Quote:
Originally Posted by Tesla
I have a large 4x4 (Nissan Patrol wagon), and was looking at some aerodynamic improvements, have read a lot of the stuff here and today blocked the grill area to start some testing on the frontal area. But I am getting the impression that the biggest improvements on a flat back vehicle like mine are on the rear drag, using some boat tail design.
To get any significant effect with just the boat tail, means having too much overhang at the rear.
So I was wondering if I ran a panel along the roof from the windscreen, then raising it 6 -8" just above driver area and tapering back down to the rear, with maybe 1ft of overhang. This would then start to resemble the ideal shape.
Would any airflow benefits be negated by the increased frontal profile?
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Dr.Hucho,who did actual streamlining for Volkswagen,and who has gone on to publish a number of textbooks on road vehicle aerodynamics reported that curving the roof would provide a drag reduction,so long as frontal area was not increased in the process.
Don Burr reports that their cambered-roof tractor-trailer rig gets a drag reduction in spite of increased frontal area.
Is your 4X4 based on the Armada SUV?