Hi from Lincolnshire

[leew]

Good evening, newcomer here although I have been lurking for quite a while.
Considering on embarking on a new project to build my dream car. A streamlined 3 wheeler, possibly based around a Honda NC700 DCT engine.

[whatmaycome14]

Welcome!

I love the idea of building a custom car. Keep us posted and I'll look forward to seeing it come to life!

[MetroMPG]

Welcome, leew.

Several members are currently doing custom trikes. Keep us posted!

[mcrews]

welcome!!
love the pic!!!!!
Go BIG! GO RED!

[leew]

Originally Posted by mcrews

welcome!!
Go BIG!

Actually I'm going to go as small as possible, I want to get the CdA as low as possible, thus I want build the smallest car which I can fit myself into to keep 'A' (frontal area) as low as possible.
I want to build something loosely inspired by the Messerschmidt KR200, but with better streamlining, especially around the front wheels and the tail end, slightly bigger wheels with radial tires (currently considering Michelin "compact" 145-60R13 tires), lower COG for better stability while keeping the front track narrow (I am used to being low to the road, my Milan SL seat is less than 4 inches between road and butt and reclined to 30 degrees from horizontal, I want a similar driving position in the car).

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. Sounds like a very fun project. We'd love if you kept us up to date.

[leew]

Does anyone know if anyone else has used or considered the Honda NC700 (or the later NC750) engine in a trike/car build before (either the Manual or DCT version)? On paper this engine seems ideal for a small car due to it's more car-like characteristics than a typical bike engine (very good fuel efficiency, long service intervals, low end torque, low revving (for a bike engine), 6500k rpm red line. I have searched the site but cannot find any mention of it's use in a car build. Any reason not to use this motor?

[leew]

Been giving it a bit more thought and now thinking about using an electric drive rather than an ICE. Main reason being noise, I want a quiet ride and most small bike engines seem very noisy, there is also vibration from small ICE engines, especially single cylinder engines known as "thumpers". There is also the issue of heat, ICE needing more cooling than an electric drive and possible damage to the CFRP body.
While electric brings it's own problems, main one being range, also the cost of the components is much more than getting a bike ICE engine from a junk yard. I think the extra cost will be worth it though. I'm thinking of a 5Kwh LiFePo4 pack now, it won't be cheap!. I am hoping for 100 mile real-world usable range.
Another reason I like the idea of electric is packaging, I was having trouble fitting an ICE lump in my proposed design whereas an electric motor is smaller and the battery cells can be placed more easily than an ICE lump.