2006 Civic Coupe Aero Mods

[aerohead]

Gary Wheeler was looking to get his HONDA's long tuft 'up lose and personal' with the boot/ trunklid.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-a...s-air-tabs.jpg

[JacobLeSann]

Thank you aerohead, good stuff. I’m surprised that the cobalt went with an EBLA less than 12. I suppose it’s just a rule of thumb. Overlaying a streamlining template could make sense, really

I think the next logical step of testing is building a pressure-measuring device to asses lift/downforce. From what I’ve read, tail extensions like this can create lift; producing diminishing returns as they are lengthened. Reading about pressures makes me want to know what my angled spoilers are doing.


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AirTabs. Hmm, yes. I like them although I find them very silly looking. Judging from experiments I’ve seen on similar cars, they’re likely going to be placed around halfway down my rear glass. Energizing the boundary layer to get rid of the separation bubble at the rear should help with overall drag (in spite of the drag from the VGs themselves).

Another option, of which I like more aesthetically, is that of the Ford Sierra XR4i or the Dodge Stealth. These cars have airfoil wings above the transition points from the rear glass to their “trunks”. From Ford’s patent, it can be read that these alter air speed (it’s a wing), which changes the pressure eliminates the separation bubble. Careful work is done to balance the improvement versus the drag of the wing. I assume the dodge stealth works the same way.

Either of these options seem key in removing that separation bubble. The main trick is playing the right hand in order to get more overall reduction versus the device drag of the respective item.

Of course, let me know if I have things wrong. I learn things by doing them.



P.S…..I wonder if there are other areas on the cars that vortex generators or wings could be placed? I wonder if they could help the stock mirrors on my car. Those have terrible flow!

[JacobLeSann]

Met a cool guy today locally. Mentioned that he had built a trailer using the rear axle of a Dodge Rampage. I talked about the cars and almost out of nowhere he told me a secret trick about turning a fishing boat backwards and placing it in the bed of the little truck. “You can get 60 miles to the gallon easy!” In response, I showed him a pic of aerohead’s truck. Super cool to meet anybody who understands my interests. It’s an overweight/overpowered/overbuilt worldview around here.

Anyhow, this guy makes signs in my area. He had a laugh at my coroplast and told me he has lots of 4’x8’ sheets of Dibond aluminum/ABS sheets. He gets them for $75 each. For contrast, my local building supply quoted me $370 for a 4’x8’ sheet of 1/8” ABS!

Finally. I can already imagine the under-tray possibilities. Hell, could make some great wheel discs too! He says he uses a sheet breaks to make curves, but I wonder if I could manage some with a heat gun. Hmmmm…

[freebeard]

Known to me as PolyMetal. I experimented with some scraps



These were sheared rolled and braked on a tool with an 18" lever arm. The brake was unsuccessful because it ruptured the outside skin. A bead roller might be more successful. The white stripe is an H-channel to join two pieces.

I don't think you'd get compound curves out of it. A heat gun might be hard to focus.

[JacobLeSann]

Interesting. Maybe I’ll have to do what I can with flat surfaces and then try fiberglass for any curves.

For rear end modifications, I’ve considered both styrofoam-core fiberglass laminates, and cardboard core laminates. I would love to be able to just lay fiberglass over coroplast but it’s too slick for good cohesion.

As I’m going to be using this car in all weather conditions, I wonder if I should be careful with water evacuation. I noticed with my prototype spoilers that they sometimes messed with the water channels along the trunk and led to water dripping inside it. I sure don’t want that!

[freebeard]

The advantage of dibond/PolyMetal is that it is pre-finished. Simple curves are posible.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by JacobLeSann

Thank you aerohead, good stuff. I’m surprised that the cobalt went with an EBLA less than 12. I suppose it’s just a rule of thumb. Overlaying a streamlining template could make sense, really

I think the next logical step of testing is building a pressure-measuring device to asses lift/downforce. From what I’ve read, tail extensions like this can create lift; producing diminishing returns as they are lengthened. Reading about pressures makes me want to know what my angled spoilers are doing.


————————

AirTabs. Hmm, yes. I like them although I find them very silly looking. Judging from experiments I’ve seen on similar cars, they’re likely going to be placed around halfway down my rear glass. Energizing the boundary layer to get rid of the separation bubble at the rear should help with overall drag (in spite of the drag from the VGs themselves).

Another option, of which I like more aesthetically, is that of the Ford Sierra XR4i or the Dodge Stealth. These cars have airfoil wings above the transition points from the rear glass to their “trunks”. From Ford’s patent, it can be read that these alter air speed (it’s a wing), which changes the pressure eliminates the separation bubble. Careful work is done to balance the improvement versus the drag of the wing. I assume the dodge stealth works the same way.

Either of these options seem key in removing that separation bubble. The main trick is playing the right hand in order to get more overall reduction versus the device drag of the respective item.

Of course, let me know if I have things wrong. I learn things by doing them.



P.S…..I wonder if there are other areas on the cars that vortex generators or wings could be placed? I wonder if they could help the stock mirrors on my car. Those have terrible flow!

* Out of 84 cars I looked at, less than 6% had an EBLA of 12-degrees.
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* The optimum EBLA for any particular vehicle will be a function of the percentage the active aerodynamic aft-body represents, as compared with the vehicle's total overall length, reported as a ratio percentage. Baron Koenig-von Fachsenfeld and Dr. Wunibald Kamm paid particular attention to this particular aspect of dimensional analysis at the FKFS, using the term' Verjungungsverhaltnisse' in referring to it.
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* The ASTs might help.
1) the XR4Ti bi-wing's upper wing is within 33.5mm of the AST-III.
2) the 1990 Dodge Stealth R/T wing is within 22.5mm of it.
3) for the 1996 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe, Thomas Gale chose to place the tearing edge of the rear spoiler exactly at the AST-III, just as Hermann Burst had placed the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7's ducktail spoiler.
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* and as to your CIVIC, Honda chose the AST-III for the aft-bodies of the:
1) 2010 FCX Clarity
2) 2012 Insight-gen-II
3) 2013 CR-Z
4) 2013 AC-X Plug-In concept
5) and 2015 ACURA NSX gen-II
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If you could do a 'soft capture' of the trunk lid, around it's perimeter, with a shallow framework, onto which your spoiler was attached, there'd be no drilling.
If you wanted to attempt the bi-wing, it could swing from a rear hinge, riding up onto the backlight on cushioned rollers ( EcoModder members have already done this )as the trunklid was opened and closed, with locking clevis pins engaging the C-Pillar extensions, to keep the whole thing secure.
On Spindletop the hatch assembly, I created flying buttresses to sequester flow in between these C-pillar extensions, connected to an upper 'wing' and lower wing, as has been used by Porsche, Lotus, Ferrari, and Lamborghini.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-a...ap-fillers.jpg
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PS, if you decide to try Ford's bi-wing, we need to talk.
There are some egregious errors in the patent drawings, and if you were to rely on them to inform your fabrication, they could lead you off course.

[Piotrsko]

Julian Edgar favored god awful gottengen profiles around his A pillar edges, but i think they were a radius increase instead of an intentional drag reduction.

[JacobLeSann]

Thanks again, aerohead. Good stuff. The CRZ is interesting when compared to the CRX generations as well as the Insight. It’s gone from a fastback to more of a conventional hatchback. Far shallower taper at the rear. I will consider the AST if I end up reproducing it unintentionally, while ending up with lowest drag. Then it’ll be proven to me.

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Right now, I’m going back to the front of the car. The car *seems* to have poorly designed radiator openings. No ducting, no sealing, and no clear exit route for the airflow. I’m thinking I can improve my cooling, drag, and stability by working on this area.

[JacobLeSann]

Here’s the inside of the original front bumper. The bottom edge connects the radiator support, so you can see that there’s decent length to design a bit of duct work. The upper grille is rather high, and could be moved lower or fully blocked off.



Here’s me thinking out loud. Lengthening the front of the car could help balance out the look of a longer rear end. It could reduce pressure at the front of the car. It could allow for longer ductwork; in turn allowing for an even smaller grille opening.

Emphasis on *could*. It could also put more air over the windshield, or create excess downforce up front. Have to see what happens for myself.