

| Subject: | Aero's |
| From: | Don Hanson |
| Date: | Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:35:58 -0700 |
Here are some things I learned while working the aeros on my 928. We had a windtunnel readout from the Porsche factory that showed the car, in silhouette giving all the high pressure (read: drag) and the low pressure (again: read drag through turbulence) When looking for speed, which translates to miles per gallon in a way, anything that disturbs the flow at the front end of the object will ruin it's smooth passage all the way to behind the object.. My mentor, who is an engineer and a member of the exclusive 200mph club in his 88 Porsche 928 STREET car..He would, when running in those open road races at ~200mph, use three rolls of racer's tape on the front of his 928...smoothing the seams in the hood, taping flat the parking lights, covering over the weird fold down headlights, etc. I used to laugh, but as I began running over 150 myself, it became evident he knew what he was doing... On one top speed run near Battle Mt. Nv. I forgot to take off my tiny little roof top radio ant..About 4 inches long right above the windshield at a raked back angle as stock..That was good for 11mph of drag, since it created a vortex (for want of a better word) that disrupted the air over the rear deck spoiler, etc... So you want to get the front of the van smooth...But yes, that big square back end sucks, big time... .Hey, idea! I could duplicate the airflow I had in my South African splittie in it's old hippie rockclimber days. As we went through the central Cali. valley in July we ran the front windshields wide open (they hinged at the top with adjustable slides and knobs) and the rear hatch..wide open...We wore our Smith goggles to keep the bugs out...That might reduce the frontal area and decrease the drag off the back...In that trim, I could get that 36hp screamer up to 59mph..on the flat.. Don Hanson
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