FKFS Veranstaltungen

2025 FKFS Conference on Vehicle Aerodynamics

and Thermal Management

15 - 16 October 2025 | Leinfelden-Echterdingen

Session: Tire and Wheel Aerodynamics | | 13:30 - 14:00

Measuring Time-Averaged and Dynamic Surface Pressures on Passenger Car Wheels Using Fast-Response PSP

Jan Marcel Hübner, Volkswagen AG

To enhance passenger car efficiency, reducing aerodynamic drag is crucial, with a significant portion of the drag arising from rotating wheels. Understanding Surface pressures on a wheel rim, an area still largely unexplored, is essential for effective development of wheel-related measures. This paper introduces a method for measuring surface pressure on a wheel rim and adjacent body areas both across the whole area and transiently during driving and wind tunnel tests using Fast-Response Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP). The experimental setup is detailed, covering components, paint characterization, the calibration method using pressure taps, and initial wind tunnel tests at 140 kph using a Volkswagen ID.7 production vehicle with stationary wheels. Measurements are conducted with a high-speed camera at 4000 fps using the intensity-based method with a continuous light source. Results include timeaveraged and frequency information, demonstrating the method's capability to capture dynamic pressure distributions. Compared to traditional techniques, PSP offers significant advantages such as high spatial resolution and the elimination of the Need for sensors on fast-rotating parts. These findings open new possibilities for understanding flow dynamics around tires, also providing valuable information for improving Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and ground Simulation in wind tunnels. Future measurements will focus on rotating wheels in wind tunnel and on-road tests.