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Old 06-16-2008, 05:59 PM   #6 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
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Blackfly - '98 Metro
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90 day: 67.07 mpg (US)

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3 smartie car - I like it.

A good rule of thumb is that you can begin with a 10 degree angle, and if your transition is gentle enough, that angle/tangent (if a radius) can be increased beyond that and still retain attached flow.

You could do worse than simply look at the rooflines of existing relatively aero vehicles, eg:



(from Kardboard Kammback: testing a partial boat tail prototype )

Also, don't forget it's a 3D shape - the transition from "side" to "top" is important, and should be generously radiused to aid pressure recovery & discourage vortex formation. If you look at my kardboard prototype, you'll see I used too sharp an angle at that transition point. AndrewJ did much better with his finished work.
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