Retro aeromods: Datsun 240Z factory bolt-on "G-nose" good for +5.5% mpg and +5 mph
Base / stock Z-car nose vs. "G-nose" version:
http://ecomodder.com/imgs/Z-Car-reg-nose.jpg http://ecomodder.com/imgs/Z-Car-g-nose.jpg Car & Driver, May 1974: Quote:
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You'd think those bulky fender flares would slow it back down again. |
And the wider tires they stuck under them.
Actually, that isn't the actual car C&D used - I doubt they added the flares on theirs for the test. I thought this might stir things up a bit. :) I agree: it's not the extra length itself, but what they did with the extra length. They could have produced the same shape in the same overall length if they really wanted to (ie. designed in from the start, not as a bolt-on addition). |
MetroMPG -
That's very cool. I keep thinking that the nose is less important than the rear of the car, but a 5+% improvement is nothing to laugh at. The "look" reminds me of the original Miami Vice car, the Ferrari Daytona. CarloSW2 |
Keep in mind, it's not just the nose. They reduced the grille opening, covered the headlight buckets and cleaned up the brutal leading edge of the hood. Also probably lowered the stagnation point.
It's easy to get a 5.5% improvement when your starting point is a face like that! And, yeah, I thought it looked like that Ferarri too. Ferris Bueller's. :) |
OHHHHH YEAAAHHHH!!!
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...r/ferrari3.jpg I'd wager that even as a bolt-on piece, the drag reduction could have been accomplished with much less added length. |
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Ha ha, play that 33 rpm song at 45 (if you have it on vinyl)!
http://www.last.fm/listen/artist/Yello/similarartists |
This reminds me of the Stiletto kit for the Ford Pinto. I can't seem to get the pics of it to load on google images.
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That '74 with the extended nose would make a sweet EV.
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:eek: Stiletto kits!!! :eek:
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...r/stiletto.jpg I know the guy that came up with them. There never were that many- I think 14? I saw one with a big ol' nasty fastback on it too, kinda like the pointy crx project, in lime green! Now do you see why long noses have scarred me for life? :eek: |
Is that Joe Dirt's car?:D
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That G nose really is awesome. Wonder if you can still get one?
http://blog.autoworld.com.my/wp-cont...a_wp0_1024.jpg |
I've never seen the wing part of the kit before, I always knew there was something missing.:turtle::p
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Stiletto... wow! I mean, wow.
I wonder why Car and Driver didn't test that instead of taking the DIY route on the Crisis Fighter Pinto! |
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There was a rather more elegant version of extra-nosy Pintos - the Pinto Pangra. "Inspired by" the De Tomaso Pantera. No, really.
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One main reason the Z car aerodynamics were not better is the overhang of the nose, which trapped the bow wave rather than shed it. The car would ride nose-high at speed. Spoilers helped, but the nose really needed a facelift.
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Hi,
My theory about the nose is if it is pointed, the point must be in the right place (i.e. right on the stagnant point) otherwise you end up with issues. A blunt nose, on the other hand lets the air flow where and how it "wants" to and doesn't cause as many problems if it is not located right... |
When I last owned a Z-car in the mid nineties, replica G-nose kits were still available. Never liked the look of them, personally—the nose is too long. I just like the light covers on the standard nose (it's not like the headlights did much more than a midget running in front of the car with a candle and a reflector could do anyway). According to the other thread with the wind tunnel testing, the flared fenders on the ZG kit (ZG being a Japanese market car with the G-nose, the fenders, and a spoiler) actually reduce drag.
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http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ting-8922.html
If you look at the data from the testing, you will see that using headlight covers actually matched the Cd of the car with the longer G-Nose. ( .467 ... eek ! ) Front end lift was minimized, but less air made its way under the hood of the car. I'm not sure if this is too accurate, since they used several cars, and some had flares and such. While looking at the cars involved in the test, it appears as if the car that had the G-nose, as well as the car tested right afterwards with the headlight covers both lacked flares - so the test should be relatively similar ..... except that looking at on test # 19, a stock 240Z has a better Cd that either ( .454) and of all things, when test with wheel flares the Cd went down ??? Hmmm. I wish they had stuck with just one car. BTW I had one of these cars. It was like driving a parachute. Let off the gas and it was like having an air-brake activated. |
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I had a '73. Took the smog pump off, Hooker Headers instead, less restrictive exhaust system, and cruising all day at 80, got about 25 mpg. Added cowcatcher/bulldozer blade fiberglass air dam in front, which helped nose lift a speed a LOT, and fuel economy somewhat. Later added headlight covers as were reportedly standard in places like Japan, but don't know how much that helped, as I sold the car about then. Best bang for the buck would probably have been headlight covers, vertical, curved air dam instead of cowcatcher/bulldozer blade one to shed the bow wave instead of riding up on top of it, and at least partial belly pan. 5 speed retrofit would have been nice, too. |
My uncle had a '73 240Z years ago...what a wonderful piece of machinery that car was! I used to know a guy who worked for Bob Sharp back in the late-sixties/early-seventies; they got their hands on a Z several months before they were officially imported. He said they immediately did a lot of experimental engine and suspension mods for racing, but used to drive it on the street. It was a lot of fun because nobody knew what it was!
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I thought pointy noses didn't help aerodynamics and the front end doesn't matter...
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Seriously, don't start this pissing match again. It's been beat to death.
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http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...ng_page001.jpg Can't imagine that this nose ever got tested on a track..... |
I still own a '78 280Z. They may not be aerodynamic, but mine, with a turbo engine does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and gets to 110mph in a 1/4 mile. And I got 29 mpg cruising through the Rockies at 70mph.
I stripped the bumpers, but still have gaping open headlights. I put on a big air dam and now the steering doesn't get light at 120mph, and I've pushed up to 130mph. I just love the way it looks. I may modify it further to run on E85... |
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