There aren't many similarities between the designs of the bulky, pick-up truckish Ford Ranger and the sleek, fluid lines of a Formula 1 car, but this doesn't mean that the creation process of the two types of vehicles aren't a bit similar. At least, this is what Ford said today, when it gave us a closer look at how the new Ranger has been built.
The aerodynamic attributes of the Ranger, although not necessarily visible with the naked eye, have been developed by Ford in the same manner and using the same technologies used in the design of an F1 car.
Aerodynamicists Thorsten Maertens and Neil Lewington used the same simulation software as Formula One teams (computational fluid dynamics) in the design of the new Ranger, putting the virtual version of the car through some 1,000 simulations before giving the green light for production.
By doing so, Ford says that it has managed to bring the drag coefficient down to a ratio of 0.40, by modifying the A- and C-pillars, adding a small spoiler to the top of the tailgate and adding a front air dam, which limits the amount of flow that goes under the vehicle and sends more air over and around the vehicle body.
“Without the computer technology, it would have been much more difficult, as we’d have had to go back into the wind tunnel to test prototype parts. There was very little time as the other teams were ready to kick off tooling and we had to give them the answer very quickly,” said Lewington.
The Ranger will be launched later this year with three new engines, including two Ford Duratorq TDCi diesel engines with up to 470 Nm of torque, and new six-speed transmissions.
The aerodynamic attributes of the Ranger, although not necessarily visible with the naked eye, have been developed by Ford in the same manner and using the same technologies used in the design of an F1 car.
Aerodynamicists Thorsten Maertens and Neil Lewington used the same simulation software as Formula One teams (computational fluid dynamics) in the design of the new Ranger, putting the virtual version of the car through some 1,000 simulations before giving the green light for production.
By doing so, Ford says that it has managed to bring the drag coefficient down to a ratio of 0.40, by modifying the A- and C-pillars, adding a small spoiler to the top of the tailgate and adding a front air dam, which limits the amount of flow that goes under the vehicle and sends more air over and around the vehicle body.
“Without the computer technology, it would have been much more difficult, as we’d have had to go back into the wind tunnel to test prototype parts. There was very little time as the other teams were ready to kick off tooling and we had to give them the answer very quickly,” said Lewington.
The Ranger will be launched later this year with three new engines, including two Ford Duratorq TDCi diesel engines with up to 470 Nm of torque, and new six-speed transmissions.