Ground Vehicles Drag
The data reported below are averages taken from the available literature. The data have been worked out on average CD. The total CD of large trucks is strongly dependent on the size and the type of fairings, slots and under-body shape.
The automotive industry prefers to call the drag levels for what they are
(under-body, fore-body, base, wheel, etc.), rather than referring to the physics of
the aerodynamic drag.
Table 2: Drag levels for large buses
component level
skin friction 5 %
fore-body 20 %
under-body 50 %
base 25 %
component level
skin friction 7 %
fore-body 25 %
under-body 30 %
base 38 %
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