Since I am always tinkering and trying to squeeze out a little extra mileage, with these high gas prices, I decided to add some removable vortex generators. I mounted them just in front of the spoiler. These are mainly used by truckers, but are also used on aircraft and now some cars. As an added benefit they should help keep the rear window a little cleaner. I haven't gotten use to the looks of them yet (they look like mini space shuttles), and don't know if I will, but I am going to give them a try for a few months. If they work I'll leave them on, and if they don't....off they come. Any comments....pros.....cons....etc.???
I got them from Airtabs.com. I bought 20, painted them to match the car, but only installed 9, so far. I talked to Jack Latimer at Airtabs and he said my spacing should work fine. I may add a couple on the sides...yuk, but I am hoping I won't have to.


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Interesting. If they lessen the dirt on the rear window, that'd be good enough reason to do it!
The Mitsubishi Evo VIII started this strange phenomenon. I think it's one of those "well, I assume they're doing something" things, because without a wind tunnel, it'd be awfully hard to tell if they're doing anything. I wonder if Mitsubishi spent the bucks to test their efficacy in a windtunnel?!?

 

Yeah let us know how they go. The dirt problem sucks. But they don't look to bad though. I think if you loaded the top up wiht too many it would, but 9 seems to be the magic number there.

 

Just got back from a 1500 mile trip with the vortex generators installed. Let me say that they definitely keep the rear window cleaner on the highway. Unfortunately this is not true around town. Like the instructions said, they only seem to work above about 40 mph. So far, I haven't noticed any difference in mileage, however this trip was a family emergency so I drove faster than I normally would. I'll give them a fair trial and leave them on at least through the winter. I am also getting use to the looks, and they really don't look too bad after all, IMO.

 

Those generators are pure snake oil, save your money.

If those things really worked, the car makers would all install them at the factory.

They are always looking to improve gas mileage on their cars.

As for those air deflectors, all I can say is............................UGLY!

That is why we have a rear window washer and wiper.

Bob

 

Bob, you need to check out some of the new Mitsubishi's and Suburu's. They have factory generators that make these look great. I am not fond of them yet, either, but if they'll help keep the window clean on the highway, they'll stay. Mileage is a secondary concern. I already get pretty good mileage that I am happy with. The attached pix is what I am not happy with. The wiper/washer is marginal, at best.

 

They are added to the lead edge of an aircraft wing to help keep the air attached to the wing. The separation problem becomes even more significant since control surfaces like flaps and ailerons are usually located along the trailing edge of a wing. When the flow seperates from the wing, these control surfaces have little or no air flowing over them and they become ineffective.

With that said I don't see how they would help at the trailing edge of our little spoiler. The only one that I have seen that sort of works is the true spoiler that is above the roof and directs air down over the rear window which helps prevent the vacuum effect that sucks all the dirt in. But that creates drag and lowers gas mileage. I have a true spoiler on the trunk of my Mustang and it does nothing to stop the dirt from collecting around the vertical trunk and license plate area.

I agree with Bob, snake oil.

 

No disrespect Magnuman but I have to agree with Bob....those things are down right ugly. Take away the nice clean lines of the car.

 

Vortex generators do work. They work on the highway, on boat hulls, on airplanes to improve the efficiency of control surfaces. A true spoiler is intended to improve downforce at the expense of aerodynamic drag. A vortex generator is intended to re-attach seperated airflow to reduce aerodynamic drag. Two totally different things. Dennis Conners of the San Diego Yacht Club cooked the competition in the Americas Cup some years ago by using a proprietary flexible film with small VG's moulded in it. He covered the entire surface of the hull below the water line and blew the doors off the competition. We also used them on our land speed car with success. Do some research before you come out with statements like that.
Howard

 

Vortex generators will work on an airfoil that was initially designed for lift or prevent drag.
But I don't see how they will work on the above example where they are mounted almost at the end of the so called airfoil? Even if it did help the airflow over the roof I can't see how it would prevent the dirt from being sucked back into the rear of the vehicle. When the vehicle is moving forward at speed it creates a void of air due to it's mass. This void is refilled behind and any dust created by the tires is included. The design of the rear of the Magnum seems to suck far more dirt than the back end of my old Aerostar. The price we pay for style versus efficiency
How many aircraft, boats (underwater profile), or cars do you see that are designed for ultimate speed or efficiency that have a square blunt aft end?