crackpot idea or should I be cleared for takeoff?

[doctorgonzo]

Here's a link to a fellow Lubbock, TX crazy-dude with a novel idea for an FE mod: the upside down air foil.

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/101...18379023.shtml

I'd bet if you had a really nice, efficient airfoil section, you may not have to pay too high of an aerodynamic tarrif to get the requisite amount of lift.

[theclencher]

Yeah, good luck with that!



I was about to contact the writers but then I noticed how old the story is. :/

[bobc455]

So by creating upforce, he's trying to reduce rolling resistance?

[tradosaurus]

I want to see real data (MPG) on his idea.

[GasSavers_Erik]

The lift would only take a bit of weight off his rear tires/wheel bearings at high speeds and would come at a big aerodynamic penalty.

If you take this idea to the extreme, does a small 4 cylinder airplane get as good of mileage as a car of the same weight traveling at the same speed, say 70 mph? I would doubt it- from what I recall about looking up the mpg of small planes a few years ago, their mpg is in the mid 20's at best.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Erik

The lift would only take a bit of weight off his rear tires/wheel bearings at high speeds and would come at a big aerodynamic penalty.

That is what I think, too.

Also, it would have to be retractable and only deployed during certain conditions. Wintry roads, heavy rain, sharp highway curves (like I-95 through Providence/Pawtucket RI; also every entrance/exit ramp I take) all contraindicate lift. It should also be retracted at lower speeds where it won't generate appreciable lift but will make plenty of drag.

Finally, even in optimal conditions it could mean the difference between a successful crash-avoidance maneuver and a loss of control. I really don't think it's safe to remove as much traction as you'd have to lose in order to gain an appreciable effect on rolling resistance.

The article says this:
?The lowest percentage improvement I?ve had in gas mileage is 25 percent,? he said. Coming after tests that put the savings at closer to 50 percent, he added, ?I felt like that was a failure.?
Rolling resistance is NOT 50% of energy expended.

[trollbait]

A well designed wing could improve aerodynamics.
Years ago, I saw an article about a New Beetle with this huge, funky spoiler that lowered its drag coefficient.

The owner was an aerodynamic engineer with access to CAD, and maybe a wind tunnel.

[theclencher]

Dammit, that Beetle "wing" is a spoiler and it's not producing lift.

Evidently that Texas "pilot" never had flight training, or forgot all of it. Even the very beginners are taught that lift = drag, and more lift = more drag.