Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Aerodynamics
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-30-2009, 12:34 PM   #1 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Beavercreek, Ohio
Posts: 2
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
new drag reducing technology

Has anyone looked into fast skinz? It is a wrap that goes on your vehicle that uses the same drag reducing theory of a golf ball. I just saw it in a Popular Science Magazine and though it looked interesting.

MPG-Plus™, Drag Reducing Technology, Improve MPG, Vehicle Wraps, FastSkinz™

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 06-30-2009, 12:41 PM   #2 (permalink)
Dartmouth 2010
 
SVOboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hanover, NH
Posts: 6,447

Vegan Powa! - '91 Honda CRX DX
Team Honda
90 day: 66.52 mpg (US)
Thanks: 92
Thanked 122 Times in 90 Posts
Send a message via AIM to SVOboy Send a message via MSN to SVOboy Send a message via Yahoo to SVOboy
It actually isnt the same theory as a golf ball, which is why it wont work. However, they would like you to believe it worked on the same principles,
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 01:02 PM   #3 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 389

2003 Ninja EX250 - '03 Kawasaki Ninja EX250
90 day: 78.57 mpg (US)

Saturn - '99 Saturn SL1 Base
90 day: 47.27 mpg (US)
Thanks: 25
Thanked 58 Times in 37 Posts
sniff snifff.....

smells like a rotten can of SPAM.

(1 post).... just like the other thread that was started about this stuff.
__________________
Doing my part to reduce dependence on OIL
Doing my part to reduce congestion
And enjoying it!

If you have to use your brakes, you are driving too fast!

My 101.5 MPG 2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250




Crude Oil Price Today
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 03:35 PM   #4 (permalink)
Grasshopper
 
alohaspirit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 964

Makai - '01 Toyota Echo 4D Auto
90 day: 34.45 mpg (US)

New Galaxy - '07 Toyota Prius
90 day: 42.15 mpg (US)
Thanks: 25
Thanked 30 Times in 25 Posts
i remember reading a thread about this here back when i was lurking

no-go
__________________
Past Present Future?
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 04:22 PM   #5 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 659

Chug - '96 Volkswagon Polo CL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 49.42 mpg (US)

L'Autre - '03 Renault Megane Sport Tourer Expression
Diesel
90 day: 45.02 mpg (US)
Thanks: 20
Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts
Have you guys heard of sharkskin? its a wrap you put at boudary separation radius and it premature layer seperation and thus reduces drag.... now if only i could find a link
__________________
-----------------------------------------
good things come to those who wait, sh*t turns up pretty much instantly






twitter.com/bertchalmers
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 04:43 PM   #6 (permalink)
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Bicycle Bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: N. Saskatchewan, CA
Posts: 1,803

Appliance White - '93 Geo Metro 4-Dr. Auto
Last 3: 42.35 mpg (US)

Stealth RV - '91 Chevy Sprint Base
Thanks: 91
Thanked 459 Times in 327 Posts
"Sharkskin" uses micro-grooves parallel to the flow to reduce boundary layer turbulence. It was outlawed in rowing competition, but I've never heard of an automotive trial.
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 05:04 PM   #7 (permalink)
Cd
Ultimate Fail
 
Cd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin,Texas
Posts: 3,585
Thanks: 2,872
Thanked 1,121 Times in 679 Posts
Hey guys, I have to apologize for posting about an article in Popular Science magazine that touted the virtues of vertical windmills.
I thought that since this is a magazine that has been around for over a hundred years, it had some credibility.

All they ever seem to offer are empty promises and vaporware.

Guess what is is the latest issue on page 37 ... Ta Da !
Entitled " Planet Fixers", there is a write up on 'driveable golf balls' SkinzWraps !!!, which it touts as increasing FE up to '20% '. !!!

Wow ! ( And i thought it was the same magazine that just busted the claim !! )
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 05:08 PM   #8 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 659

Chug - '96 Volkswagon Polo CL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 49.42 mpg (US)

L'Autre - '03 Renault Megane Sport Tourer Expression
Diesel
90 day: 45.02 mpg (US)
Thanks: 20
Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts
I was talking to the BAR Hond F1 Chief aero bloke a few years ago, William Teot, and they said it worked in areas but the were some reason or other they chose not to use it....?? strange anyway I know Airbus use it!
__________________
-----------------------------------------
good things come to those who wait, sh*t turns up pretty much instantly






twitter.com/bertchalmers
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2009, 05:26 PM   #9 (permalink)
Pokémoderator
 
cfg83's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southern California
Posts: 5,864

1999 Saturn SW2 - '99 Saturn SW2 Wagon
Team Saturn
90 day: 40.49 mpg (US)
Thanks: 439
Thanked 530 Times in 356 Posts
robchalmers -

Quote:
Originally Posted by robchalmers View Post
Have you guys heard of sharkskin? its a wrap you put at boudary separation radius and it premature layer seperation and thus reduces drag.... now if only i could find a link
I googled "sharkskin aerodynamic" and found these :

The Shark Coating - A technology imitating the "riblet effect" from shark skin - Softpedia - 16th of December 2006
Quote:
Have you ever touched shark skin? It is very abrasive, like sand paper.
This is due to a special type of scales, called placoid ("slate-like"), very similar structurally to teeth and carrying tiny ridge-like structures. The tiny ridges arranged parallel to the swimming direction - known as "riblets" - decrease drag in water, explaining the amazing speed that some sharks reach with minimal effort.
Shark Skin Research Could Reduce Airplane Drag By 30 Percent - December 5, 2007
Quote:
It may seem obvious that the surface of an airplane should be as smooth as possible to minimize aerodynamic drag, but that's not really the case. A bit of roughness can break up the boundary layer and improve efficiency. Sharks, with skin formed of rough scales called denticles, can slip through the water at speeds of up to 60 mph with minimal drag. This week, The Lindbergh Foundation awarded a grant to Dr. Amy Lang, at the University of Alabama, to study whether the surface texture on the skin of fast-swimming sharks, capable of bristling their scales when in pursuit of prey, could be mimicked and used to reduce the drag on aircraft. "If we can successfully show there is a significant effect, future applications to reduce drag of aircraft and underwater vehicles could be possible," said Lang. The technology has the potential to increase aerodynamic efficiency up to 30 percent, with savings of billions of dollars and substantial reductions in fuel burn and emissions.
CarloSW2
__________________

What's your EPA MPG? Go Here and find out!
American Solar Energy Society
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2009, 03:53 PM   #10 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
anthonye81's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Leicester, UK
Posts: 21

Boxer - '95 Alfa Romeo 146 1.7ie
90 day: 28.98 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Any claim for a 20% boost in MPG is always going to look dodgy!

For years aircraft have had micro-drilled holes in wing surfaces, which (if I remember correctly) create tiny pockets of low pressure when an airflow moves over the wing surface. The low pressure helps keep the airflow attached to the wing surface, albeit for the purposes of generating lift rather than reducing drag, but hey I guess it can work both ways. Fans of The Simpsons may remember Homer pickaxe'ing "speed holes" into his car, although they were slightly bigger than a fraction of a millimetre...

Any aero experts out there feel free to point out the bits I got wrong!

__________________
Anthony
  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
CdA list Daox Aerodynamics 206 10-25-2023 06:32 PM
reducing drum brake drag Gregte DIY / How-to 46 10-28-2014 10:21 PM
Sources of Aerodynamic Drag in Automobiles and Possible Solutions SVOboy Aerodynamics 12 02-17-2010 02:09 PM
Roof Rack -Reducing Drag bc4r Aerodynamics 22 02-02-2010 09:55 AM
aero-mods,installment#9(internal drag) aerohead Aerodynamics 39 07-11-2008 05:45 PM



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com