Okay, so after tuft testing the side of my metro, I confirmed with hard evidence something anyone could have told me, which is that the mirrors create a big ugly wake next to my window and sends my yarn spinning at least a foot back.
I want to install video cameras or inboard mirrors, but due to various motorcycle related circumstances I can NOT hazard being pulled over! Like, jail, dig it? But let's not make that the topic of this thread...
Basically I need something reflective that sticks out of the side of my car, and preferably does double duty as a means of seeing behind me. I was just re-reading Gravity's Rainbow, and got inspiration from the V-2 rocket. This is my idea-
The gray semi-circle at the right end represents a 2" convex mirror. The gray triangle in the background is the mount on the car.
Is there any rule of thumb, independent of scale or viscosity, for the optimal proportion between the width, length, degree of taper, widest point, etc? Do I have a way of knowing whether my truncated 'Kamm' section will be narrow enough, or set far enough back, without testing? I tried looking through Horton's book, but briefly, and I didn't find any reference.
Also- I instinctively made the tip pointed, from whatever naively ingrained notion of what an aerodynamic shape is, then realized that I never see a solar car/HPV/modern projectile with a pointed tip. What's the lowdown? If you were to make a tip that was entirely spherical, that would have the same frontal area, no? Just at a more severe angle of attack...
So many questions!
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