A tiny 3D printed part (Hood Flicks) made the Mustang GTD faster than every Ferrari on the Nurburgring

[falcongtho3]

The replacement hood runs about $1600, but the hood deflector/vents are $5500 each for the non carbon track pack cars, but only $1500 each for the CFTP cars. The hood hold downs are still stupid expensive as well.

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[erocker]

Those aren't tiny! Pretty cool though, those vents sit right above the front wheels and that's a nice place to apply some downforce. Prety amazing how much time it shaved off.

 

[midtownz06]

How a Tiny 3D-Printed Part Made the Mustang GTD Faster Than Every Ferrari

What do you guys think?

Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall explained that the team 3D-printed new parts at the track to chase every possible advantage. The breakthrough came with tiny “hood flicks” — raised pieces around the hood vents — that proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered. After several iterations and wind tunnel tests back in Detroit, the design was finalized for production.

With 815 hp from its supercharged 5.2-liter V8, the GTD had no shortage of speed. Despite already having more than 1,300 lbs of downforce when traveling 155 mph, Ford wanted more. However, the challenge was adding it without eating away at its 202-mph top speed. The hood flicks solved that. By reshaping airflow ever so slightly, they gave the Mustang GTD more front-end bite while keeping the drag coefficient unchanged. According to Goodall, without these tiny bumps, breaking seven minutes at the Nürburgring would have been “very tight.”

they could have just copied the tiger racing hood and learned this from the start…

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