Does a longer front nose mean more aerodynamic?

[a_ahmed]

Well, I've been considering different things to do to the front end, to make it more aerodynamic and at the same time generating more downforce but less drag.

So take the s13 into account, the popups when up suck, when down, well.. the nose is relatively low, more so than fixed upwards headlight cars.

Put on the s13 silvia front end, what do you get? Nothing much lower, however the front end is shorter in effect slightly.

Put on the s15 front end, what do you get? Slightly more bulged, relatively the same length as popups, but much more bulged and wider.

I want to get rid of popups for weight reasons, however when down the car should not have as much drag. If I do a s15 conversion I'll definetely lose weight but the front end should have more drag no?

A nice functional front wing/lip would be able to increase downforce... in any case though.

So in contrast, an s13 with popups down and an s13 silvia, they are relatively same nose dive, however the silvia is shorter. The question is, does the front being longer mean more aerodynamic or less aerodynamic?

[AZhitman]

There's a LOT more to it than that.

IF aero really mattered at legal speeds (it doesn't), you'd want to do the following:

Reduce frontal area (make the nose smaller / lower).

Reduce lift by adding a front lip / valance to force air OVER and AROUND the nose, not UNDER the car.

Reduce drag (make the frontal area smoother) - In an ideal case, this would mean eliminating the inlet for the radiator, taping the headlight / hood seams, and tucking the wheels inside the wheelwells.

Keep in mind, none of this matters appreciably under 80 or so. Perceptible aero improvements require superlegal speeds to test (or a wind tunnel).

The Silvia front is FAR less aerodynamic than the 180sx front, length is irrelevant.

[Defiant]

^ ^ ^ Seconded. Nicely worded.

[a_ahmed]

Okay good post, it makes sense about the s13 front end, as its just a brick with holes.

How about the S15 front end? I'm assuming there has been aero parts already developed for aerodynamic improvement within the JGTC series since the S15 has seen racing in there.