DIY Active Rear Aero

[freebeard]

aerohead's vehicle it wider than it is tall. My solution is for a vehicle taller than it is wide. It trades the second folding panel for a stinger that lies over the top.



If the vehicle is wider the stinger would be too, probably enough for the width of the license plate. Normally at the top rear, it would fold on a 4-bar linkage into a box that is open to the rear when deployed.

For the tail lights, I'd like '37 Chevy stalks with '59 Cadillac lenses. They could hinge out of the way to deploy the boattail and then swing back.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Antique-Chevy-Tail-Light-W-Stand-1934-1935-1936-34-35-36-Hot-Rat-Rod-SCTA-/171921245918

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by whatmaycome14

Aerohead, while great for the aerodynamics, how would you work the issue of tail lights and legal license plate location?

This design exercise addresses the tail lights,with auxiliary LED lighting built into the transom bulkhead.
As to the license plate,I'm anticipating the day when we ditch the physical plate and adopt WIGAND technology,as used in toll tags,in which the device can be interrogated electronically by anyone interested.
In the meantime,we'd have to construct a Rube Goldberg device which could 'transfer' the tag,or run an approved duplicate.
Or,if 'stopped' by the constabulary,the tail would automatically stow itself anyway,revealing the plate.
If fuel economy is important enough to the government,they'll make adjustments to accommodate it.

[Grant-53]

This can be accommodated with cab marker lights on the base structure and Stop/turn lights on the center extended panel. The license plate and light would be on the center of last panel. These all would be visible whether tail is extended or not. If more lighting is needed then recessed LEDs could be fitted to intermediate shells.

[freebeard]

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ies-21204.html

The Coventry University work on base plates suggests you can get some/much/not all the benefit of a boat tail with a stack of diminishing, deployable plates.

The last one can carry a license plate and flat LED arrays. Or even strip lights on the sides of each plate.

Edit: Oops, looks like the links eventually all went 404 in 2013. Here's a consolation prize: