TopGear.com America high mpg project (regeared, aeromodded diesel Rabbit)

[lusth]

Sadly, all the links to the sipster project are dead. Or at least zombied.

[JackMcCornack]

roflwaffle wrote:
> To be fair, for a DIY'er, it's cheaper to mod an older car to get better mileage than it is to mod a hybrid. They're just too new.

Not to mention they come pre-modded. Hybrids are sold on their efficiency where other cars (older ones in particular) are sold on their looks. A prius is already shaped like a gourd, there's not much to fix there aero-wise. Conventional cars built before the latest energy crisis have a lot of low hanging fruit for ecomodders to pluck.

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by JackMcCornack

Not to mention they come pre-modded. Hybrids are sold on their efficiency where other cars (older ones in particular) are sold on their looks. A prius is already shaped like a gourd, there's not much to fix there aero-wise.

I disagree, there's a lot of aeromodding potential on a Prius. Toyota just barely scratched the surface in potential aeromods to the Prius. They couldn't do anything that could possibly turn off a potential customer, so they were very conservative in their aeromodding.. And the nice thing about the Prius is that its differential-like CVT system should be able to infinitely adjust its gear ratios to reflect the reduced aero load and so take full benefit of the aeromods, unlike fixed gear transmissions where we are all scrambling to find taller gears to install in them.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

Hi,

I just learned Top Gear USA was 'canned' (explains why I could not find it on cable) ... apparently early this year. Stuff happens but I'm wondering what happened to the team? And the project car?

Just curious,
Bob Wilson

I can't find any of the old articles or videos, other than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGBqB...rom=PL&index=9

[JackMcCornack]

basjoos wrote:
> I disagree, there's a lot of aeromodding potential on a Prius.

Coming from you, I'll have to accept that, and I'm sure if you aerocivic'ed a Prius you'd get worthwhile gains. Still, it's easier to make a significant difference to a car with a Cd of .35 than a car with a Cd of .25

My present project is like shooting fish in a barrel, I'm trying to improve a Locost (Lotus 7 look-alike) from its current Cd of .7 Sure, I've got a tight budget and a limited skill set, but if I can get its Cd to match a Miata (Cd .35) without making it any bigger than it is (which ain't very big), I'll have cut the aerodynamic drag in half. That's in the realm of possibility for me, where cutting the Cd of a Prius in half is not.

But with your inspiration (and possibly your guidance) surely there's somebody on this forum who is ready to take the Prius aeromod plunge. I'd love to see a Prius out there with a full length boat tail, wheel skirts front and rear, etc.

[jkp1187]

The Project Sipster videos appear to have been relocated here:

Video - Top Gear - BBC America

[bgd73]

full tank diesel, that project was easy. I had a half butted rabbit with a badly bent front end and dog chain holding down the hood thumping 3 wobby wheels four different tires and top speed of 70..at over 60 mpg with carbon spewing everywhere.

I ponder a 3 main boxer, diesel, anything but FWD, and a wagon...100mpg in the same liter range, I would wager it before it began. Turbo models 0-60 in the same 7sec target range, and even less... the top gear show did something already known. give any care at all to the diesel and it responds...even on that horrid design. Imagine if they made a transmission and body correct with an engine that loves torque already? the engineers are so freakin blind...

[JRobbins]

Hahaha Top Gear America, not sure it will be quite as rewarding to watch as the original but I'm sure I'd still love to go to a taping of it. Has the pilot for the show been released yet?

[meekin]

that would have been so much better if they tried 100 mpg.

[meekin]

also, it would have been better if Clarkson, Hammond and May was building the car. That would have been hilarious.