Quote:
Originally Posted by COcyclist
In other words, there are returns to be had but they will be minimal (as in, hard to see at the pump) on most modern passenger cars?
Just for clarification, the Cd 0.12 is hypothetical?, based on the research if Chevy had boattailed the 2013 Malibu Eco or did they test a boattail on that car?
Also, the Malibu would go from Cd 0.29 to Cd 0.12 if they only added a full boattail that follows the template?? That means overall drag would be roughly 1/3 of what the production rear end allows. If this is the case, I can see why it is worthwhile to pursue drag reduction at the back of the vehicle.
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Basically speaking,the Cd 0.12 has been observed repeatedly since 1921 when Jaray had Klemperer test his 'pumpkin seed' in the Zeppelin Werke wind tunnel.
The 1987 GM/AeroVironment Sunraycer is a contemporary example.It's reflexed a bit,but of course it's a solar car,maximizing the PV array area and designed for 40-mph crosswind gusts from Australian land trains.