Quote:
Originally Posted by sheepdog 44
Will the aero trailer be involved? i'd be interested in seeing real cd measurements in A-B testing.
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The NASA Ames tunnel at Palo Alto,California is the only one with a test section long enough to accommodate the trailer and it's mass,so that's out of the picture unless I was under a DARPA SBA grant or something.
I got permission from the USFRA to run the trailer at Bonneville,but I run into the same quandary as with the truck.I'm limited to the 1-mile short course,and with the mass and horsepower I have, I can never attain terminal velocity.And without the top speed,there's no way to reverse-engineer the drag coefficient using Hucho's 30%/10% drag/top speed relationship.
About the only thing I can think of,is to run at a closed course such as out at Fort Stockton,Texas at the Bridgestone/Firestone Proving Grounds.
I met with the Director of the facility and he said it's not that expensive to rent the course and that they'd even ban onlookers if I chose.Wind is an issue.Bridgestone owns property near Sanger,Texas,and has contemplated moving their test track there,except that we have a lot of wind too.
Otherwise,I'll just do more mpg testing with the trailer as BamZipPow is doing with his 1-wheeler and hope that with enough data,that a Cd can be pulled out.
PS It is possible that I could create a faux center wheel and fairing to attach in the wind tunnel,which would simulate a properly-configured 1-wheel trailer,and have that measured.My trailer is too long and too heavy as an RV mini-caravan,but a fake wheel setup WOULD simulate the airflow of a gap-filled,full-boat-tailed trailer.We'll see.