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Old 10-08-2020, 01:41 AM   #101 (permalink)
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Is this book good for someone that wants to eventually build a car from scratch (or heavily modify a car or various body parts) in an attempt to get a very low CdA street-driven car?

What about your book?

I'm leaning toward not reading books (nor arguing on the internet) and just building a vintage-looking version of the Aerodynamic Streamlining Template.


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Old 10-08-2020, 02:09 AM   #102 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by sgtlethargic View Post
Is this book good for someone that wants to eventually build a car from scratch (or heavily modify a car or various body parts) in an attempt to get a very low CdA steeet-driven car?

What about your book?

I'm leaning toward not reading books (nor arguing on the internet) and just building a vintage-looking version of the Aerodynamic Streamlining Template.
I've written lots of books - 20 at the last count. None of them cover building a car from scratch - I didn't see any point when 99 per cent of people who start that project never finish it.

Amateur Car Aerodynamics Sourcebook is a compilation of my AutoSpeed (online magazine I edited for a long time) articles that I put together in 2013. It's OK, but it has some generalisations that aren't accurate and its testing approaches are way behind what I do now. It was also researched at the level at which I do magazine articles - so only an occasional SAE paper cited, for example.

Modifying the Aerodynamics of Your Road Car is a much more detailed book. It benefits over the previous book in that (1) I worked with a professional aerodynamicist (Dick Barnard) acting as a consultant, and (2) I did really detailed research (many SAE papers and all the major books ever published on car aero). It's the only book available in the world on modifying your road car's aero, and covers in detail drag reduction. When it was being written, the content was also reviewed by Adrian Gaylard (head of Jaguar aero), Joe Katz (professor of aerospace and author of multiple books and papers on car aero) and Willem Toet (F1 aerodynamicist). All gave feedback on the draft chapters that was included in the final book. This year I sent the book to Rob Palin (ex-Tesla), Dr Thomas Wolf (head of Porsche aero) and Dr Wolf-Heinrich Hucho (basically, the father of modern car aero). All three were very positive about the book.

Car Aerodynamic Testing for Road and Track is just a small book I brought out a few weeks ago. Basically, it takes the testing techniques that I covered in the above book and brings them up to the level I do now. It doesn't give much context or background - it just covers testing. The testing covers techniques that I have developed and, with the exception of measuring actual Cd (it covers changes in Cd), gives you all the results achievable in a wind tunnel - at very little cost.

So yes, the latter two books are very appropriate for someone who wants to "heavily modify a car or various body parts in an attempt to get a very low CdA street-driven car".
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:23 AM   #103 (permalink)
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Is this book good for someone that wants to eventually build a car from scratch (or heavily modify a car or various body parts) in an attempt to get a very low CdA street-driven car?
And Dick Barnard's book?

No, probably not.

It provides a wonderfully clear background to car aero but it's not at the hands-on level at all. It's still better in many respects than ploughing through Hucho or random SAE papers, but it's more at a 'let's set the frame of reference' level rather than 'here's what you do'.
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Old 10-08-2020, 06:29 PM   #104 (permalink)
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I've written lots of books - 20 at the last count. None of them cover building a car from scratch - I didn't see any point when 99 per cent of people who start that project never finish it.
Yeah, but they generally start by buying books.


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Old 10-08-2020, 06:36 PM   #105 (permalink)
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Yeah, but they generally start by buying books.
Good point!

And also, I do books on topics only where I have done everything I am covering myself.
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Old 10-08-2020, 06:42 PM   #106 (permalink)
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Fair enough.

Still, start from a rolling chassis, a junkyard donor. At some point in your career, the books would almost have to write themselves. I know to keep it real for yourself you've got to constantly be exploring and learning, but sometimes a book is just there. And if you sell a ton to dreamers but a few actually follow through, that's worth it for everyone.

Besides, don't you want to build one?
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Old 10-08-2020, 06:54 PM   #107 (permalink)
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Besides, don't you want to build one?
No, absolutely not. I am not interested in race cars and here in Australia, a self-built car must undergo major engineering inspection and emissions, brakes and handling testing, all under the supervision of a registered engineer. I haven't looked recently at the cost but it's probably about US$10,000 all-up.

Plus there is no way in the world I could build a better body than the Gen I Insight, and I own three of them (out of around 50 sold in this country). Two are put aside for future projects.

Anyway, unfortunately these days books make very little money, so it's only worth doing them if I can largely take what I am already doing and put that into printed form.
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Old 10-08-2020, 08:11 PM   #108 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgtlethargic
I'm leaning toward not reading books (nor arguing on the internet) and just building a vintage-looking version of the Aerodynamic Streamlining Template.
I'm with you, couldn't read a whole book if I wanted to. My brains been rewired by HTTP.

Don't be dissuaded from your dreams. Mark Frohnmayer says that building the concept is ⅒ to ¹⁄₁₀₀th as hard as building a car factory.


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/38/38...5048ff7c38.jpg

But instead of retro, I'd go CyberDymaxion; using stitch and glue plywood as a base for basalt cloth and epoxy.
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Old 10-09-2020, 02:33 AM   #109 (permalink)
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Sometimes I'm not sure if I would be comfortable driving around in a car that's so far from normal.

Last edited by sgtlethargic; 10-09-2020 at 11:37 AM..
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Old 10-09-2020, 10:21 AM   #110 (permalink)
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Quote:
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Sometimes I'm not sure if I would be comfortable driving around in car that's not normal.
Would you drive an Enzo, Lambo, McLaren, Rolls? Those aren't normal cars either

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