Don't Pass Off Auto Body Damage As A Small Issue
Posted on: 23 April 2015
When a vehicle is involved in a small accident, you may wonder if repairs are worth the time. A few dents on the hood or door may not seem like much at first, but the wrong dent in the wrong place could have some serious consequences for your driving and gas mileage. Before ignoring the problem and letting it linger for years, consider a few problems that dents could cause, which may have a sizable impact on your wallet in the long run.
A Car's Shape Matters
Vehicle designs aren't pulled completely from the imagination. The shapes are basically wedges with other convenience improvements, and the significance of the wedge shape has a big impact on your gas mileage.
Vehicle have to fight against wind resistance. Wind is an object that can become an obstacle, as shown in quite a few different scientific demonstrations. When a vehicle accelerates, it has to push through the wind with considerable force. The wedge shape--and later shapes of vehicles--reduce the amount of wind resistance or aerodynamic drag.
If you don't quite understand the idea of air as a force that has to be acted against, think about a windy day and how much more effort it takes to walk against the wind. Not in a windy area? The next time you're driving, stick your hand out of the window and feel your hand being pushed back. For added effect, stretch out your fingers and face your palm towards your driving direction. That feeling is drag.
If you turn your hand so the that the side of your hand is facing the front of the car, you may notice that there's less resistance pushing against your hand. This is because there's less exposed hand catching the force of the wind. If you angle your hand slightly up or down, you can feel your hand being pushed or lifted. This feeling can introduce you to a physics term appropriately named lift.
The Drag On Your Gas Mileage
The point of reducing wind resistance against a vehicle is so that the vehicle doesn't have to work as hard to move. In order to move, your vehicle has to consume fuel. With more aerodynamic drag, your vehicle has to work harder and consume more gas to produce the same amount of speed.
Dents in the vehicle can create more drag. For example, denting the hood could create a crumpled area that is almost the same as opening your palm and facing it to the wind as you drive. It isn't just the front of your car; the doors, bumpers, panels and other vehicle surfaces all play a part in making your car move efficiently at higher speeds.
Drag and lift aren't simple, one way forces. There are certain shapes that are designed to create more force against the car, then route that air in a different way in order to push the vehicle forward a bit. Some car components such as spoilers or air dams can help make the car faster by routing the wind in a specific way. For some high-performance vehicles, spoilers are necessary to keep the vehicle from lifting off the ground slightly. Less ground contact could mean a slower speed.
If you've got a dented hood, damaged spoiler or any auto body damage, don't delay your repair. Contact an auto body repair shop like Central Body Co Inc for a detailed fix and a few suggestions to make your vehicle perform better.
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