Air flow over, under and around at 65

[powerboatr]

SUNDAY on our return trip from state park,
My wife was driving the st, and me in the motorhome
She drafted behind me, rode next to me and thrn about 100 feet in front
All while we had a nice misty rain going on
I sit at about 6 feet above the roadway
Great view etc
I noticed the air flow around her as she passed me. Then in front mixed with just enough water vapor to really highlight air flow
It's a no wonder why rear window and back or car and last part of roof stay dusty
The air coming up and over front grill, really goes up to just clear the top of windshield,
You can see the flow continue up and never touch the roof ,
The sides seemed to stay closer and actually smoother than one would think
And air coming from under, mixed with the top and sides a good 15 feet or more behind the body.
At 1st I though the massive air blocker front end of the motorhome was interfering
So I called her and said don't panic,as I moved closer to about 10 feet off the back,to really screw up the air,
Then slowly eased back to around 100 feet and watched
Same thing
The air bubble does not meet until 10 to 15 feet behind
Not sure if it needs better flow, but it sure was good to see what's what
This was no way scientific, like a wind tunnel
I will try to download some dash video later

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Very interesting. It amazes me how much airflow circles around and blows all kind of crap on the rear hatch.

 

[powerboatr]

well
my 64 gb disc started over writing
the system in the motorhome is live 24 7 to record so it takes a short period to burn through 4 cameras of data
the air flow in the rear was very clear there is almost zero wind effect on the rear decks and hatch.
i wish i could have seen the side view without the bow wave interference from the motor home
but it was a dead space so not enough rolling air to wipe off dust etc
it really solidified my small spoiler on the rear wing let thing...its not going to work as there is not enough air getting close to the rear hatch cover wing thing

 

[hbalek]

Wait you mean Ford didn't spend enough time on R&D on this Explorer back in 2019? SHOCKER! My first shock back in December of 2019 when I bought the damn thing was the fact that the hood becomes a bird bath if you park on a slight incline! Less than a year later, I found out the hard way that you can't let the fuel level get too low, because on a slight incline your engine will stall without enough fuel or not start. Or even worse, in my case, you'll burn your 10 month old fuel pump and have to be towed to dealership!

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Wait you mean Ford didn't spend enough time on R&D on this Explorer back in 2019? SHOCKER! My first shock back in December of 2019 when I bought the damn thing was the fact that the hood becomes a bird bath if you park on a slight incline! Less than a year later, I found out the hard way that you can't let the fuel level get too low, because on a slight incline your engine will stall without enough fuel or not start. Or even worse, in my case, you'll burn your 10 month old fuel pump and have to be towed to dealership!

Is the bird bath pool that big of a deal? To me the airflow circling the rear is just a minor inconvenience cleanliness wise, and just the way the rear is designed. Least it’s good looking.

 

[hbalek]

Is the bird bath pool that big of a deal? To me the airflow circling the rear is just a minor inconvenience cleanliness wise, and just the way the rear is designed. Least it’s good looking.

Yes if you don't drive it the water dries out and leaves stains and residue. I started backing into my driveway for this reason ever since 5 years ago when I bought this.