Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Last night's Mythbusters tested the theory that a dirty car gets better fuel economy than a clean car due to the golf ball dimple effect. They used an old Ford Taurus. In the test, the clean car got 26mpg while the dirty car got 24 mpg. They then had auto designers coat the car in clay. They tested and got the 26mpg. They then made golf ball dimples in the clay. The removed clay was put into a bucket and put in the car so there was no weight removed. The dimpled car got about 29 mpg. I seriously doubt auto makers will be able to stamp out body panels with golf ball dimples on all sides. Then again, with increased government mpg standards, they may be willing to give it a try for an extra 3 to 4 mpg. To put it into perspective, The increase in mpg is a little more an an 11% increase in fuel economy.
Last night's Mythbusters tested the theory that a dirty car gets better fuel economy than a clean car due to the golf ball dimple effect. They used an old Ford Taurus. In the test, the clean car got 26mpg while the dirty car got 24 mpg. They then had auto designers coat the car in clay. They tested and got the 26mpg. They then made golf ball dimples in the clay. The removed clay was put into a bucket and put in the car so there was no weight removed. The dimpled car got about 29 mpg. I seriously doubt auto makers will be able to stamp out body panels with golf ball dimples on all sides. Then again, with increased government mpg standards, they may be willing to give it a try for an extra 3 to 4 mpg. To put it into perspective, The increase in mpg is a little more an an 11% increase in fuel economy.
I didn't see this episode - but the results are very interesting. I don't think the automakers would have any problem creating dimples in the sheet metal. All the panels are stamped anyways. But would the buyers want a dimpled car? That is the biggest question.
Didn't see it but how did they make sure the mpg test was fair from one round to the next. Depending on how you use your right foot can make a big difference in mpg.
I didn't see this episode - but the results are very interesting. I don't think the automakers would have any problem creating dimples in the sheet metal. All the panels are stamped anyways. But would the buyers want a dimpled car? That is the biggest question.
I wouldn't want a dimpled car even if it gave me 10 more MPGs.
Didn't see it but how did they make sure the mpg test was fair from one round to the next. Depending on how you use your right foot can make a big difference in mpg.
They had a mile long track. In the trunk was a fuel cell filled with gasoline. In the car they had a toggle switch used to switch between the gas tank and the fuel cell. They got the car up to 65 mph before the start point. When they passed the start point, they hit the toggle switch to the fuel cell. When they passed the stop point, they toggled back to the regular fuel tank. They made 5 passes this way and then measured how much fuel was used for those five miles and calculated the mpg. They used the same car for all the test and the road was perfectly straight.
Can you imagine an auto detailer trying to wax and buff all those dimples?
I didn't see this episode - but the results are very interesting. I don't think the automakers would have any problem creating dimples in the sheet metal. All the panels are stamped anyways. But would the buyers want a dimpled car? That is the biggest question.
People would buy them. I see people driving around in brand new ugly cars all the time.
Kind of off topic but in the cycling industry there is a company called Zipp that makes racing wheels. One of their big marketing ploys is they have dimpled carbon wheels. If this was brought up over on another forum someone would suggest that Zipp get into the car business.
Also from Mythbusters - Tailgating trucks is more effective, up to 40% reduction in fuel use, and a creative use of cruise control. We might as well take advantage of these nuisances.
Wow, I'm way ahead of the curve on this one. A couple years ago I drove a badly hail damaged Geo Metro and told everybody those were dimples to decrease wind resistance. LOL
NASCAR has been orange peeling the paint for years now for less drag.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
