Own a 4th generation Camaro / Firebird ?

[Cd]

Do any of you guys here that own a 4th generation Camaro or Firebird / TA want to volunteer to do the world a favor ?
I'm sure I'm not the only person on this forum that would LOVE to see a tuft test of one of these cars - especially around the rear glass.

Just tape some tufts to your back window and have a friend in the passenger seat video or photograph what the tufts do on the back glass as you drive along. ( easy )

I used to have a sales brochure of one of these cars when they first came out that had an excellent top view of the car. The lines of the car just looked so 'right' for good aero, and I was shocked to find it had an identical Cd to the more boxy previous generation car. ( point 34 )

Just looking at the slope of the windshield, the pointed nose, the teardrop profile of the windshield - both front and back, and the overall sleek lines of the car made me believe at the time that this car could have has a really good Cd.

That just goes to show that you can't always judge a cars aerodynamics based on what looks sleek ! It was only later after reading more on aerodynamics that I saw where the aerodynamic problem areas were on the cars - the rear. If you look at the rear of a Camaro or Firebird, the rear is very rounded and most likely leads to a lot of turbulence.

The cars really do seem to have a lot of aerodynamic potential though, and i thought it was a real shame that the more retro style has become the latest fashion.

As I look at the slope of the rear glass, I can't help but notice a similarity to both the curvature and angles of that on the EV-1. This has me really interested in seeing just how that the air flows across the back window of one of these cars.

[Cd]

This is the type of car I am referring to :


When I was younger this was what I thought cars would look like in the year 2011 :





NOT THIS !! :


It's a shame the closest we ever got was this :

[Formula413]

Got your PM. Tuft tests on the Formula huh? LOL I'll see what I can do, no promises though.

Your point about the difference between perception and reality when it comes to aerodynamics (or more accurately, Cd ) is a good one. What looks aerodynamic and what really works are two different things. Look at the Prius: One of the best CDs of any production car, but nowhere near as streamlined in appearance as a fourth generation F Body.

If you're familiar with 4th gen Firebirds you probably recognize that concept car: It's the Banshee, and was the template for the 4th gen birds. It took it's name from another Pontiac design, the car that was to be Pontiac's version of the Corvette. It never made it to production but a few were made and pop up for sale occasionally.



There was also a company in Florida (I think) that did mild conversions to 4th gens Formulas and branded them Banshees.

[Debonair]

bringing up from the dead lol,

if i were to pick i'd say the 93-97 Camaros and Firebirds have a more aerodynamic nose.

and the blockier previous generation you mentioned actually had very good aerodynamics, the rear wasnt as rounded.

the concept cars you posted were prototypes for the Camaro. and actually near the end of the Fiero's life, the concepts for the next generation are extremely identical to the 4th generation Camaro/Firebird

heres one i found

[darcane]

One thing to keep in mind here is that Camaro != Firebird.

They are the same chassis, but body shape is different and for some years the Firebird is significantly more aerodynamic than the Camaro. The 4th gens are pretty close to each other, but the 3rd gen Firebird has a better coefficient of drag and slightly less frontal area (frontal area for both is less than the 4th gens).

There's a reason 3rd gen Firebirds are very popular in land speed racing...

[Debonair]

^^ very true, though the aftermarket companies always seem to lag behind with the firebird lol