I was in the parking lot of the local shopping centre today, and spotted a champagne-coloured GMC Tahoe with the words “Ground Effect” spattered across the top of the windshield. This led me to the oft-repeated classic musing much prized by the ancient philosophers: WTF?
From the little I know about ground effect, it was used with some success on Formula 1 racing cars and required a) lots of speed and b) very low clearance. Somehow, neither of these aspects seem to be found in your average GMC Tahoe.
So I throw the debate open to the Dopers who may be more knowledgeable than I about ground effect (and there must be several, from what I have been able to find, although none dealt specifically with the subject). Could this actually do anything for the Tahoe, or is it just “my dick is bigger than yours” hype for the uninformed buyer?
I can’t find a good pic, but it likely refers to the practice of attaching neon lights to the underside of riced-up cars. Google “neon light kit” or similar.
(I’ll admit I bought a 10’ neon light for this purpose when they were on sale at a surplus store I visit. … though it’s still in the garage due to lack of mounting space)
Ground effects are those panels at the bottom of the car body that some people use to pimp their ride. They cover up part of the ground clearance and make the vehicle appear lower than it is. Did the Tahoe have those? Here is a picture of a Tahoe with ground effects.
No, it looked pretty much like a stock Tahoe to me. It had running boards, but that was about it. It was daytime and parked, so I can’t tell whether or not it had the neon lights underneath.
“The ground effect”, or “wing-in-ground effect”, is the phenomenon that gives added lift to aircraft or birds when flying at very low altitudes over flat ground or water. I don’t think it’s properly applicable to any machine that’s not supposed to leave the ground.
Yes, and a Formula 1 car was (and still is) built that way: low to the ground, with a centimeter or two clearance. But that was what puzzled me about this claim for a Tahoe. Even with extended bumpers (as in Shagnasty’s pic), there’s no way on God’s green earth that I could see this as contributing to any kind of “ground effect” unless you could get the thing up to supersonic speed. IT’S A FRIGGIN’ TRUCK!!
Some people do it for looks. Of course looks are objective though, as can be proven my Shagnasty’s link.
As for functional ground effects, my Thunderbird SC has much better handling than my LX, though that’s probably more because of the sporty suspension and sticky tires than the factory ground effects.