Universal AirVortex - Anyone Use These? Will They Work?
 

Well, I was browsing the net and ran across these:

Universal AirVortex

https://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/...0,0,0&format=0


Feel free to browse the whole gallery from 1 to 23 as its all the same item, just different pics, angles and applications.

Its definitely a different design that what Im use to seeing but the question is, will they work?

The design looks a little counterintuitive to me as opposed to the other vortex generators on the market. In my mind installing them backwards would work better ( point of the triangle facing the front of the car as opposed to the wide part of the triangle facing the front )

Any feed back or 2 cents would be appreciated.

Thanks!

LBS

This type of product gets discussed a lot here.

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:...tex+generators

Here's a few recent threads:
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=8742
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=7675
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=6178
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=8497
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=8457
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=8050

has anyone actually seen MPG gains from them. I have seen where people have used the VORTEKZ ones and talked about the airflow. I haven't seen where anyone has posted an FE improvement.

I am asking because I am curious about it myself. I almost got some for my birthday but got some coroplast instead. almost wish I had got the generators.

Well, just looking through the threads to which I posted links, nobody has reported any gain.

This guy hasn't ever posted a gaslog:
Why didn't he try the obvious and easy removal of the roof rack BEFORE trying somethign gimmicky and unproven?

The rest of the people who bought them have not posted in their gaslogs since buying them, or haven't posted anything about them in their gaslog:
You might want to take a look at the link in that last message, "This Old Shack", which may have some information about results.

Actually, I think they are helping mine.

Just look at my gas log.

My car has an EPA estimate of 28mpg.

I added a grill block, which should be good for around 3-4 more mpg max (tested by others).

I then added a wai (which is really not that hot since it takes air from the radiator so temps should only be like 110 degrees, not much at all). Again, what, another 1-2 mpg?

Tires inflated to 40psi, 2mpg more?

Removed windshield wipers, another 1mpg?

Added front tire deflectors, 2mpg?

All in all that comes to around 36-39 mpg.

However, In my most recent trip (with traffic) I was able to get 41 mpg and that was going about 70mph!!

So i dont know, but if it cleans up the airflow in my rear windshield like I showed it would in my tests, then it HAS to have an effect on aerodynamics and therefore an effect in fuel economy. Now, is that effect in fuel economy good or bad? Well considering it removed turbulance from the rear window, I can say that it most likely is good for aerodynamics and ultimatley for fuel economy...

Now, like I had said before in my tests;
"Not because it worked on my car will they work on every other car!!

I think that as long as the rear slant of the rear window is somewhat like my car the results could be similar.

However, i just dont see it working on hatchback designs or trucks or the such. Why? Well, these vortex generators are designed to keep the airflow attatched to the car, but if there is no more car like in the case of hatchbacks or trucks or suv's, then what is the airflow going to attatch to?

I think in that case they would probably just create more drag."

I think I've just seen my gains for my own homebrew vortex generators and turbulators that went on a couple of weeks ago. Marvin got sick sometime soon after I fitted them and mileage plunged, he's 90% healthy again and with no additives I pulled a 25.63 mpg tank this last fill, which is 1.7mpg higher than he's ever had on pump gas, and 2.6 over his average on pump gas. So I might cautiously claim something like a 10% gain from this, possibly 12.5%. When he's 100% healthy, I'll go back to my methanol/TC-W3 brew which has shown a peak gain of 15% and hopefully break 30mpg on a good tank.

Subjectively, I have felt that crosswind stability is MUCH improved, as is directional stability when passed on either side by large vehicles. Also have observed zero spray on back screen at highway speeds* in the wet, and see spray streams blowing off the back of the roof at about a 20 degree angle. Also this last high tank was in windy conditions that I would normally expect to lose mpg in.

(* Seem to get spray at lower speeds, but don't know if thats because the wind is fast enough to stick it there, or it just falls down on it, but doesn't seem to suck it up from underneath any more anyway.)

The trick on bluff based objects is not that it sticks the flow down but that it will bend it round the corner another 10 or 15 degrees or so. Also pre-empts formation of large vortices that may stagnate against a rear surface, or cause noticable pressure forces on it, and makes smaller easily shed vortices. So overall one should get a reduction in base drag. However, can be a tricky thing not to cause more induced or shape drag by altering the aerodynamic form factor.

Anyone else notice that they stopped using vortex generators on the Lancer Evo?

yes but we can't base anything that they remove from production cars since sometimes they do it because of production cost

Saw I was quoted above, I haven't mounted mine yet, I am using them with a combination of aero mods to help with the poor aero of the Del Sol and the turbulence created by the rear, I imagine the benefits change from vehicle to vehicle and placement, I am not expecting any major gains but for $20 I felt like they were worth a shot

A quick question.

I'm not completely educated on how these works, but I heard they work by directing air up. Which is why they wouldn't work mounted on the front bottom of a vehicle, they'd direct up air into the engine bay. If they do indeed direct air up, couldn't you place them on the hood of a vehicle to help the air flow over the windshield better?

actually the concept is to create a vortex to fill in the empty space or the hole that your car leave when it pushes through the air.

I am not truely convinced of all of this but as loserkidwak said, they are only $20. I would definitely get more use out of that than I did the coroplast. it is still in my garage collecting dust.

I like free better than $20:
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=6178

yea but for 20 bucks I can make it look like it is supposed to be on the car. paint them white (already have the paint) and stick them down. I wouldn't expect much as far as gains but the look cool.

Free is nice, I just felt more comfortable paying $20, they were already painted black (my car is black), have a warranty if they fall off with in 3 years they will send you new ones, and there website had some test results, of course they will vary for every vehicle and condition but I like to think that they might have a better chance of working...

thanks for the links WR, but ive read them already. I was just interested in seeing if anyone had used these particular brand/style. As i found from browsing another thread and trying to figure out what L.O.S.T. was, DarbyWalters has them on his Jeep Liberty so I PMed him for the 411.

He has them on his roof and just past the rear passenger windows so depending how they work i might test them on my car being applied before the rear windshield and on the side of the car before the rear bumper/trunk area. https://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4717/pict3339gu2.jpg


Besides, its just too hard to get rid of this car that I only paid $2500 for!

https://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6800/pict0057kv2.jpg

I just dont know how crazy some steelie rims with moon covers on them would look.

Well that car looks nice!!

Word of advice, look into turbulator tape.

That is what airplanes use and its what I will use behind the wheel wells and in front of the a pillar to help keep the flow attached. Look into turbulator tape trust me you will be amazed at how much evidence there is (much, much, much more than vortex generators; but I like how they look on top of the car... however i would not want them in the a pillar or the such thats why I am going to use turbulator tape there).

yeah, im going to have to scavenge to get some aero mods going on my car. Like i found out that the lower air dam for a 94 - 97 accord fits my car, so thats going to be a no brainer install, but for the rear tire skirts, im going to need some mud flaps that stick out a little further than the stock ones do and then build a frame off of those to cover most of the wheel well.

must find turbolator tape.... if you have the link please share.

https://www.wingsandwheels.com/images/zig%20zag.jpg

Interesting. Will it work at automotive speeds?

I don't think I can find the source now but I know Airtabs have been tried on a Prius and an Insight with no benefit. I put Air tabs on my SL1 Saturn. The effect was between no gain and detrimental in every position I tried. Sometimes you want air to detach rather than cling to the back of the car. This is why we see the notches on the back of hatchbacks and trunk lids. Just my 2 cents. Yeah I have a bout 40 Airtabs I might try on the Dolphin motor home.

found some dimple tape, and here is a pic from one site showing the uses:

https://www.dimpletape.com/Examples.jpg

too bad the site is down for pricing/ordering

This stuff doesnt look too bad, and i could paint it to match. Would work great for the underside of the car before the back bumper and alongside the car maybe mid trunk area before the rear bumper.

https://www.lessgasmoremiles.com/auto_drawing.jpg

kinda hard to see here (its along the front edge of windshield):

https://www.lessgasmoremiles.com/autoFront.jpg

Here's some interesting reading about dimple tape: https://www.dimpletape.com/article.htm

Although it would take some work, i suppose some clear rubber or vinyl strips could be made to do the same thing using a drill, a length of board, and some clamps. shoot, you could make it out of thin plexiglass/omniplex although adhesion would be difficult since you wouldnt want to get glue in the holes.

guess i have a new topic to research~! ONWARD TO FIND DIMPLE TAPE!

look on rear pillar for this pic (follows along top of rear roof too):

https://www.lessgasmoremiles.com/autoRear.jpg

well DUH! why not use a flexible magnetic vinyl strip? this way you could easily adjust your location until you found a best spot.

either that or smear some oil on top of your car and then drive around at high speed and find the "bubble" and mount your strip inside of that "bubble"

or i might just make some of these out of plexi:

https://www.fuelsavers.com.au/Menu_images/Banner_VG.jpg
https://www.fuelsavers.com.au/VGImages/Home_1.jpghttps://www.fuelsavers.com.au/VGImages/Home_3.jpg

site can be found here:

https://www.fuelsavers.com.au/


Oh! Be sure to not draft any trucks that happen to have these mounted on the side!
https://www.fuelsavers.com.au/Furnitu...ists_small.JPG

Hmm, I've never seen the 'Universal AirVortex' before. Without having tested it myself, I'd suspect that they work work pretty well to prevent delamination. My reason? The shape is taken from NACA ducts... which work great to push and pull air from a flat surface without adding drag.

I'd bet that they work well in a highly turbulent area of a vehicle.

Jeff in Tucson