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Old 08-02-2014, 05:14 PM   #14 (permalink)
freebeard
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The plan appears logical, except for the 8 solar cells to either side of the passenger compartment. Do they come as small subsets of the four big ones?

You know what it reminds me of? Joseph Ganz's Mayfly:



and that Bugatti Stratos concept:



Here's what the Stratos concept did to deal with the crosswind problems you get with those slab sides


The best way to approximate a compound curve with a rectangle would be to leave the central diamond flat and roll each of the corners down. That would introduce gaps in the middle, front and back, and either side of the doors. But it would help crosswind performance. In the real world it's always a crosswind.

Edit: Think about fineness ratios. The headrest fairings and wheel spats should be 10:1 but the main body can be 2.5-4:1. I estimate yours as about 10:1 and Ganz's as 4:1. Maybe I should be taking twice the height—aerohead may have an opinion.

But consider a stretched version of the Ganz profile. The front panels could roll over the front wheels and drop down to lower the beltline, and then the rear panels roll over the rear wheels to provide a bluff body for the turbulence from the open cockpit to reattach.

What is your measured wheelbase. It looks to be a foot or more long. A 165/50R-15 tire has a 2 3/8" sidewall, and so a 20 1/2" diameter on your 15" rims. Else Rabbit 13" rims might clear the brake parts.

Last edited by freebeard; 08-03-2014 at 01:17 AM..
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