MG Midget + Geo Metro 3cyl = MGeo

[Xist]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

I don't mean to fan the flames on this thread but only the Corvette looks to me like it was modded with low drag in mind. Jack McCornack enclosed the wheels and removed the windshield altogether to build the lowest drag/highest mpg version of his sports car, Max. Fuel Economy Competition in Ohio: Over 150 MPG! Scroll down to see a photo of Jack and his car.

I actually tried reading about that the other day, but the last post (#101 or #102) must have been before Jack made that body.

Somehow I expected skirts:

Wow, that article is over two years old!

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

I don't mean to fan the flames on this thread but only the Corvette looks to me like it was modded with low drag in mind.

They were quoted for the details, but I think the Difflow diffuser on the Lotus is for wake management.

And the open wheel roadster might have a situation where the windshield and wipers hidden behind tha back edge of the hood would rack up and down so the windshield height could be adjusted for the driver.

[aerohead]

*Walter Korff,sports car buff,designer of 555-mph Goldenrod,Lockheed aeronautical engineer,etc.,gives the MG-type cars Cd 0.70 with the roof off (as the car was photographically introduced to EcoModder).
*With the roof on they can go to Cd 0.49 neighborhood.
*With the roof off, small bubble screen and turtledeck,Cd 0.41.
*With small bubble screen,side Plex(as on Lotus 11),turtledeck,and partial front and rear wheel skirts,Cd0.21.
*With fully-enclosed body and closed canopy,with rear taper,Cd 0.16.
*With the 1957 MG EX 181 body,Cd 0.12.
*The 1969 Corvette was Cd 0.505 with headlights up.
*THe 1969 Corvette was Cd 0.495 'clean.'
*The 1969 Corvette was about Cd 0.46 with 100% grille block.(so the new composite nose is going to help).
*At 81% of gross frontal area,the estimated frontal area of the Midget is around 14.893 sq-ft.(a bit larger than the original Lotus Elan )
*The 1st-gen Metro is reported here at Eco. at 19.0-sq-ft frontal area.
*The Metro was around Cd 0.32.
*Giving the Metro a drag factor of 6.08 sq-ft (0.565 sq-m).
*If the Midget had Cd 0.408,it's aerodynamic signature would just match the Metro.
*Below Cd 0.408,the Midget would begin a clear advantage over the Metro,and would reflect it at the gas pump.
*The BMW Z-1 is of the lower end for drag,at Cd 0.36 with it's top up.
*For steady,constant-speed highway operation,the MG's lower weight would have very little bearing upon mpg.
*Around town,the lighter MG would have a clear advantage.
*The 55-bhp Metro would go 89-mph.
*Coast-to-coast the XFi could do 58-mpg.
*The 90-bhp Lotus Elan would go 110-mph.
*At 70-mph the Elan absorbs 21-hp

[Xist]

This 1957 MG EX 181?



Couldn't they have enclosed the wheels a little better?

[Frank Lee]

Kamm it and squint and it looks like VW 1XL's grandpa.

[guudasitgets]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

i do hope areohead's respect has been brought down a notch,
what has he built?
I bet he has never even seen a mg midget.


If you don't have something positive to contribute, the stfu,

"

Originally Posted by aerohead

*walter korff,sports car buff,designer of 555-mph goldenrod,lockheed aeronautical engineer,etc.,gives the mg-type cars cd 0.70 with the roof off (as the car was photographically introduced to ecomodder).
*with the roof on they can go to cd 0.49 neighborhood.
*with the roof off, small bubble screen and turtledeck,cd 0.41.
*with small bubble screen,side plex(as on lotus 11),turtledeck,and partial front and rear wheel skirts,cd0.21.
*with fully-enclosed body and closed canopy,with rear taper,cd 0.16.
*with the 1957 mg ex 181 body,cd 0.12.
*the 1969 corvette was cd 0.505 with headlights up.
*the 1969 corvette was cd 0.495 'clean.'
*the 1969 corvette was about cd 0.46 with 100% grille block.(so the new composite nose is going to help).
*at 81% of gross frontal area,the estimated frontal area of the midget is around 14.893 sq-ft.(a bit larger than the original lotus elan )
*the 1st-gen metro is reported here at eco. At 19.0-sq-ft frontal area.
*the metro was around cd 0.32.
*giving the metro a drag factor of 6.08 sq-ft (0.565 sq-m).
*if the midget had cd 0.408,it's aerodynamic signature would just match the metro.
*below cd 0.408,the midget would begin a clear advantage over the metro,and would reflect it at the gas pump.
*the bmw z-1 is of the lower end for drag,at cd 0.36 with it's top up.
*for steady,constant-speed highway operation,the mg's lower weight would have very little bearing upon mpg.
*around town,the lighter mg would have a clear advantage.
*the 55-bhp metro would go 89-mph.
*coast-to-coast the xfi could do 58-mpg.
*the 90-bhp lotus elan would go 110-mph.
*at 70-mph the elan absorbs 21-hp

"

All I can say is OUCH!

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Xist

This 1957 MG EX 181?



Couldn't they have enclosed the wheels a little better?

Yep,this is the beast.If you do this to a 1996 Accord you end up with over 110 mpg at 55-mph.32-mpg at 100 mph.And 177-mph with the 130 BHP 4-banger.As fast as the '96 Dodge Viper Coupe with 450 bhp.Not quite as fast as the streamlined EV-1 LSR car at Ft.Stockton,Texas in '93.
If you look close,you'll see that the wheels are set for a particular ground clearance and then they do partial wheel fairings.
GM originally had wheel fairings on their 1987 Sunraycer and it measured Cd 0.089 in Cal Tech's model wind tunnel.
That car was so light that under some situations the nose would lift,the car would yaw sideways,then takeoff.
For the World Solar Challenge they ran without the fairings for safety's sake.
Honda did use the fairings on their 1993 Dream solar racer.They measured Cd 0.10.
AeroVironment said,on the highway,with a modest IC powerplant,'cars' like these would return 400-mpg.
Inspiring stuff!
The 1955 Austin-Healey 100 LSR car has been recreated and is running the salt flats.
It would be a riot to bring a retro EX 181 back as well.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Yep,this is the beast.If you do this to a 1996 Accord you end up with over 110 mpg at 55-mph.32-mpg at 100 mph.And 177-mph with the 130 BHP 4-banger.As fast as the '96 Dodge Viper Coupe with 450 bhp.Not quite as fast as the streamlined EV-1 LSR car at Ft.Stockton,Texas in '93.
If you look close,you'll see that the wheels are set for a particular ground clearance and then they do partial wheel fairings.
GM originally had wheel fairings on their 1987 Sunraycer and it measured Cd 0.089 in Cal Tech's model wind tunnel.
That car was so light that under some situations the nose would lift,the car would yaw sideways,then takeoff.
For the World Solar Challenge they ran without the fairings for safety's sake.
Honda did use the fairings on their 1993 Dream solar racer.They measured Cd 0.10.
AeroVironment said,on the highway,with a modest IC powerplant,'cars' like these would return 400-mpg.
Inspiring stuff!
The 1955 Austin-Healey 100 LSR car has been recreated and is running the salt flats.
It would be a riot to bring a retro EX 181 back as well.

How long would a 1996 Accord made to look like this be?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Xist

How long would a 1996 Accord made to look like this be?

For Gilkison's up-coming blog at EV World we set the max. roof camber point over the driver's head and ran the AST from there.The Accord would have active suspension which would lower the car "into the weeds" on the interstate,thereby picking up some effective fineness ratio benefit not exhibited in the 'static' urban metrics.I haven't run the numbers.Low drag is the driver of the design.It will be what it is.
The length will be dynamic though,as with Koenig-Fachsenfeld's patented design for an extensible tail from 1936.
Looking at the Cd 0.137 Ford Probe-V of 1985,you can see how a little 'tail' would get you into Cd 0.125 territory.
SAAB has already done a similar project in 1956.Their 33 bhp 93 had a top speed of 75 mph.Their chief test engineer constructed a 'pre-Sonnett' 2-place streamlined body for the 93's mechanicals and this car achieved 110 mph.The efficiency of the higher top speed body would be reflected at the gas pump as Hucho intimates in his book.
This is mostly how the 1993 EV-1 made it to 183 mph.Saturn might have co-produced a gasoline version of the EV-1 rolling down the same assembly line.Pity!

[freebeard]

The Original Poster [nimblemotors] hasn't posted on-site since 08-19-2013 @ 11:01 PM. I hope it wasn't something I said. [not the first time I've had to say that ]

In any case:
1947 VW Beetle-Based V2 Sagitta is More Aerodynamic than New Golf, Mercedes CLA!

Can you imagine a 24-hp car that could reach a top speed of 140 km/h (87mph)?

There may be something going on about frontal areas.

I'd love to see the underside of that. With the stock beetle only the middle half is flat. Areas ahead of the front axle and behind the rear torsion bar tube are unmanaged.