Aerocivic - how to drop your Cd from 0.31 to 0.17

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by basjoos

That's the reason that I listed the max speed. You have this stereotype of an ecocar as being a wimpy thing that can barely break 70mph. I beg to differ. Drag reduction yields improved high speed performance and higher FE. Its your choice as to which side of the performance window you wish to push.

It's funny that Bonneville "hot-rodders" get it,but the lesson is lost on "street-rodders".Some kind of weird mental disconnect! Not that I speed,but I don't mind milking both ends of the cow!

[TestDrive]

Thanks for the engine compartment pics, Mike. I'm still thinking about them and the deer-jujitsu nose-piece, but will comment further on them soon.

Originally Posted by basjoos

I finally decided to list some of my car's specs on the side of the boattail to educate people about my "funny looking car" but if it increases the amount of rubbernecking traffic too much, I'll remove the message.

Increased line spacing and inter-word spacing would reduce the amount of time required to read (rubber-neck) the message.

Moving Cd to the same position as HP would make the two lines mirror each other - easing short term memory processing.

Assuming Phil is correct - "max speed is an opening for gear-head", moving HP/Max Speed to the first line is probably a better evangelical hook than MPG.

[MazdaMatt]

Basjoos, i notice in those pictures that there is a raised shroud along the top edge of the rear window... why's that?

[TomO]

Originally Posted by basjoos

That's the reason that I listed the max speed. You have this stereotype of an ecocar as being a wimpy thing that can barely break 70mph. I beg to differ. Drag reduction yields improved high speed performance and higher FE. Its your choice as to which side of the performance window you wish to push.

That is one advantage you have with the DX (or was it CX?) drivetrain in your car....you don't have a speed limiter built the code of the ECU.

The VX P07 ECU is governed to 116mph, not that it's a bad thing, but I guess Honda didn't want me going faster than that. It'll really only matter if I road race at BIR, but I doubt I'll use my VX on that course, lol.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by TomO

That is one advantage you have with the DX (or was it CX?) drivetrain in your car....you don't have a speed limiter built the code of the ECU.

The VX P07 ECU is governed to 116mph, not that it's a bad thing, but I guess Honda didn't want me going faster than that. It'll really only matter if I road race at BIR, but I doubt I'll use my VX on that course, lol.

I think the governer limits are set to prevent standing-wave destruction of the tires.Had your car been fitted with H-rated tires as OEM,they might have dispensed with the limiter,allowing the car to accelerate up to it's aerodynamic wall.

[dichotomous]

Originally Posted by aerohead

I think the governer limits are set to prevent standing-wave destruction of the tires.Had your car been fitted with H-rated tires as OEM,they might have dispensed with the limiter,allowing the car to accelerate up to it's aerodynamic wall.

do they really set limiters based on the tires the car is spec'd with? thats a pretty crappy method, I mean the first set of tires only lasts so long, and I have never heard of anyone replacing oem tires with oem tires

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by dichotomous

do they really set limiters based on the tires the car is spec'd with? thats a pretty crappy method, I mean the first set of tires only lasts so long, and I have never heard of anyone replacing oem tires with oem tires

I do know it was done for early 1980s Camaros and Firebirds.Without the fuel interupt the cars would accelerate up to 155-mph.That was probably something GM didn't want Corvette owners to think about.And it was about the tires.

[eco_generator]

All Japanese domestic market cars come with a 180 km/hr - 112 mph speed limiter (usually programmed in the ECU).

Sometimes when bringing the car here, they just tune for the gas we have and emissions and don't bother with the limiter. So quite a few, usually smaller japanese cars come with seemingly random ~112 mph limiters on them.

[Cd]

Perhaps it might be better to say " STOCK = XXX MPH " and then " MODIFIED = 140 MPH " as well as "STOCK = XX MPG " and " MODIFIED = 70 MPG avg. "

Even an average Honda Accord ( V6 ) will do 163 MPH.*

Most cars on the road can easily break 130 +, so 140 may not seem so impressive unless the person realizes that the add ons on your car have added 'x' MPH and 'X' MPG to the car.
* Source : ( beware the pop up ) 2008 / 2009 Honda Accord LX 2.4L 5M - CarzUnlimited.com

[Cd]

I'd love to see this thing tested at top speed.