Know It All with Jason Cammisa

Coefficient of drag has nothing to do with size (1x12)

Air date: Jul 22, 2021

Drag coefficient describes a car's shape — not its size. Think of it as a coupon code that reduces or increases a car's effective frontal area, the measure of how big the air sees it. A low Cd can make a huge difference in a vehicle's overall aerodynamic drag. A Tesla Model X has 1.6 times the frontal area of a Lotus Elise SC, and yet its overall drag is lower. Meaning: to the air, the tiny Lotus is actually the bigger car. Watch for more colorful, humorous insights on the definition of coefficient of drag.