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Old 03-04-2014, 07:12 PM   #2 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,532

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
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Woohoo! Boat tails are so awesome. What an excellent idea to involve the class.

First: The top looks great.

On the bottom, I wouldn't go so "fast". The reason: you're not dealing with clean flow on the bottom of the car as you are on the top, so the angle can't be as extreme. Bottom flow is already turbulent, so more prone to complete separation if you arc away from horizontal too aggressively.

I've tuft tested the bottom surfaces of both my Insight & Metro/Firefly tails, and observed attached flow on both by not exceeding ~13 degrees on the Honda and respecting a much more conservative 6.5 degrees on the Metro/Firefly. (Arguably the Honda has a much cleaner underbody design, which is why I went steeper with it.)
Another critical consideration to keep in mind: the "transitions" from the side to top/bottom surfaces. Use generous radii there, not hard corners, to minimize the chance of "tripping" the flow into vortices.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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