US 5,511,847 AGranted

Front end covering for a motor vehicle

AssigneeMercedes-Benz AG

InventorsHans Weisbarth, Albert Hack, Rainer Tiefenbacher

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Abstract

A front end covering for a motor vehicle has air conducting paths which extend adjacent to the roadway on both sides from the vehicle front in the direction of the front wheels. The air conducting paths extend next to one another and are curved in the vertical direction of the vehicle, one air conducting path ending in front of the front wheel and the other air conducting path being constructed as a groove directed towards the interior side of the wheel which has a cross-section open towards the roadway. The other air conducting path is constructed on the bottom with an upwardly extending guiding surface which is curved in front of the front wheel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle convexly with respect to the roadway. In this case, the air conducting path is curved in front of the front wheel concavely with respect to the roadway against the curvature of the guiding surface, and the distance between the air conducting path and the roadway is increasingly reduced, whereby a good aerodynamic flow around the wheel is achieved as well as a good cooling of the brakes.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A front end air guide covering for a passenger vehicle of the type having a front wheel disposed behind a vehicle front end at a vehicle side and exhibiting a laterally inwardly facing wheel side, said air guide covering comprising:

a first air guide path section aligned with and extending laterally over a front facing end of a vehicle wheel when in an in use straight ahead driving position of the vehicle wheel, and
a second air guide path section aligned with the inwardly facing wheel side, which second air guide path section is adjacent to and laterally inwardly of the first air guide path section,
wherein both of said first and second air guide path sections face a roadway over which the vehicle travels when in an in use position on a vehicle,
wherein the first air guide path section is curved concavely in a vehicle rearward direction to form a rearwardly decreasing vertical gap between the roadway and the first air guide path to thereby displace an air stagnation point in front of the vehicle wheel to limit high pressure in a wheel house in front of the wheel, and wherein the second air guide path section is curved convexly and forms a rearwardly increasing vertical gap over the second air guide path section from an intermediate point thereof to a rear end thereof disposed forwardly of said vehicle wheel to thereby direct brake cooling air flow to wheel brakes at the inwardly facing wheel side.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.