The Ever Falling Hp Of The Elio.... :(

[Dustoff]

"VW bug was about as bad as it gets" ~ ouch..

 

[Folks]

"VW bug was about as bad as it gets" ~ ouch..

The classic Volks shape is actually a lifting body shape making the body act lighter to the wind. Although I really don't think it created enough lift to be significant if we widened the car say 35 feet you'd be looking and an aircraft wing, though a little crude. Not too unlike the old "Clark Y" airfoil. LOL

 

[outsydthebox]

"VW bug was about as bad as it gets" ~ ouch..

Don't forget the Suzuki Samurai

 

[Folks]

Don't forget the Suzuki Samurai

Sounds like you might have found a sources or cause of some road rage. After some Interstate bouts with wind and big trucks you'd want to get out and swing a sword too. LOL

 

[outsydthebox]

Sounds like you might have found a sources or cause of some road rage. After some Interstate bouts with wind and big trucks you'd want to get out and swing a sword too. LOL

No road rage. Some white knuckles and adrenaline, tho! I don't take it on the interstate.
It's funny, It wont "slice" thru the air, but it sure can "cut a trail!"

 

[Folks]

No road rage. Some white knuckles and adrenaline, tho! I don't take it on the interstate.
It's funny, It wont "slice" thru the air, but it sure can "cut a trail!"

Tell me outsyd, Do you have someone sit on the hood and swing a machete or do you cut a trail by swinging your sumarai sword from inside the cab? LOL
PS I've thought about hiring my Element out to swat bugs on the interstate. That thing swats bugs better than any other I've owned. LOL

 

[Chris F]

I drive monthly to Baltimore from Wilmington, DE, and the crosswinds on the I-95 bridge over the Susquehanna River are brutal. With the Elio's low profile, it should be better than my minivan.

 

[AriLea]

There are all kinds of being bad when talking aerodynamics. I loved my Bugs, but I also loved my 197x Ford Fiesta. It was such a square box, I think a brick had lower CD numbers. In the wind it was just fine to drive. I've been told, that's typical for super bad aero, there is nothing working well enough to get any worse in the wind. But the center of gravity was near the front, which is good. And that what was the real problem with the Bug, the CG was near the back. So under the right conditions, it's aero-unstable. Still, I loved driving both the Bug and the 70's Fiesta, even in a cross wind. Both were agile and lively.

The Elio has the CG up near the front. So I'm expecting very strong stability, even in crosswinds. The vehicle is very light however, and that is another thing to consider. Anyways, the Elio CG is very low, like the Fiesta and Bug, and all are very light. Mixed with the center seating, I'm expecting the time of my life driving an Elio.

So what other cars from the past were bad at speed in a crosswind?
Anyone know what it's like to drive a Messerschmitt in a cross wind at high speed? We have a member who used to own ?two?.

 

[bowers baldwin]

The classic Volks shape is actually a lifting body shape making the body act lighter to the wind. Although I really don't think it created enough lift to be significant if we widened the car say 35 feet you'd be looking and an aircraft wing, though a little crude. Not too unlike the old "Clark Y" airfoil. LOL

The VW can't really get to a speed where the airfoil would have any effect, however the rear engine design made it like throwing a dart backwards, hence the cross wind problems. Those unexpected lane changes when going across bridges keep you on your toes.

 

[Folks]

The VW can't really get to a speed where the airfoil would have any effect, however the rear engine design made it like throwing a dart backwards, hence the cross wind problems. Those unexpected lane changes when going across bridges keep you on your toes.

All the while I thought you sudden lane changers were just rude. LOL I had no idea you were hanging on for dear life. For the record I never implied fly ability either. LOL Quite the contrary and just as you said here.

But then again now that the topic is still live. I think I actually recall a real life incident of someone flying what appeared for all the world a Volkswagen upside down. Yes, Yes it was the supper low aspect ratio reentry vehicle that the bionic 6 million dollar man was testing when he crashed. It was the predecessor test vehicle to the space shuttle. That thing looked a lot like an upside down Volkswagen as it tumbled on to the desert floor and crashed. LOL