Quote:
|
Originally Posted by thisisntjared
why would more gears help though? you still need the power AND aerodynamics to get up there. the amount of gears allows a better blend of acceleration and top speed. you can still have a higher speed with less gears.bmw already has them and automatic trannys suck.
anyway the bottom line is that there is no need to try to change the subject of this thread. aerodynamics are necisary and it is very to consider the fact that a cars coefficient of drag is in fact a speed dependant variable. good food for thought, try chewing.
to mira: kudos on the intreguing topic. it makes me feel that the number one concern in aerodynamics at any speed is reducing the frontal area.
|
Essentially that's what it comes down to.
Really, the greatest length that would be realistic in a car is the length of a Ford Expedition, roughly 5.2m. I don't see a workable solution to extend that during travel, although perhaps it is possible if the car was constructed properly. There would have to be an extensible shell, coupled with indicators to do it properly. It would also require a portion of the sides to be windowless to pull it off correctly. I've done a very rough plan view to give an idea. Think of it unfolding much like one of those Mercedes convertables do, at speed like the whale tail of a Porsche does.
Such a contraption could make the effective length of a car longer, perhaps bringing the 5.2m of the Expedition up to perhaps a maximum highway 7m.
The other constraint is that it needs to be wide enough at the base to enable adequate cornering.
So, I suppose we eventually get something that looks more and more like an elongated (and probably taller) horseshoe crab:
Essentially this shape is where we are heading. After the wheels are covered, the underside is covered, the grille is basically just a tiny horizontal mouth, the wheels are as narrow and tall as possible with LRR tires, this should ultimately be our destination.
I suppose the only thing is that in most of the world, the econobubble shape will still predominate because older cars cannot easily be legislated off the road.
I think that one way the government can effectively legislatively provide incentives is to target mpg AND emissions.
Although now there are increasing market forces to bias us in this direction anyway. More if Bush (or his handlers) decide to invade Iran. He might ironically be the best president for the environment the US has ever produced, for all the wrong reasons!
Linear Mode
