Lamborghini isn’t the only automaker developing active aerodynamics.
On May 24, 2016 GM filed a patent application for “vehicle ride-height determination for control of vehicle aerodynamics,” which was published on March 23, 2017.
The patent application details an active aerodynamics system on the Chevrolet Corvette, suggesting an even more hardcore track-oriented model is in the works. According to the application, the system includes an adjustable aerodynamic-aid element mounted to the body and configured to control aerodynamics of the vehicle. In addition, it features “a mechanism configured to vary a position of the adjustable aerodynamic-aid element relative to the vehicle body to thereby control a movement of the ambient airflow relative to the vehicle body.”
Various aerodynamic aids are mentioned in the patent application, including an adjustable spoiler, an air dam, a splitter, a diffuser and shutter – all of which would adjust accordingly to the data received by the system.
There’s also a sensor that detects the height of the vehicle relative to a predetermined reference frame, while a controller is configured to receive the signal from the sensor to tell it the vehicle’s body height. That controller can then determine the ride height of the vehicle and will regulate the mechanism is response to the determined ride height to control aerodynamics of the vehicle.
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It is in a way similar to the fancy-sounding “Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva” (ALA) found on the recently debuted Lamborghini Huracan Performante. The Italian automaker attributes its record-setting Nurburgring lap time to the active aerodynamics, which allow the car to be slippery in the straight and have maximum downforce in corners.
