News reports have emerged about a new patent application filed by Porsche, which concerns the installation of a "ladder."
A rudder is a flat, movable, fin-like plate used to control the direction of travel, and on ships and airplanes, it is usually located at the rear.
The patent filed by Porsche this time seems to involve incorporating this ladder into cars, where a board (ladder) is mounted vertically, and by changing its orientation, the way it receives airflow can be altered.
While it may not make much difference at low speeds, it is expected that even small differences can have a significant impact at high speeds.
The current 992 generation 911 GT3 RS already generates downforce equivalent to approximately 860 kg at 285 km/h, and it seems that this ladder is intended to further enhance cornering performance by directly generating lateral forces.
Even if you use downforce to press the car to the road surface, there's a limit to the force that the tires can transmit, so you can't improve cornering performance indefinitely... So, it seems that this ladder is designed to directly help the car turn using the force of the air.
The patented system is described as being able to move the front and rear rudders independently, generating lateral forces of different magnitudes at the front and rear in response to the vehicle's behavior.
This may help reduce understeer and stabilize the rear of the vehicle, and it is also expected to reduce body roll by coordinating the movement of the front and rear rudders.
There have been various interesting active aerodynamic features on cars from other manufacturers as well. For example, the Pagani Huayra has four aerodynamic flaps that move independently, the Zenvo TSR-S has a huge "centripetal wing" that tilts significantly from side to side, and Ferrari is also reportedly experimenting with a rear wing that flexes itself.
How does the Porsche ladder patent application filed this time differ from these?
The Huayra's movable flaps adjust the aerodynamic balance, and the TSR-S's wings change the distribution of downforce on the left and right rear wheels, but the ladder proposed by Porsche is "designed to directly generate lateral forces."
The patent describes an arrangement where one ladder is attached near each of the front and rear axles, but it also mentions the possibility of adding ladders under the vehicle body or combining multiple ladders on either the front or rear axle.
Furthermore, while the patent doesn't mention any specific model names for which this ladder is intended, it seems likely that such parts might be found on 911s that prioritize driving performance, especially race-spec models, or perhaps models based on the recently announced Mission S.
Of course, this is only at the patent application stage, so it's uncertain whether it will ever be put into practical use, but if it ever does appear, I'd love to think, "Ah, that's the ladder from that patent!"
But it's not exactly cool...
Source:
◆Porsche Explores Airplane-Style Fins to Make Its Cars Corner Faster
◆DE102025117584A1 Aktives aerodynamisches Seitenruder für Sportwagen
◆Porsche Designed a Cooling Duct That Opens Itself When It Gets Hot
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I'm Rika, the author of this article. Since I got my hands on a Porsche 911, I've been completely hooked on Porsches and I can't stop loving them, so I started this blog. My favorite cars are the 911 Carrera (2/991), 911 Carrera Cabriolet & 911 Carrera T (1/992), GT3 (1/997) and 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
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