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Originally Posted by JulianEdgar
And, "you could do a lot worse than" is, with respect, rather strange logic isn't it? Don't we want people to achieve the best that's possible for them?
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Actually, it acknowledges the variety of shapes out there. In tuning a specific engine, the car's weight, aero drag and gearing will all affect what the most efficient tune is. A standard "economy tune" is a good starting place, but it will need to be tested for each unique set of options available. The fact that Porsche can build a low drag car that doesn't meet the template is great- I'd hope that their people with their resources could outperform a dotted line on the internet. If they couldn't, then what would be the point of any of this?
But as a rule of thumb, the template is saying
"unlike in tuning, where you can swap or edit maps at your whim, here's a very safe rule of thumb that you can build once". It went on to explain
"keep in mind that this is a 2-D ideal, cars are 3-D and better results can be achieved IRL". But If I've got some coroplast, angle aluminum and epoxy to throw at my daily driver over a weekend, I don't have time for testing of multiple designs. My boat tail is probably going to come as close to the template as I can make it.
Listen- I'm one of the people who reads your posts with great interest. People who have the time and ability to do actual developing and testing are the ones who move everything forward, and it's fascinating to watch and read.
But I don't have the same car you have. My car won't benefit from applying your every last refinement to it, because it's starting from a different place- but I can learn a lot from what you come up with.
What isn't helpful is posts like this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianEdgar
I am thunderstruck. Just gobsmacked. Amazed, astonished, flabbergasted. Words fail me in my sheer astonishment.
The Gen 1 Honda Insight doesn't match The Template.
How could Honda engineers have possibly made this mistake? My gosh; what fools they must be.
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The Insight isn't perfect. And it doesn't exactly match the template. Those are both okay. Note, however, that some of the tufts (in the second pic in your post) on the left side of the backglass get a little squirrely, while the ones on the right that have the rear wiper blade acting as a strake are straight. That shows the rear profile is less than ideal and agrees with your aeromods on your own Insight:
Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianEdgar
My Insight with rear spoiler and fins that measurably reduce lift and drag (fins also provide much better lateral stability):
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I cut out the pics that didn't help with the question this all brings up: Given that the stock Insight doesn't match the template and that your fins and spoiler have reduced lift and drag, why don't you apply the template to your Insight with its modifications? Your spoiler does look like it brings the Insight closer to the template.