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Old 08-04-2009, 06:29 PM   #5 (permalink)
basjoos
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Upstate SC
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Aerocivic - '92 Honda Civic CX
Last 3: 70.54 mpg (US)

AerocivicLB - '92 Honda Civic CX
Team Honda
90 day: 55.14 mpg (US)

Camryglide - '20 Toyota Camry hybrid LE
90 day: 65.83 mpg (US)
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Relative to the frontal area, there is still a large area of low pressure recirculating air forming behind the car that is slowing it down.

My 92 civic hatch had a shape fairly similar to the Insight's and the boattail was the single biggest mileage improver (+4mpg) of all the mods that I installed on the car. It also doubled the amount of luggage space behind the back seat and gives me 3 additional feet of crumple zone behind my car (which already has proved its worth, saving my car from being totalled and likely saving my life when I was rear ended by a high speed sports car at 4 in the morning).

A second big area of improvement is rounding the nose to lower the stagnation point. That extended nose also provides a place to install an adjustible radiator air inlet door and adds a foot of additional crumple zone as well as scooping deer over the top of the car when you encounter them.
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