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Cars compared in wind tunnel
The German car magazine "Auto Bild" (2008-04-11 issue) tested the aerodynamics of cars in the Daimler wind tunnel.
www.autobild.de/mmg/mm_Bildergalerie_668619.html?tab=0&page=0 Drag factor = Cd*A, where Cd= drag coefficient, A= frontal area Conclusions:
Here are the vehicle data: (Sorry, I don't know how to format the table here, so this is just a semicolon-delimited list. But you should be able to copy and paste this into a text editor, save it as a text file, and then open the text file with Excel, specifying ";" as the delimiter character. There must be a better way...) Vehicle;Cd;A (m^2);Cd*A (m^2);increased consumption @ 120 km/h (L/100km);increased consumption @ 150 km/h (L/100km) Taller vehicle:;;;;; VW Golf;0.33;2.21;0.73;; VW Golf Plus;0.32;2.38;0.76;0.1;0.2 VW Touran;0.31;2.55;0.79;0.2;0.3 Top-of -the-line:;;;;; Mercedes E 200;0.27;2.22;0.60;; Mercedes E 500;0.28;2.25;0.63;0.2;0.3 Small vs. midsized car:;;;;; Peugeot 207;0.31;2.13;0.66;; Peugeot 407;0.29;2.24;0.65;-0.1; Convertible:;;;;; Mazda MX-5 CC (folding hardtop);0.37;1.78;0.66;; Mazda MX-5 Roadster (softtop);0.39;1.82;0.71;0.2;0.3 Mazda MX-5 Roadster (top down);0.45;1.80;0.81;0.7;1.4 Crossover:;;;;; Audi A6 Avant;0.31;2.26;0.70;; Audi A6 Allroad (normal setting 0.33, offroad 0.34);0.32;2.38;0.76;0.2;0.3 Sportscar:;;;;; Porsche 911 Carrera;0.27;2.00;0.54;; Lamborghini Gallardo (15 cm flatter than Porsche);0.33;1.91;0.63;;0.6 Bicycles & ski boxes (Mercedes C 200 & C 200 T):;;;;; Sedan;0.27;2.22;0.60;; Sedan, ski box on top;0.33;2.36;0.78;0.5;0.8 Sedan, bicycle on top;0.36;2.42;0.87;0.7;1.2 Sedan, bicycle on rear;0.37;2.22;0.82;0.8;1.4 Wagon;0.30;2.20;0.66;; Wagon, ski box on top;0.32;2.41;0.77;0.2;0.3 Wagon, bicycle on top;0.37;2.43;0.90;0.6;1.0 Wagon, bicycle on rear;0.32;2.25;0.72;0.2;0.3 Wagon, ski box & bicycle on top + bicycle on rear;0.52;2.17;1.13;2.0;3,0 SUV:;;;;; BMW 530d Touring (wagon);0.29;2.28;0.66;; BMW X5 3.0d (SUV);0.33;2.88;0.95;;2.0 Station wagon:;;;;; Mercedes C 200 (sedan);0.27;2.22;0.60;; Mercedes C 200 T (wagon);0.30;2.20;0.66;;0.5 Ten best drag coefficient:;;;;; BMW 5 series;0.26;;;; Mercedes S class;0.26;;;; Lexus LS 460;0.26; Toyota Prius;0.26; Audi A4;0.27; BMW 3 series;0.27; Mercedes E class;0.27; Mercedes C class;0.27; Mercedes CL;0.27; Porsche 911;0.27; Ten worst drag coefficient:;; Formula 1 race car;1.20; Mercedes Actros (aerodynamic cab-over-engine truck);0.81; Morgan Roadster;0.60; Land Rover Defender;0.59; Hummer H2;0.53; Mercedes G model;0.52; Morgan Aero 8;0.51; Jeep Wrangler;0.49; Jeep Commander;0.41; Chrysler PT Cruiser;0.38; |
Nice find!
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Very sweet stuff, thanks for the post, :)
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Danke!
Excellent data and info. Interesting to note that aero improvements are significantly more effective than weight reduction. RH77 |
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Yeah, I was surprised too, thats 220lbs per .01 of Cd. Thats a huge savings when you look at it like that, especially when you're building a lead acid EV conversion. Is there any data out there showing different weight reduction equivalents? |
Great find!
Morgan Aero 8 @ 0.51! So a bike on the back (compared to on top) is worse in a sedan but better in a wagon. Weird. Yeah y'all can put your spares back in the trunk now. |
Cool - thanks for posting :D
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Cars compared in wind tunnel
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Back-of-the-envelope calculation (similar to Mercedes E200 @ 100 km/h): Aerodynamic drag Fa = (1/2)*Cd*A*rho*v^2 = (1/2)*0.29*2.22*1.21*(100/3.6)^2 = 301 N Reducing Cd to 0.28 would reduce Fa by 10.4 N Rolling resistance Frr = Crr*W = Crr*m*g = 0.01*1600*9.81 = 157 N Reducing weight by 100 kg would reduce Frr by 9.8 N Yup, that fits! So this weight equivalent applies only to constant-speed cruising. In the city weight matters much more. |
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