Insight Gen 1 Underbelly (now with photos)

[jime57]

Originally Posted by HyperMileQC

Unrelated to the belly pan, Is your battery sytems and regeneratives fonctions still working on your 2006 Honda Insight?

Last time I saw it, everything was fine. It has been in the shop for minor collision damage for about 5 weeks. "Any day now."

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by jimepting

I was out just today surveying a possible test route.

I meant: I thought your dyno news was to test tire pressure. Can't get much more controlled than that!

[jime57]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I meant: I thought your dyno news was to test tire pressure. Can't get much more controlled than that!

It isn't obvious to me that that is a test of rolling resistance or fuel economy. The dyno rollers are only about a foot in diameter, so the tire contact patch is completely different than street conditions.

I'm just trying to get a comparrison between two cars, one rather old and the other fairly new

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by jimepting

It isn't obvious to me that that is a test of rolling resistance or fuel economy. The dyno rollers are only about a foot in diameter, so the tire contact patch is completely different than street conditions.

It should still translate you could (assuming the dino allows load control) run the car to 80mph with a very small load at stock psi time it then do a 60psi run followed by an 80psi run keeping everything the same. Then you just take the percent change and you will have a repeatable measure that will hold the same for all surfaces under the same conditions as the only change is the psi.

[jime57]

Originally Posted by Phantom

It should still translate you could (assuming the dino allows load control) run the car to 80mph with a very small load at stock psi time it then do a 60psi run followed by an 80psi run keeping everything the same. Then you just take the percent change and you will have a repeatable measure that will hold the same for all surfaces under the same conditions as the only change is the psi.

Maybe, maybe not. The dyno machines used by the tire companies use for rolling resistance measurement have very large rollers to minimize the divergence from a flat road. This dyno has fairly small rollers.

In addition, my friend runs his shop FOR PROFIT. I'm not going to ask him to spend an hour or more on some sophisticated test I dream up. He is doing the tests because it is simple and quick. My objectives are much more limited.

[jime57]

Ok, the dyno testing on my silver Insight is done. I posted those results over on InsightCentral at this link:

Dyno Testing on My 2001 Insight - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum

since it seemed more Insight specific. The car is down a bit on power, but not so much as a chassis dyno makes it appear. Looks like the VTEC isn't actuating.

I'll be posting my underbelly pictures, which I was able to get on the York Automotive lift, here soon as a get a few spare minutes.

[jime57]

Here are pictures of the Insight underbelly, front and rear, which are a mix of aluminum at front/back and coroplast in the midsection.






Took one long trip and I think it helps, but the Insight is damnably difficult to test anything on. Though the underbelly helps in itself, the work is anticipation of a boattail which I hope to build over the winter.

[TheEnemy]

How much room did you leave for the air to flow out of the engine compartment?

[mcrews]

I am surprised that the leading edge didnt get pulled. It looks like it is exposed, am I correct?

[jime57]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

How much room did you leave for the air to flow out of the engine compartment?

There is considerable outflow area into the wheel wells which is a near ideal flow according to Hucho. In addition, there is flow down the center tunnel. I took a long hot trip yesterday while returning from my dyno session and the intake air temp., the only real measure I have from under the hood, remained in a near perfect range. I think there is enough flow.