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Old 05-27-2009, 02:24 AM   #37 (permalink)
Ernie Rogers
Ernie Rogers
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Pleasant Grove, Utah
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob View Post
<SNIP> The silver lining is that a crosswind can actually reduce drag. Someday, we might see rear-wheel steering to let cars angle into the wind like sailboats.
Bob, you are a prophet!

Isn't this the thread I started about a super-efficient car? It was postulated to be attached to a rail. (Or rails.) Cross-wind lift is probably okay and should augment propulsion. (The lift vector has a forward component.)

This minimum drag issue is of such fundamental importance that I think somebody has to help us get it settled. It seems to me that a CFD program is the best way to find the answer. And, based on what we have seen here so far, a good study (though brief) should be suitable for publication in a journal. Any takers? Should be good for a master's thesis, don't you think?

Ernie Rogers
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