Video: How The GT-R LM NISMO’s Crazy Aerodynamics Work

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Nissan’s GT-R LM NISMO Le Mans racer in the past couple of weeks, and that’s due to all of the crazy technology that is hiding underneath the carbon fiber body panels.

When the car was first revealed in February, the world got its first taste of Nissan’s FWD Le Mans effort, and now NISMO TV’s web series, NISMO University, explains exactly how the aerodynamics of the car works. “To make a racing car go around corners faster, if you can use the hand of downforce to press it to the road, it means that the tires have more contact patch pressure,” explained Nissan LMP1 technical director and team principal.

Bowlby goes on to explain that the car has the ability to stick itself to the ceiling at 150+ mph with the downforce it creates, which we don’t doubt, but we’d rather believe it when we see it (hint, hint, Nissan!). Also explained by Bowlby was the fact that the car is completely front-biased in all areas, such as weight, downforce, and tire size, giving the car a 65F/35R bias.

“Most of the competition vents the air underneath the diffuser, out behind the front wheels. We actually make an entire duct to the back of the car, so it’s got a very free-flowing exit,” explained chief engineer, Zack Eakins. Those “vacuum tubes,” as Bowlby calls them, takes the air that is directed under the car and directs it into the base pressure, or wake, at the back of the car, filling that low pressure area.

The result of Nissan’s crazy aerodynamic practices is low drag and maximum downforce, which is exactly what they were looking for out of this unique opportunity. Nissan has completed the Le Mans test day, and now they’re just preparing for the big race that will be held in less than two weeks. We can hardly wait to see how this engineering marvel performs out on track.

On a side note, the GT-R LM NISMO is now available in Gran Turismo 6, and all you have to do is complete one lap at Circuit de la Sarthe, regardless of lap time, for it to be yours. Have fun with it!

About the author

Josh Kirsh

Born in Van Nuys, Raised in Murrieta, Joshua Kirsh is a SoCal Native. With a love for anything on wheels since the ripe young age of two, Joshua Managed to turn his love for automobiles into a career. As Power Automedia's newest writer, he plans to bring you some of the industry's hottest news topics while he's not out in the shop wrenching on some of our badass in-house project builds.
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