View Single Post
Old 04-03-2010, 09:18 AM   #163 (permalink)
jime57
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 491

OurInsight - '06 Honda Insight
Thanks: 170
Thanked 69 Times in 44 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by botsapper View Post
Your boat tail project should try to also address the aft vortices caused by the tires. Even MetroMPG's elegant tail extension, as shown by the underside boattail vids, easily show the turbulences caused by them. Your boatail project should address these concerns & add tire spats to clean up up these disturbed flows. I tried to cleanly integrate them, look OEM & match them with the black colored finishes.
Underside vids, another observation...maybe another project but fully optimized belly pans could use full length strakes for better longtitudinal flow, front to back.
As for the modest tail, think of it as the 'Short-Tailed' (as in the famous Aerotech ST) version of the project. Your plan as the LT version.
Just studying your rendering, which are superb, I have a couple of comments. First, looking at the top view, the taper of the lower shoulders looks excessive, if I understand the aero principles. Your tail tapers about 30 degrees referenced to the centerline. Will flow be smooth at that angle? It seems to me that you could use a slightly lower taper and achieve better results, but I'm just guessing.

Second, you could be a bit more agressive with the spats behind the rear wheels if you are going to add those aggressive front wheel spats anyway. The clearance/drivability issues would not change and I think it would actually look better - a matter of taste.

This is all JMO of course. I don't have any modeling SW so some of it is guessing. I want to build a boattail, but I'm kinda waiting for smarter folks like you and Robert to get it "right."

Last edited by jime57; 04-04-2010 at 12:54 AM.. Reason: spelling
  Reply With Quote