Aerocivic - how to drop your Cd from 0.31 to 0.17

[Christ]

LOL.. the lights are crooked :P

It looks kinda like a landing strip with a tanker blocking it or something

But, at least you're visible now.

[Cd]

Have you guys tried using any of those deer / dog warning whissles that you mount to your bumper ?
I used to have some on my car, but mounted them within the grille opening
so they wouldn't ruin my aerodynamics ( I didn't like their look either )

I still had dogs run out in front of the car at times,and I'm not sure if they just don't really work, or if it was just my poor mounting location choice.*

Bassjoos, what do you think ? Where would you mount them so that they work, but don't ruin the aero ?

I also wanted to ask how that you have the side skirts rigged for driving over objects like speed bumps. Are they all made of the Coroplast, or are some parts made of flexible rubber ?

* i mounted them within the grille because the air there would be 'dirty' anyways, yet it would not totally block the sound since there would be plenty of airflow to activate it. ( Or so I thought )

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by Cd

Bassjoos, what do you think ? Where would you mount them so that they work, but don't ruin the aero ?

I also wanted to ask how that you have the side skirts rigged for driving over objects like speed bumps. Are they all made of the Coroplast, or are some parts made of flexible rubber ?

* i mounted them within the grille because the air there would be 'dirty' anyways, yet it would not totally block the sound since there would be plenty of airflow to activate it. ( Or so I thought )

I'd mount them in front of the grill opening so that they are in the airflow that is entering the grill.

My side skirts are made of coroplast and can flex out of the way when they encounter an obstacle. Like cardboard, coroplast can crease easily along its grain, so I have the grain running the length of the side skirt so the skirts can flip to either side when hitting obstacles. I made it by using a heat gun to make a 90 degree bend so that in cross section, the side skirt looks like an "L" with one leg of the L attached to the bottom of the car and the other leg sticking straight down.

[Cd]

Concerning the car, I'm sure this has been asked before, but when are you going to swap in a VX engine ?

[TestDrive]

Originally Posted by basjoos

The nosepiece acted like a scoop to redirect and propel the deer straight up, it never touched the windshield. The last I saw of it, it was upside down going straight up.

What speed were you traveling just before you saw the deer?
Any guess as to speed you were traveling at on initial contact?

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by Cd

Concerning the car, I'm sure this has been asked before, but when are you going to swap in a VX engine ?

When the current engine wears out. Its got close to 270,000 miles on it and starting to use oil, so it will probably need replacing within a year or two. Know of any good sources for a VX engine that's in good condition? Can you still get slightly used VX engines from Japan?

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by TestDrive

What speed were you traveling just before you saw the deer?
Any guess as to speed you were traveling at on initial contact?

45mph. It was at night and the deer was galloping across the road. It appeared from the left side in my headlights just as it impacted on the left front side of my car. No time to hit the brakes.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by basjoos

When the current engine wears out. Its got close to 270,000 miles on it and starting to use oil, so it will probably need replacing within a year or two. Know of any good sources for a VX engine that's in good condition? Can you still get slightly used VX engines from Japan?

WWW.NipponMotors.com

D15Z1 is the engine code.

[Clev]

Originally Posted by basjoos

When the current engine wears out. Its got close to 270,000 miles on it and starting to use oil, so it will probably need replacing within a year or two. Know of any good sources for a VX engine that's in good condition? Can you still get slightly used VX engines from Japan?

Okay, this may sound crazy, but how about a VX engine in an Accord? My '90 Accord's F22A4 so far has 288,000 trouble-free miles on it, but it'll have to be replaced eventually. Would a VX engine be too small?

[TestDrive]

Summarizing ---

Originally Posted by basjoos

45mph. It was at night and the deer was galloping across the road. It appeared from the left side in my headlights just as it impacted on the left front side of my car. No time to hit the brakes.

Originally Posted by basjoos

The nosepiece acted like a scoop to redirect and propel the deer straight up, it never touched the windshield. The last I saw of it, it was upside down going straight up.

Originally Posted by basjoos

My car still has a blunt nose, its just much smaller than it was before. The tip of the nosepiece is a 6" diameter half circle. The nosepiece also gave me a place to mount my adjustable radiator inlet.

I looked all through this thread and your photo album at photobucket, but never found a picture of the nosepiece with a recognizable 6" diameter half circle / adjustable radiator inlet.

Assuming the construction of the nosepiece is comparable to the construction of the boat tail? ...

1. What type of metal strips were used? Steel? Aluminum.
2. What was the gauge and width of the metal strips?
3. I see all or most of the joints were double riveted. Are they pop rivets?
4. What size rivets were used?
5. Any other construction details regarding the nosepiece would be greatly appreciated.