5th generation civic hatchback - improving aerodynamics

[Fox]

doesn't adding length past the factory bumper (front or rear) make a car not street legal?
I'd love to attempt a kammback or boattail, but i'd rather not get pulled over...

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Fox

doesn't adding length past the factory bumper (front or rear) make a car not street legal?
I'd love to attempt a kammback or boattail, but I'd rather not get pulled over...

As long as you have your story straight and the facts to back it up (a fuel log and pamphlets in the car) you can probably get away with much more than you think. As long as you are polite and answer the questions, the officer is usually just curious about the odd looking mods to the car, and will let you go pretty quickly. They can stop you for having a license plate light out, so I really wouldn't be too worried about giving them an excuse to pull you over, they can find one , so get modding!

[Cd]

( I was pulled over while attempting to 'pulse and glide'.
They ticketed me for not using my signal when I moved into the slow lane as they rushed up behind me.
Over $150 by the time it was all done.)

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Cd

( I was pulled over while attempting to 'pulse and glide'.
They ticketed me for not using my signal when I moved into the slow lane as they rushed up behind me.
Over $150 by the time it was all done.)

I really hope you fought that ticket, man. You did fight it, right? That's a really vindictive cop.

[rcpmac]

Traffic cops are among the lowest of life forms.

[Joseph Davis]

Sorry to bump this up from the relative stoneage, but it appears no one ever addressed this.

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

P.P.S. - I think somethin's up with the alt-kill switch. It may not be "killing" the alternator completely. No matter the battery voltage when the car is off, when running and alt-killed the voltage hovers in the 12.3-12.7 range.
I even tried running the headlights, rear defroster, fan, radio, etc.... No voltage dip. I'll just have to run it killed for a few days and see what happens.

There is nothing wrong with your alternator kill switch. Car batteries are 12.8 volts when fully charged, not 12.0 volts.

But, as you've discovered, the majority of the loss in the charging system is from the belt drive.

[Cd]

Originally Posted by Joseph Davis

Sorry to bump this up from the relative stoneage, but it appears no one ever addressed this.

.

( Thank you ! I saw that this thread had a new posting and was looking forward to seeing something new related to Andrews' car. )

We are all really looking forward to more info. on what you have been up to Andrew !

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by Fox

doesn't adding length past the factory bumper (front or rear) make a car not street legal?
I'd love to attempt a kammback or boattail, but i'd rather not get pulled over...

It hasn't been a problem for the 7 cops that have pulled me over since I installed the boattail. When they stop me I make a point of asking them if there is anything illegal about my car and so far none of them has had a problem with the boattail or nosepiece.

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by Cd

( I was pulled over while attempting to 'pulse and glide'.
They ticketed me for not using my signal when I moved into the slow lane as they rushed up behind me.
Over $150 by the time it was all done.)

I HATE it when someone zooms up behind me. If they do it at night, I have no clue if it's some crazy or some nutty cop who wants to see if I'm DWI..

Every time it has happened, it only takes a couple of minutes for the cop
to see that he zoomed up behind the wrong guy. Nope, Not DWI.. Now what?
When I ask them why they decided to risk my life by nearly ramming my car,
it's everything I can do to keep from calling them a freaking idiot..

They always run my plate for 20 minutes, but never have a reason to give me a ticket.

------

Down in RI, they had a guy trying to get a job with the PD who aced the test,
but they wouldn't hire him, because he was TOO SMART!!
AND, they told him that! So, he sued them!

[Cd]

So what is the latest with the car ???
Any new testing ?
We are all REALLY looking forward to more pictures and techie info !

[gascort]

Originally Posted by Fox

doesn't adding length past the factory bumper (front or rear) make a car not street legal?
I'd love to attempt a kammback or boattail, but i'd rather not get pulled over...

I don't think this is true. Bike racks, snow plows, those hitch - shelf for your cooler things.... all add length to your car. None are illegal that I know of.

I know in MO, if you have something that extends more than 5 feet (pardon my non-SI unit, but that's what the law says) beyond your bumper, you have to mark it with a red flag. I don't know about if you actually extend your car with lights and such.

PLUS, there's no safety concern; in fact, adding length to your car makes it safer in a crash. (probably not much unless it's reinforced a bit and will crumple a bit in a collision)

[thefirebuilds]

Originally Posted by gascort

I don't think this is true. Bike racks, snow plows, those hitch - shelf for your cooler things.... all add length to your car. None are illegal that I know of.

I know in MO, if you have something that extends more than 5 feet (pardon my non-SI unit, but that's what the law says) beyond your bumper, you have to mark it with a red flag. I don't know about if you actually extend your car with lights and such.

PLUS, there's no safety concern; in fact, adding length to your car makes it safer in a crash. (probably not much unless it's reinforced a bit and will crumple a bit in a collision)

if any of this crap was true you wouldn't be able to pull a trailer. You got your lights, you got your tags, it wont be an issue unless you get a nutso cop thats really bored. Then ask him if hes bored and he probably will admit it and leave.

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by thefirebuilds

if any of this crap was true you wouldn't be able to pull a trailer. You got your lights, you got your tags, it wont be an issue unless you get a nutso cop thats really bored. Then ask him if hes bored and he probably will admit it and leave.

I wouldn't ask anything like that.. That's just asking for a crap sandwich around here.

Policeman: "Is that alcohol I smell on your breath"?
Driver: "Is that donuts I smell on your breath"?

-----
Policeman: "Have you been drinking"?
Driver: "No, have you"?
Driver signs ticket after writing "Officer claims he has not been drinking"!

Check out this advice..

[TexasCotton]

Originally Posted by basjoos

It hasn't been a problem for the 7 cops that have pulled me over since I installed the boattail. When they stop me I make a point of asking them if there is anything illegal about my car and so far none of them has had a problem with the boattail or nosepiece.

I got pulled over 3-4 times by the night shift cops mainly because I had taken the tailgate of my Ford Ranger and apparently someone close to my vehicle desription was stolen. Cops are annoying, somewhat lazy, and highly misdirected by dispatch! Dispatchers (mainly women) seem to struggle to get murders and cops sent to correct location and issue.

Anyway, I have enjoyed your thread. I am really curious about your Battery configuration. If you can help me I have some questions. How many batterys do you have? Battery amp/volt? The configeration of the battery, photovoltaic, and alternator, and roughly how many wire connection and control switch type.? Thanks

[Intrigued]

Originally Posted by gascort

I know in MO, if you have something that extends more than 5 feet (pardon my non-SI unit, but that's what the law says) beyond your bumper, you have to mark it with a red flag.

I worked for a while at a lumberyard in MO, and asked a Highway Patrolman specifically about that, since we were putting a lot of flags on stuff. He told me THREE feet - past the back of a lowered tailgate of a pickup truck. I guess that would be close to 5 feet overall...

Originally Posted by thefirebuilds

if any of this crap was true you wouldn't be able to pull a trailer.

You're thinking in the wrong context, thefirebuilds: The idea is how far things are behind the taillights. Think at night, or coming up to a light. Something sticking out of a trunk or the back of a pickup tends to not have any "depth" to it, and is easy to run into. Trailers (AND THESE BOATTAILS) have their own lights in the back, which then will be a new reference point for the lady putting on makeup and talking on the cell phone behind you to use to stop by...

[thefirebuilds]

You're thinking in the wrong context, thefirebuilds: The idea is how far things are behind the taillights. Think at night, or coming up to a light. Something sticking out of a trunk or the back of a pickup tends to not have any "depth" to it, and is easy to run into. Trailers (AND THESE BOATTAILS) have their own lights in the back, which then will be a new reference point for the lady putting on makeup and talking on the cell phone behind you to use to stop by...

NO, you took what I said out of context. I already qualified what I said in regards to lights and tags:

"if any of this crap was true you wouldn't be able to pull a trailer. You got your lights, you got your tags"

Sorry if my language was too folksy to follow, I was in a Palin-ey mood I guess.

[gascort]

haha, folksey. It took me two times reading your text to get it, admittedly.

[Intrigued]

I see it now... I guess I got to the end of your first sentence, and was already planning my political rebuttal...

MAN, I'll be glad when these political ads are done. This negativity is rubbing off onto me!

[TestDrive]

Originally Posted by Xringer

Check out this advice..

Second part of the video.

[merccom]

ok, really. whats going on with this car.