Aero trunk lid project

[Cd]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Were you planning any visibility out you back window?

I took a picture from my point of view in the drivers seat of a CRZ that I looked at while farting around at the dealership.

The trunk/boot section reflects onto the underside of the rear glass, making it nearly useless. The small port windows are completely useless, since the headrest covers the view ( a passenger would make the view even worse.)

The red areas are useable glass. The yellow area is nearly useless because of the glare.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Cd

I took a picture from my point of view in the drivers seat of a CRZ that I looked at while farting around at the dealership.

The trunk/boot section reflects onto the underside of the rear glass, making it nearly useless. The small port windows are completely useless, since the headrest covers the view ( a passenger would make the view even worse.)

The red areas are useable glass. The yellow area is nearly useless because of the glare.
Attachment 8946

Attachment 8947

I took the drag hit to avoid this by using a vertical backlight.It collects snow,so not a great 4-season technology.Short of that it's okay.The vorticity will eventually dry the glass during rainy highway travel.

[Erc1727]

cool cool post 9 outta 10 i can taste it

[CigaR007]

I stumbled upon an article talking about the short-lived Merkur (Ford Division) brand in the 80s.

Notice the 2 ailerons on that Merkur XR4Ti, clearly meant to reduce drag. It definitely is an interesting design that could be undertaken by us fellow ecomodders.

It would however obstruct the trunk if it were to be installed on a sedan. But that is manageable imo. The bi-plane wings concept is quite interesting to be honest.

For more info on the Merkur XR4Ti:

Merkur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merkur XR4Ti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





Cheers !

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by CigaR007

I stumbled upon an article talking about the short-lived Merkur (Ford Division) brand in the 80s.

Notice the 2 ailerons on that Merkur XR4Ti, clearly meant to reduce drag. It definitely is an interesting design that could be undertaken by us fellow ecomodders.

It would however obstruct the trunk if it were to be installed on a sedan. But that is manageable imo. The bi-plane wings concept is quite interesting to be honest.

For more info on the Merkur XR4Ti:

Merkur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merkur XR4Ti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





Cheers !

It lowers the Sierra/Merkur Cd by 0.02

[wyatt]

I have also seen a double spoiler used to increase downforce, with no real regard to Cd. Hucho shows an example of a car with no spoiler, a car with a low spoiler, and a car with a low and really high spoiler. The low spoiler (like one on a Gen1 Prius) lowers the Cd, but with the really high one, it increases the Cd and downforce considerably. I like the looks of the spoiler on the car, but knowing that it actually helps the Cd is what puts a smile on my face!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by wyatt

I have also seen a double spoiler used to increase downforce, with no real regard to Cd. Hucho shows an example of a car with no spoiler, a car with a low spoiler, and a car with a low and really high spoiler. The low spoiler (like one on a Gen1 Prius) lowers the Cd, but with the really high one, it increases the Cd and downforce considerably. I like the looks of the spoiler on the car, but knowing that it actually helps the Cd is what puts a smile on my face!

Hello. I have pretty much abandoned the "raised trunklid" project that I created this thread for. I might return to it at some point. The fabrication was just too far above my skills. The Merkur spoiler came up in a previous thread playing with "bonneville" type spoiler ideas... I am reading Hucho, and it seems reasonable to attach a small spoiler to the tail of the trunk, like the Prius and a many cars available right now, regardless of whether we have the testing precision to show the benefits empirically.

EDIT: I just found a Merkur-like spoiler design on the Ford Probe III, from a 1981 auto show in Germany. That design seems to have had the lowest Cd (0.22) at the show (Hucho, 229).

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by wyatt

I have also seen a double spoiler used to increase downforce, with no real regard to Cd. Hucho shows an example of a car with no spoiler, a car with a low spoiler, and a car with a low and really high spoiler. The low spoiler (like one on a Gen1 Prius) lowers the Cd, but with the really high one, it increases the Cd and downforce considerably. I like the looks of the spoiler on the car, but knowing that it actually helps the Cd is what puts a smile on my face!

I have seen reports on the Ford Escort Cosworth Rally car with the double/high wing.And yes,it it specifically for downforce,and at a considerable drag penalty.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Hello. I have pretty much abandoned the "raised trunklid" project that I created this thread for. I might return to it at some point. The fabrication was just too far above my skills. The Merkur spoiler came up in a previous thread playing with "bonneville" type spoiler ideas... I am reading Hucho, and it seems reasonable to attach a small spoiler to the tail of the trunk, like the Prius and a many cars available right now, regardless of whether we have the testing precision to show the benefits empirically.

EDIT: I just found a Merkur-like spoiler design on the Ford Probe III, from a 1981 auto show in Germany. That design seems to have had the lowest Cd (0.22) at the show (Hucho, 229).

Yes,the Probe-III evolved into the Ford Sierra/Merkur XR4Ti.
The concept car had a full bellypan which did not make it to production.
The bi-wing spoiler was invented by a couple of fellas at Ford of Cologne,Germany,and they received patents for it in both Germany and the USA.
I think that the 4-cyl version was good for around 42 mpg hwy.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Yes,the Probe-III evolved into the Ford Sierra/Merkur XR4Ti.
The concept car had a full bellypan which did not make it to production.
The bi-wing spoiler was invented by a couple of fellas at Ford of Cologne,Germany,and they received patents for it in both Germany and the USA.
I think that the 4-cyl version was good for around 42 mpg hwy.

I wonder if they produce it commercially aftermarket (probably not). Seems like a cool thing to offer for sale. And as you say, they own the patents...