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Old 12-16-2010, 05:02 PM   #37 (permalink)
aerohead
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US Patent: GM

Quote:
Originally Posted by KamperBob View Post
I think I read somewhere that a half tonneau outperformed a full tonneau. Do we already have a thread on that here somewhere? If so, a convenience link would be great.

Did I recall correctly that some automaker (GM?) patented the half tonneau?

Cheers
KB
KB,we got into this a while back and I thought I posted on it,don't remember.
GM did receive a utility patent on the 1/2-tonneau,and within the patent they provide a metric of delta-Cd vs tonneau percentage coverage from 0-100%.
The 1/2-tonneau does demonstrate the lowest drag for their test truck.
A Gale Banks modified S-15 set an LSR of 211 mph at Bonneville,using the 1/2-tonneau along with some other tricks,sporting a CD 0.31,lower than Corvette of that time period.
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