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Old 11-07-2008, 02:08 PM   #14 (permalink)
aspera
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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Weight reduction doesn't seem to be the major concern in this small corner of the automotive hobby as it is in racing. Low drag aerodynamics seem to be the #1 concern for highway driving. Not cooling or downforce.

A heavier vehicle smooths out the changes in speed on a hilly road. The mass is like a battery and dampens changes in speed. Racecars use lighter flywheels. I think a hypermileage car might benefit from a heavier one.

I deal with this stuff on my job. I'm a locomotive engineer. Sometimes I drive 16,000 ton coal trains. Sometimes, I drive trains that have more aero drag than hundreds of parachutes. Trains are sort of the ultimate hypermileage vehicles...steel wheels on steel rails, a hundred cars drafting each other, and a TurboDiesel-electric powertrain that keeps engine RPM steady independent of speed.
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