Re: [T3] Gas mileage experiments

[Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>]

On 29 Aug 2005 at 19:09, John Jaranson wrote:

> By my estimates, based on some old data I dug up, the three main body 
> styles stack up like this:
> 
> Fasty     CD 0.32   CL 0.36
> Notch    CD 0.34   CL 0.38
> Square  CD 0.37   CL 0.41
> 
> So the Fasty is the best aerodymanically....lowest CD and lowest CL.

I realize that these are good careful estimates, made by someone who knows more 
than a little bit about the subject, but I hope you'll admit that there's no 
substitute for real data.

In a recent conversation with a friend, he mentioned that he had calculated his 
personal CD on his bicycle, by measuring his terminal velocity coasting down a 
long hill of known slope. I wonder if we could do something similar with a few 
type 3s. I could imagine that tires might become an issue, and we'd have to 
take weight differences into account, but this sounds cheaper than a wind 
tunnel.

Would you care to comment on any differences between the early and late body 
styles? I assume the real data was all from an early body notch; is that 
correct?
 
> You can learn more by going here:
> 
> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jaransonT3/jaransonT3/AeroPage.html

Good stuff, as always.

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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