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Questions:
Flat panel belly pan: Why not slice up several old tennis balls into crescent shaped domes of ~1/2" height, then glue or velcro them to a flat belly pan and test for difference?
Corrugated belly pan: The Ford Trimotor and I think a Junkers transport plane of that era had corrugated skin, with the ridges/valleys oriented in the direction of flow. This reportedly was an elegant way to stiffen the skins while reducing aerodynamic drag, as the flow wedges (wakes) generated by surface imperfections were contained and prevented from growing laterally downstream. Corrugated fiberglass material is available very cheaply from every Home Depot or Lowes. Anybody tried using it as belly pan material, or made aerodynamic tests of it?
The Toyota video of their new SUV: I'm underwhelmed. The guys in that video crow about their design, but frankly it seems to me they left LOTS of money on the table. Maybe they studied aero at the same school whose grads did the Chevy Volt. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that various people on this website could make significant improvements to that vehicle in a weekend, working in their driveway, for less than $100.
MTrenk, are you a seasoned, practicing aero engineer or a beginning student with years to go before that? Read Hucho yet?
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