Calculate aerodynamic downforce from vehicle speed, reference area, and downforce coefficient for performance vehicles.
Input Parameters
Results
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Downforce
lbs
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Downforce
N
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Downforce at 60 mph
lbs
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Downforce Efficiency (L/D)
Note: Downforce increases with the square of speed. An F1 car generates 3,000+ lbs of downforce at 150 mph. Street cars with wings/splitters typically achieve Cl of 0.1-0.5.
Reference
Downforce = ½ × ρ × V² × Cl × A
where ρ = air density, V = speed (ft/s)
Cl = downforce coefficient, A = reference area
Downforce scales with V² (doubles speed = 4× force)
L/D = Cl / Cd (aero efficiency ratio)