Never been a fan myself but I think we have to get over it.Originally Posted by Kevin Harney
UUUG !!!! I Hate wheel skirts
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Never been a fan myself but I think we have to get over it.UUUG !!!! I Hate wheel skirts
The world loves to be deceived.
I will walk first
why so? We've seen cars without it
I think vfx is referring to the fact that covered wheels are more aerodynamic than uncovered - and most of the energy to move a car goes into overcoming wind resistance. So as cars necessarily become more efficient in the future, wheel skirts are probably going to become prevalent.
The Protoscar being an efficient sports car may well be the shape of the future. The Roadster? Not terribly aerodynamic. Admittedly I question the aesthetics of going with wheel skirts in a convertible...
Last edited by graham; 05-19-2009 at 08:55 AM.
The old Honda insight was one of the most efficient cars on the road. The car companies all know that wheel skirts help, yet very few are willing to use them. I gather that the look scares too many customers away, so there is a big barrier to adoption.
Tesla could have used them on the Roadster, but it really would have ruined the look.
Protoscar LAMPO:
Last edited by TEG; 05-19-2009 at 09:13 AM.
Some auto makers will be employing them to reduce drag. They might become common
*edit* Graham said it better..
That is, until battery and charging tech overcomes. (A thousand mile battery on a 10 minute charge will mean we will go back to heavy inefficient cars -because we can. )
Last edited by vfx; 05-19-2009 at 09:18 AM. Reason: slow on response
The world loves to be deceived.
Somewhat related - did you notice the fin attitude, if that's the right term, in the Model S wheels?
Seems like they designed it to present the least amount of wind resistance during rotation. Or it just looks like that to the fluid-dynamics ignorant like me
I've got 'til 2012 to figure out how I'm gonna charge my S with no driveway or garage
mmhmm.. compare it to the current insight... I think they got the picture. I'm sure there are comprimisesThe old Honda insight was one of the most efficient cars on the road. The car companies all know that wheel skirts help, yet very few are willing to use them. I gather that the look scares too many customers away, so there is a big barrier to adoption.
They are in the business of selling cars, not to have the most efficient car in the world (unless this means the best sales). So of course they are willing to sacrifice some efficiency if it means more car sales.
Though the success of the Prius (which doesn't look conventional either) is kind of encouraging for public acceptance of aerodynamic tweaks that look unconventional.
Because there are tons of crazy people in this world...
So I guess Aptera is different enough that its wheel covers gets a pass from those who don't like them? Or do those people also not like the Aptera?
The front wheel cover is open, showing the 14-inch wheels. Aptera says enclosing the wheels increased aerodynamic efficiency 10 percent.
Last edited by doug; 05-19-2009 at 12:41 PM. Reason: typo it's-->its
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