I might have some cfd up comparing with and without the front exhaust.
It's hard to say now what it's really doing. Depending on the angle it can blow to the edge of the floor, or in a little bit more and depending on how it's split top to bottom can actually flow around the side pods and through the gap between the wheels.
It definitely blows into the tyres, but it stays low to the ground near the contact patch area.
temp seem to be a 20 degree increase at the tyres assuming the exhaust comes out at 800*C
Thanks to machin for his 2009 car.
not the best looking interpretation, but it's close enough. It's a 2.5 inch pipe. I added a little airfoil on the edge of the floor.
flow paths with temperature scale. Flow from exhaust and the lumpy airfoil end of the floor.
The exhaust doesn't create much vortices, not more than the airfoil shape on the floor tip.
I tried it with no airfoil and there were no swirls. Edges and pressure difference are required for that.
gases cool rapidly, the scale is between 400Kelvin and abient just to give a nice colour contrast. If it were at the ex temp of 1073K you'd see mainly just blue showing how quickly the gas cools from 800 to around 20 degrees above ambient.
from underneath, this time with velocity scale. car is moving at 70m/s. So was the floor which is hidden here.
from the back.
Blowing that airfoil seems to be the main purpose. The side effects i am not sure. Looks like an increased effort to seal the floor, which the air foil can do by itself. Or maybe something to do with the flow between the wheels?
Hard to come to any conclusion since i don't have any downforce number yet. Also need to make a good comparison without the FEE.