![Rear tires ending up on the rear wing. [1920x1280 - 1.56MB]](https://pic8.co/sh/etT2bu.jpg){kind=link}
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NINTCHDBPICT000720406502.jpg?strip=all&w=960
You can see it clearly on this white car.
Imagine being a sponsor and having your logo covered by the rubber on the Pirellis.
Interesting how the tire wears along a horizontal strip and doesn't wind up anywhere else on the rear wing.
I'll bet it sticks out further at that point, just enough to catch some rubber. I would not think that it would affect the aerodynamics much because the wing is designed for down force and probably does not do much for side to side.
Side to side is affected by the horizontal elements, because once you're in yaw, the airflow is no longer straight but arriving in a curve. Say for example you have a 3 degree angle on the end plate, but your car is turning at 4 degrees per second, now the airflow is grazing the inside of the end plate, and the outside now has a different profile. This doesn't even consider boundary layer effects. Meaning the physical shape your eyes see is not the same shape that the air sees at speed. This is because the skin friction creates a stationary boundary layer which alters the flow path.
I did not think it would make much difference on a car. Makes more sense for an airplane. I guess they do go pretty fast though.
Downforce is more useful while cornering than going straight.
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