Interesting Aerodynamic Cars (Mike Vetter's ETV, also Avion)

[NachtRitter]

Neil -

I see what you mean if the roofline is tapered at or near the ideal angle, as it seems to be on the 163D. Maybe the sides of a car (NACA ducts in front of the rear wheels, for example) might be a feasible option for a rear engine vehicle as the sides (plan view) are rarely tapered ideally simply due to practicality of fitting the rear engine, transaxle, and suspension (unless, of course, one goes to a single rear wheel or a very narrow rear track like Dave Cloud's Dolphin)?

I suspect that the intake at the front (stagnation point) would be ideal only if the duct to the rear could be both relatively straight and smooth... since the suspension is outboard and both passenger and engine are inboard, it seems that it would be a challenge to run a duct to the rear without introducing additional drag along the way. Even going down the center tunnel would be non-ideal since the engine block gets in the way at the tail end.

Probably the most ideal would be intake at the stagnation point, through the radiator, and then exhaust through the hood at or near the base of the windshield, but then the space under the hood has no other practical use other than for cooling.

This may not be the right thread for discussing this detail, but I've wondered about the lowest drag approach for cooling since considering the G3F build (https://www.facebook.com/SmythPerformance).

[NeilBlanchard]

The sides could work; with a possible disadvantage in crosswinds. The side on the lee side would not move air through the cooling system.

A NACA intake on the *underside* of the car might work better? It might even help a little by adding downforce?

[arcosine]

[JethroBodine]

arcosine- There has been a bit of hubub about that car, here. Cool car.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by aerohead

If they,as also with the Schlor Car,had 'basjoos'd' the front wheels,they could have really narrowed the car.Pity!

The Schlor Pilbug seems to have the same track, front and rear.
Schlörwagen "Pillbug" - ApteraForum.com - Unofficial Aptera Car Forum


The Citroen SM on the other hand seems to have a slightly narrower rear track.
VWVortex.com - Reflections Of An Olde And Jaundiced German Car Fanatic, Sparked By A Citroen...(A CITROEN??))


Quote from vwlarry
VWVortex.com - Reflections Of An Olde And Jaundiced German Car Fanatic, Sparked By A Citroen...(A CITROEN??))

The SM is an interesting car to follow behind as it is in motion. The rear track is about 10" narrower than the front, making it look like it's "dog tracking" even though it isn't. They taper radically from front-to-rear, width-wise. Porsche 356s had much the same overhead taper, too.

How does basjoos get his front wheels to turn?
More about Basjoos? 95 MPG Aerocivic ... | Ecomodder.com Fuel Economy Blog

[NeilBlanchard]

The front skirts on the AeroCivic are hinged, if I am not mistaken.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

Maybe the sides of a car (NACA ducts in front of the rear wheels, for example) might be a feasible option for a rear engine vehicle

Why bother with all this complexity, wasted space and too much weight aft , when the VW Up! or Toyota / Scion iQ shows you could just as well mount a small engine forward in very little space ?

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by kach22i

How does basjoos get his front wheels to turn?

The tyres push against metal rollers mounted on the inside of the wheel covers.

[NeilBlanchard]

Sure, we were discussing the Alpha Romeo specifically, and no matter where the ICE is, you have to work out the cooling system to be as low drag as possible. With an EV, the motor(s) are far more compact than with an ICE, and they require far less (if any?) cooling, so there are many packaging and aerodynamic options.

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by kach22i

How does basjoos get his front wheels to turn?

The front wheel well covers are hinged at the top with a spring at each lower corner to hold the cover closed. There are two conveyer rollers that the tires push against to open the cover during a sharp turn.