Designing and Building my own High MPG Car

[freebeard]

Wheel base is 110in...
The driver in the car is...
The car is 42" tall..
the engine is...

So—done deal? Too late for major changes?

The seat will move up 10 ins to help the driver get in. The canopy moves up and forward to let the driver in.

Your renderings don't show the cut-lines. What's the step-over height for entry/egress? Where are the hinges?

it weights ~845lbs

the engine is a 250cc twin 6speed with a lsd, I'm working a turbo and a automated pulse and glide system.

Maybe 15 horsepower? 56.333 lb/horsepower? What's it's 1/4 mile time?

[pete c]

I wonder why a twin? I would suspect a single is a fair bit more efficient. Is it a smoothness thing?

[GoGogebic]

Actual it has 28 hp

[GoGogebic]

Actually it has 28 hp. 1/4" mile in 19 secs. It the same 1/4" time as a 2001 prius. This is why I'm working on a turbo.

So—done deal? Too late for major changes?

What changes do you want to see?

[freebeard]

Other than the front half of all four pontoons, the excessive headroom, the number of exposed suspension elements, the diameter of the drive half-shafts and lack of a slammable door—no changes just for my sake.

I just want to see a closeup picture of 'stack-of-nickels' welds on aluminum tubing. Or some power tools.

[Frank Lee]

1/4" mile and 1/4" time = pretty dang small.

[AndrzejM]

Originally Posted by GoGogebic

Yeah it seems like most cars aren't designed for colder weather. For example, why don't they make cars with electric assisted heating. The car would have a coil that turned on for a couple minutes until the engine was up to temperature to heat the car. People still warm up their car around here just because the heat doesn't really work until you have the engine on for 5-10 mins. Plus having a electric windshield defroster would be nice so you don't have to have the heat blasting and the cabin temperature at a 100 just to keep the windows from frosting up when it -5degrees.

Gogogebic

I like your project and I can't wait to see the fabrication stage.

Anyway regarding your post above, take a look here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post338027 There are such cars

[HydroJim]

Reverse Trike - Spartan Trike Project

Ignore the fact that this link is to a trike. The main thing I'm pointing out is his design. the way the driver's legs go all the way to the front. it saves a lot of space.

And if you're wondering about his 1000 lb curb weight, that's only because he has to add ballast for California regulations. in reality, it weighs closer to 500-600 pounds.

[GoGogebic]

4-5" of headroom is hardly excessive. I have it set up so if you roll the thing your head won't be the thing hitting the ground. There's a rollbar in the front and back.

The whole thing about exposed the suspension and the wheeling fairing is being over dramatized. The frontal area of this car is about the same as a motorcycle. The car is much smaller then it looks like in these pictures.

[freebeard]

4-5" of headroom is hardly excessive. I have it set up so if you roll the thing your head won't be the thing hitting the ground. There's a rollbar in the front and back.

Fair enough, maybe hats will come back.

The whole thing about exposed the suspension and the wheeling fairing is being over dramatized.

Did you look at the design HydroJim posted? Construction being equal, those fenders would have less weight and better cross-wind aerodynamics. Even though his would work better aerodynamically if they were turned front-to-back.

The two-dimensional streamlining you use is comparable to the Tromphenwagen.

An ideal streamline shape would have a blunt nose and a convex taper in the rear, instead of the ogee curve you use (and you wouldn't lose that spare tire.


Why did you delete the enclosing fairing on the rear suspension from your intermediate design?