Free belly pan in kansas city!

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by XJguy

........this and $$ are why manufacturers dont equip cars from the factory with these things.

I may be mistaken,but my look at the industry reveals that there are more bellypans in production than at any other time in automotive history.

[XJguy]

Originally Posted by aerohead

I may be mistaken,but my look at the industry reveals that there are more bellypans in production than at any other time in automotive history.

That might be so, but the aero benefits of the bellypan are something that has been known since the naissance of automotive aerodynamics.....its an extremely old concept and its implementation in some current models is just a blip on the screen.

[moonmonkey]

xjguy as car companys seek to meet new higher mpg standards they are simply looking for easy cheap ways to lower aerodrag which= more mpg's. it is a tried and true method for more mpg. many,many people on this site and others (including me) have proven time and again ,its an easy way to lower drag and stretch your $$$'s .,,, and as a side note i think this internet thing might catch on as well!

[XJguy]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

xjguy as car companys seek to meet new higher mpg standards they are simply looking for easy cheap ways to lower aerodrag which= more mpg's. it is a tried and true method for more mpg. many,many people on this site and others (including me) have proven time and again ,its an easy way to lower drag and stretch your $$$'s .,,, and as a side note i think this internet thing might catch on as well!

You must have misunderstood my position on the topic. Long before there was a public internet and when gas was dirt cheap I was a big proponent of a smooth underbelly......since about 1986....I was a kid but I have always been very interested in everything automotive. But not so much as a method by which to save money, but as a way to improve performance and high speed stability.

My statement about why manufacturers have not equipped cars with underbellies is correct, there are many more considerations in a car's design and engineering that have to be accounted for in order to seal off its underside....that translates into $$$ expense for the manufacturer, which then gets passed onto us and the consumers may never reap the benefit of the few dollars they save in gas to offset that additional cost, especially in lieu of the fact that most people do not keep their cars long enough, or even truly own them nowadays.

Don't believe me? Why aren't all cars made out of carbon fiber, titanium, and magnesium...surely it would save hundreds of pounds in weight, and therefore fuel.

[miket]

I assume you mean use structurally since the do make many components out of magnesium in production cars.

[XJguy]

Originally Posted by miket

I assume you mean use structurally since the do make many components out of magnesium in production cars.

Of course....they also use 24kt gold, platinum, and silver and have done so for years.

[miket]

Gold is only used as a plating, they dont make whole parts out of it and your average car doesnt have 12lbs of it.