavailable, Please Login But per Ferrari, this was not the case, they served other purposes: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Ultimately, there are many ways to achieve an intended purpose but the aesthetics will drive a lot of the what the final solution will be.
I had the same idea based on the shape of the VGs which actually look like a combination of VG (the forward edge more closely aligned with the longitudinal axis of the car) and a turning vane (the more transverse portion of the the device) to direct the vortices outboard. That is unless the “turning vanes” are used to create a sort of rolling vortex but not sure if that’s feasible.
Thank you for the knowledgeable explanation and the pictures because now I understand much better what's the real function of the vents placed on the 812 VS back wheel fenders.
as an F12 owner who has had corrosion repair on those rear vents i can assure you they do not in any way connect to the rear wheel arches. they are essentially a design aspect and a headache once galvanic corrosion begins there due to the black mesh being steel and the rest of the car aluminum.
Thank you Mario, but it’s still just speculation on my part, ha-ha. Also, as for the big black license plate panel, well maybe it’s just a big black panel for visual effect, although in one picture, either due to reflection or otherwise, the panel looks to be not completely flat. Can’t imagine though what it could be otherwise.
Now I see about the F12 vents, thanks for that. Anyway in the 812 pictures with the aero features I would really like that they specified the amount in which these contribute to overall downforce. My theory is that some of them are marginal.
Wow, really, steel? Sorry to hear that. Even plastic would have been better. Regarding their function, they don’t necessarily have to “connect” to the wheel well, they could just “communicate” with a cavity that in turn communicates with the wheel well.
I agree, probably marginal. I don’t want to say they are marketing features but there are probably different ways to achieve the same results just these look cooler.
The 458 was first designed with big vents behind the door like the 488 would later get. On that 458 design proposal LdM didn't like the vents in the side of the body and instead wanted the air around the car managed differently. So those big side vents were removed for the production 458 design.
As Colin Chapman said, “add lightness.” When I was racing LotusCupUSA, our focus was never power, it was all about reducing weight. We had our own formula that reducing weight by 10 lbs would effectively gain 1 HP. We would always be better in the turns vs the high HP beasts, faster exit speed through the turns. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have to disagree, the Elise is very capable on track when setup correctly. Yes underpowered, but add on a supercharger or power up to an Exige and it’ll conquer many Porsches on track. My 211 was the most fun on track. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you Mario but if you look next to the number plate, still on the area you will see two horizontal openings- it is about these which I am curious. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Mid speed high sweeping turn, such as a carousel, aero/downforce can help stabilize the car e.g. the turn at Riverside at Buttonwillow, 80-100mph. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
FWIW I found this. It seems that the vents are actually connected with the wheel wells! Image Unavailable, Please Login
So true, but lets face it, for the street, the high HP beasts bring their own kind of fun. The real trick is finding the right balance of power and weight so a car is great on the streets and also fun for a few track days too. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Jerry, the openings you mentioned are the ones the arrows are pointing in the picture? Image Unavailable, Please Login
I kindly accept your opinion, Rodolfo. As I said before, unfortunately, I don't have enough knowledge to say something about aerodynamics (wish I had!), so I'll just have to trust Ferrari on this.
yes they do seem to. here is a hi-res image parts 25 and 26 are the vents. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I immediately saw those darker spots, but I think they are style-related creases. I don't think they are connected to air ducts...If you look at the mule where the air passes there are cuts in the protective film. There is nothing above the license plate zone.. They seem like two ribs that give a more nervous tone to the tail... Maybe they are open on the sides, but I don't really understand their usefulness Image Unavailable, Please Login
I understand what you are seeing, however, it's obvious the cover wrap is interfering with other "aero" such as the VGs on the trunk deck, therefore I do not believe the wrap not venting is as important as it might seem, afterall, it is quite unlikely high speed testing would be conducted with that cover wrap installed; apparently only heat area (exhaust tips), cameras (2) and brake lights (+turn signals) are exposed through the wrap.
