CARGaerO t'ailer; a hitch-mounted boat tail (Pontiac Vibe)

[JethroBodine]

Alright, alright. First were comparing "tails", now were taking about trying on each others "shoes" and "tops"...? What are we, 15 year old girls?(Come on, you were all thinking it!)

Seriously,

Bob- I'd be happier if the passenger had the helmet cam on as the driver might want to keep his/her head pointing more toward the direction of travel instead of trying to stare at the rear wheel tufts while riding directly beside the object car.

I'm up for tufting and coast down. I'm thinking of going 5-600 miles on the first day so that I can get to your place fairly early to get the serious stuff done before the serious adult beverages start happening.

[KamperBob]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

but a bike is aero dirty, it leaves a big wake.

Fair point. In a relative sense. Higher Cd. Much lower CdA though.

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

KamperBob; I like that idea. If you stayed way over by the white line and trailed behind the test vehicle a bit, it should work fine, I think. Want to meet up with JethroBodine, Weather Spotter and I on labor day?

Safety first. Absolutely! I like to float ideas early for feedback.

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

Any good places to do coast down tests?
Is yours a manual or auto?
we could even swap tires and run ABA on each others car to see how LRR tires help us.

Yeah, plenty of backroads around here.
It's a manual.
She's got Nokian enTYRE 205/55 R16's on her. What's on yours?

Originally Posted by JethroBodine

Alright, alright. First were comparing "tails", now were taking about trying on each others "shoes" and "tops"...? What are we, 15 year old girls?(Come on, you were all thinking it!)

I'm up for tufting and coast down. I'm thinking of going 5-600 miles on the first day so that I can get to your place fairly early to get the serious stuff done before the serious adult beverages start happening.

Ha ha! Shoes and tops. That's funny. I can't speak for Weather Spotter, but your adult beverages might be enjoyed only by yourself. I'll join you with a Mt. Dew, though.

[JethroBodine]

Ha! Pepsi it is. That just means we have more time for testing.

[euromodder]

How about this as a basis for a hitch-mounted boattail :
SMV Space Extender

The different versions :
SMV Space Extender

It's a trailer with castoring wheels - so no issues with parking & turning as the trailer is fixed along the length axis.

It'd swing out though.

[RiderofBikes]

ive read through most of the trailor hitch threads... makes me want to get a hitch put on the fiesta sedan! i would gain storage/carrying capacity instead of incorporating an empty(useless shell) tail to my boot lid!

[Weather Spotter]

Originally Posted by RiderofBikes

ive read through most of the trailor hitch threads... makes me want to get a hitch put on the fiesta sedan! i would gain storage/carrying capacity instead of incorporating an empty(useless shell) tail to my boot lid!

do it

euromodder:
It looks like an option, I can only read English so all I can do is look at the pics.

I will bring myself some sweet tea for our drinking around the fire pit. We would not want Hydro Jim to be scared off since his is under the legal age for adult beverages

Tango, do have any marshmallows

My tires are LLR Bridgestone Ecopia 205-55-16

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by euromodder

How about this as a basis for a hitch-mounted boattail :
SMV Space Extender

The different versions :
SMV Space Extender

It's a trailer with castoring wheels - so no issues with parking & turning as the trailer is fixed along the length axis.

It'd swing out though.

It would be cool to see a tail adapted onto it.It looks rugged.

[JethroBodine]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

do it

WeatherSpotter = Ecomodder's boat tail enabler.

[Tango Charlie]

"Boat tail enabler" ha! That's great. 'Yah, just doooooo eeeeet!'

Today I wrapped the lower 'diffuser' up around the aft corners and secured it with super-glued straps of coro.



The rear bulkhead looked too tall to allow the degree of taper I want, so after some measuring and marking, I cut it down several inches. The following pic is of "before". If you look closely, you can see my initial cut.



This led to cutting two "stringers" that will hold the top skin at the desired taper/curvature. I leveled a piece of coro on top of a garbage can and used a leftover pipe insulation noodle to mark a curve. A stick of wood trim would've been more elegant, but this is what I could scrounge up!



After getting it marked, I cut out two stringers and installed them like this;



Again, slow going, but I think it will progress quicker when I'm installing the skin. Initially I was thinking of wrapping the skin in four sections; top, bottom, and two sides. But the thought of attaching the sides single-handed has been daunting. So I've decided to do them in two separate pieces per side. I think that will allow me to make better progress next weekend. It will also allow me to follow the body line in the Vibe's rear fender.