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Old 03-29-2014, 04:58 AM   #4 (permalink)
freebeard
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Quote:
3) flat
...
6) bonus: sheltered from the prevailing wind (if any)
I don't have much for instrumentation—there's a gas gauge but it's off and so is the speedometer. So I was using a freeway overpass to do coastdown testing with ~30mph drop against a stopwatch, but traffic is the problem. So I'm thinking about a hill that kills cars from the local community college on the uphill side. I can crest the hill at the legal limit and then see if I gain or loose speed before a landmark [driveway] before one of two exits a half-mile apart. I think the grade would amplify the differences. The engine introduces a lot of variables, but gravity is inexorable. A hand-held aneometer out the window could quantify headwinds.

The best spot for shelter from wind would be the Van Duzer Corridor. There are long straight stretches of 2-lane blacktop with 80+ foot trees right down to the road on both sides. It's almost like a tunnel. Traffic and wind are minimum at 4am.
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