Aerocivic - how to drop your Cd from 0.31 to 0.17

[basjoos]

There's not too many more aeromods I can still add to my car without losing some of its utility, legality, or with the cost greatly exceeding the potential fuel savings. It'd be nice to move the radiator into the boattail with its intake pulling an adjustible mix of cabin and/or outside air depending on the cooling needs, but that complex mod would take a long time to pay for itself, especially since I already have a fairly low drag cooling system mod installed. I'm thinking about adding a 3rd bay to the adjustible grill block to add additional cooling for those hot summer drives where the fan kicks on more than I would like. I also would like to revisit the 2nd windshield concept if I can get around the problem of the inside surfaces fogging on cold rainy days.

[sl2eggplant]

Hi Basjoos,

Forgive me for being lazy (and not reading the 40 pages within this thread), but I see you mentioning something about optimizing air flow through the engine or radiator. Can you describe what you did. I'm nearing the end of my aero mods that keep the car looking "normal" while driving to work and wanted to know what you did.

[3-Wheeler]

Here's something that Mike displayed last year at Hybrid Fest in Madison...

It shows one of two air inlets at the leading edge of the nose.



Jim.

[basjoos]

I optimize the airflow through the radiator by controlling the cooling air intake with driver-adjustable radiator inlet doors. The underside of the engine compartment is sealed with a belly pan, so I exit most of the radiator exhaust air out through the front wheel wells, with the remainder exiting through the exhaust pipe tunnel to the right rear wheel well.

[Christ]

Ever think about venting some of the underhood air through the heater box into the car through the cabin air filter? Might help a bit during the winter to keep warm without electrical load from the fan. I know you can already just turn your heater controls to freeflow to get some warm air through the heater core, but if you use part of the underhood air, it would be somewhat pressurized, no?

[comptiger5000]

I wouldn't trust pulling underhood air into the cabin. What happens if you develop an exhaust leak, etc.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by comptiger5000

I wouldn't trust pulling underhood air into the cabin. What happens if you develop an exhaust leak, etc.

It would be about the same as standing behind the car. For the short period of time, and the small amount of gasses that would actually enter the car, no harm could come of it.

You breathe worse stuff every day living anywhere near a city or manufacturing plant.

[PaleMelanesian]

... or near a coal power plant.

Still, I wouldn't do it. It's not that hard to put on more layers.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

... or near a coal power plant.

Still, I wouldn't do it. It's not that hard to put on more layers.

Boy, I don't know about that. I'm not intolerant to cold, but there've been days where my car didn't have heat, and 4 sweaters and a GORE-TEX jacket didn't do the trick. I still spent half an hour near the hot part of the boilers when I got to work, just to be able to function. It's just a different kind of cold sitting inside a car, to me. I'd rather have some kind of flowing air that's warmer than the temp inside the car by a few degrees.

[LarryClapp]

Hey, basjoos. Maybe use this additional heat to keep windshield clear when using two? Possibly, directing heated air between the two windshields for those raining day fog-ups? As to using that heat for the cab, I wouldn't. Been a mechanic for too long, can't stand the oil smell no more. I prefer fresh air. That and it's just the idea of adding more dirty air to breath in. The reasoning that city air is dirty, so why worry? To me would be like putting a loaded gun to your head because you are going to die one day anyways!