Honda just built the world’s most advanced wind tunnel in Ohio

Enlarge / An Acura MDX undergoing an aerodynamic test in Honda's new $124 million wind tunnel-the most advanced in the world. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Honda provided a flight to Columbus and back and a night in a hotel so we could visit the new facility. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

EAST LIBERTY, OHIO-Over the weekend, Formula 1 burst back into action with its first race of the year. For several decades now the sport has been dominated by downforce and the application of aerodynamics. So you might think that the world's most advanced rolling road wind tunnel would be found in England, where most of the teams are based-or perhaps in Italy's Maranello.

But despite the sport's well-funded emphasis on air flow, F1 is no longer the last word in rolling road wind tunnels. Now that honor belongs to Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio ("HALO"), where a new $124 million, 192 mph (310 km/h) facility is about to commence operations.

HALO is based at the Transportation Research Center, a vehicle proving grounds and test track a little less than an hour outside of Columbus. It's a relatively unassuming facility from the outside, certainly compared to Ferrari's dramatic-looking, Renzo Piano-designed tunnel in Italy. But as with people, it's what's inside that really matters.

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