{"id":18211,"date":"2022-03-22T12:03:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=18211"},"modified":"2022-03-22T12:03:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:03:42","slug":"honda-new-wind-tunnel-ohio-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=18211","title":{"rendered":"Honda’s new wind tunnel can test anything from SUVs to race cars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Engineers in Honda’s<\/a> research and development department have a powerful new tool at their disposal. The Japanese company invested $124 million to develop and build a surprisingly advanced wind tunnel that can be used to test a Civic<\/a>, a race car and anything in between.<\/p>\n

The main and most widely-known function of a wind tunnel is fine-tuning a vehicle’s aerodynamic profile, but Honda notes that it will also use the facility to test wind noise in a controlled environment. And, it plans to develop some of its future race cars in it. Building a wind tunnel that lets engineers carry out these three tasks required the use of seriously impressive hardware that explains the project’s nine-digit price tag.<\/p>\n

Located in Ohio’s Transportation Research Center, the wind tunnel features a five-belt rolling system for developing production vehicles and a second wide-belt system that can be used to design high-performance sports cars<\/a> and purpose-built race cars. It’s configured to blow wind at up to 193 mph (which, in meteorology, would be considered a category five hurricane) thanks in part to a 26-foot fan fitted with 12 carbon fiber<\/a> blades and powered by an electric motor rated at 6,700 horsepower; that’s the power of nearly 22 Civic Type R<\/a> four-cylinder engines.<\/p>\n

It’s a system that’s a lot more complex and far bigger than it might sound. Honda explains that switching from the five-belt system (which consists of a belt under each wheel and a bigger one under the middle of the car) to the one-belt configuration (which places one big belt under the entire car) takes approximately four hours. Each belt module weighs approximately 40 tons, according to the firm.<\/p>\n

What remains to be seen now is what Honda and Acura<\/a> will hone in their new wind tunnel. How about a third-generation NSX<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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