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Old 12-28-2012, 01:17 PM   #10 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,515

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 52.48 mpg (US)
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I think you may be trying to fix something that we don't yet know is broken. (or "badly" broken, anyway)

I had a look at a bunch of rear view images of your car, and there's a not insignificant amount of plan taper in the greenhouse, and quite a gentle transition (very generous radius) in the C-pillar from "side" to "rear" surfaces. All of which suggests to me the risk of vortex formation on this car is probably not big.

I'm away from home, so I don't have my copy of Hucho handy, but he laid out a chart comparing various rear hatch/fastback angles and their effect on Cd that illustrated the problem of vortex formation. But my foggy memory tells me your hatch isn't in the "danger zone".

If I were you, I'd start at the start: tuft testing your rear glass. It doesn't take 10 minutes to set up (and you can even do it with 8 inches of snow on the road ).
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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