Aerocivic - how to drop your Cd from 0.31 to 0.17

[Angelus359]

I love this thread.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Angelus359

I love this thread.

I agree. There were many hours spent looking at the entire thread!

Jim.

[Sulfuric]

When referring to the "other forum", surely you aren't referring to the forum that PaleMelanesian moderates . . . (unless he has others o.O)


FAS=EOC
That one.

[Angelus359]

I've read some of that... other... forum...

[RobertSmalls]

The reference was to EcoModder's sorta-competitor, CleanMPG.com. EM actually has more lively discussion of driving techniques than CleanMPG does, which is ironic, because CleanMPG's founder was probably the first to articulate most of the hypermiling techniques on our list of 100.

[PaleMelanesian]

Not all of us at that other site agree, either. We've been over this same ground there as well.
I'd be driving an Aerocivic too if my commute had the speeds to make it worthwhile. Only one stretch of my drive is 55 mph, with most of it lower. Aerodynamics aren't nearly the issue at those speeds - at my average 35 mph rolling speed, aero drag is 1/4 as much as Basjoos sees at 70 mph. It's just not worth a lot of effort for the minimal return, in my case. I applaud those who do it and get results.

[basjoos]

Since its founder has been spending more time attending new car shows and working with the car companies (notably Ford with their Fusion hybrid), CleanMPG has been trending toward greater emphasis and coverage of the new eco car arena and less on the older cars. So with this focus on new cars, we can't have a 18 year old, low tech, non-hybrid showing up the latest and greatest offerings from the car companies, can we? Even though the aerocivic blows away the highway mileage of any current new gas or diesel powered car on the market.

[user removed]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

The reference was to EcoModder's sorta-competitor, CleanMPG.com. EM actually has more lively discussion of driving techniques than CleanMPG does, which is ironic, because CleanMPG's founder was probably the first to articulate most of the hypermiling techniques on our list of 100.

Robert, the person who you refer to has been absorbed into the clique of those who do not want real innovation to become available unless it is the time frame of their agenda. Not much more than another car mag reporter any more.

As far as him being the first to advocate driving for mileage, that was done before he was born. It became a necessity when gas rationing in WW2 made fuel a precious commodity.

The Mobil economy run has been around a very long time, and mega mileage cars have as well. Plymouth developed freewheeling before WW2 and my 1937 Ford had a smaller more efficient carburetor to get average mileage to 20 MPG. Freewheeling allowed you to glide by just letting off the gas pedal, but was made illegal due to potential problems with lost brakes on long downhill sections of road.

The modifications made by Basjoos to his car prove the concept of better aero for high speed driving, which has also been done a long time ago. The manufacturers could do the same and use the extended areas of the car body as collision absorbing pneumatic components to reduce the ridiculous amount of damage in low speed impacts. While they might not go to the extreme of Basjoos design the could certainly get close to a CD of .20.

regards
Mech

[Nevyn]

Side note: part of the difference is that while older cars when aeromodded get way better MPG than even new hybrids, the CLEAN part comes into question.

[Sigurd]

The '77 Rabbit 1.5 N/A diesels got 55-60mpg out of the box, but don't ask about particulates.