Porsche 928 more aerodynamic going backward?? Mythbusters to test with body reversed

[QuickLTD]

Yeah the weight distribution bugged me. I understand that the rear wheel arches are lower than the front but if you look at rocker panels you could clearly see how the body was raked lower in the front and higher in the rear. I'm sure the rear body is heavier than the front with all that glass compounding the problem. They should have placed the weight on the passengers seat if they were going to just randomly place it. Also whats for a show that claims to exact high quality results from its repeated testing whats with the "GO! click ZOOM click" stopwatch method of timing. All that effort wasted on inaccurate performance numbers. As we all know there are many quality in vehicle performance testing devices (even smart phone apps) out there that would have given them the real numbers. Still it was fun to watch and I guess thats where the money is.

[endurance]

I enjoyed it. What they lacked in accuracy they made up for in number of different methods that all seemed to confirm the same conclusion. I despise their fuel measuring method and their data variance suggested it's a worthless method, but they keep going back to it rather than something more reliable, like a scangauge and longer test. Never the less, the coast down was the key method and confirmed all the other data.

Does it mean anything in the big picture? Heck no, but it was entertaining. I just wish they'd buy a scangauge, start doing some longer tests, and revisit the golfball theory. That was one of the more entertaining one's to date and despite all the arguments in opposition (followed that thread to its death), the data seemed significant enough to warrant a redo.

[Otto]

Flag mirrors would explain some of the difference between forward and backward drag.

Although not good forward, at least the shape is sorta convex. Backward makes it concave, with mirrors recessed ~5/8" into housings.

Remove the mirrors, run the tests again, and I bet the results would be even closer. Not that either direction is very good.

[aerohead]

When someone else wins the Lottery and gives me a significant chunk of change,we'll do our own TV show,own mods,testing,and reporting.
I didn't see the show but it sounds like they did evaluations which weren't germane to the premise.Quasiscientainment.

[botsapper]

Anyone w/ Solidworks CFD Flow Simulation? Just run an analysis and make demo for us. Thanks.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by aerohead

When someone else wins the Lottery and gives me a significant chunk of change,we'll do our own TV show,own mods,testing,and reporting.

I'm in!

[Frank Lee]

I wonder where the German sourced that wide Rabbit... er, Golf windshield?

[mcrews]

in the late 70's, my brother took his very rich gf to Houston to buy a car. She had a $40k cashier check and they were headed to get a 450SL. Steve had hear Porsche had a new car so they stopped to look.
Walked out with one of the first 928 in texas! Drove it around College station Texas for a couple of years.
BTW, her car before the 928 had be the 6cylinder Supra from Toyota.

Driving the 928 was VERY different. (my current car was a 66 mustang straight six)
THe dash was a pod that tilted down with the steering wheel. the seats were longer and you 'laid back'. and those were the widest, stickiest tires I had ever seen on a regular mass produced car. Oh, and it 'seemed' fast at the time.