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Somebody just sent me a link to a piece of news that I am sure will raise the interest among some of us. Some will say that this is clear evidence that hybrids have gone mainstream as even the tuner market now has something for the Insight-II.

The question is: The looks are improved if not different but, how much will the Mugen optimizations help in the CoD department? ;)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/mugen_insight.jpg

Here's the link with the details (http://jalopnik.com/5148770/2010-mugen-zero+lift-honda-insight-photos-video-and-no-lift):

Cheers

MSantos

I do like there window visors for the Civic. :)

I'm not convinced about the wing or the rims. Most of the rest looks good, at least in concept.

I like the clean look of the oem, this looks too tacked on to me, but I'm more into subtle improvements vs in your face.

I like the clean look of the oem, this looks too tacked on to me, but I'm more into subtle improvements vs in your face.


I agree.

However, I would be willing to overlook the the evident tack-on if it had tangible benefits in the wind tunnel. Knowing Mugen, they would have made a bit of effort on that front. The question in my mind would be how much of an improvement.

Let's say the effects took the CoD down 0.02 or more while at sensible speeds?

Cheers;

The comments to the article are hilarious.

Samples:

"I hope all those blue arrows are included. Wouldn't want your airflow to get confused and go in the wrong direction.
Really, it needs a humongous decal so you can't see out the windshield. That rear wing looks like takes care of your rear vision pretty good. The triangular exhaust pipe looks like it might have been a Masdaspeed castoff."

"Let's assume that I'm a ricer. Do I care about fuel economy? Do I care about CO2 emissions? No. I care about whether my rear wing will clear the garage door at my parents' house. I care about coffee-can mufflers that announce my presence 15 minutes before I arrive. I care about eventually getting the primer exterior painted."

"Alllll right, kill that spoiler already! That's the worst bit. The rest of it's tolerable until you need to drive the car through a snowbank, at which point its status changes to "was tolerable" and you're throwing bits of bumper into the trunk."

Hi Manuel:

___Just loking at it shouts an EPA of 37 mpgUS combined from the wheels alone :rolleyes:

___That Mugen kit with the wing and window vent visors is definitely a step backwards...

___Good Luck

___Wayne

"Zero lift" doesn't say anything about not increasing the downforce. This kit would increase the Cd since there are more elements (rear spoiler, air dam) that would increase downforce then there are elements (rear wheel boattail) that would reduce drag. And extreme low aspect ratio tires aren’t renowned for low RR.

This kit copies the “race car” look popularized by Nascar, F1, and other racing organizations whose cars are designed to be able to go fast around curves and hence require lots of downforce (the generation of which increases drag). Modern engine technology gives these cars more than enough engine power to go fast in spite of their increased drag load and their racing organizations are often requiring things like throttle restriction plates to limit the engine’s power to keep the cars from going too fast on the race course. So you have a draggy body with lots of power to offset it, not a good model for good FE and for hypermiling.

The other racing model is the Bonneville salt flat racer, which is designed to go as fast as possible in a straight line with just enough downforce to maintain control. This shape was also used by the 1930’s Autobahn racers, where the limited engine technology of the day made a low drag body shape the only way to build a car that could reach the speed potentials of the newly constructed Autobahn system. Here, just as with aircraft, they are trying to get the Cd as low as possible to maximize the speeds that they can attain. But the same shape that gives you a high maximum speed also gives you excellent FE when driven at more moderate speeds with an appropriately sized engine and tall gearing. This model is directly transferable to high FE driving and hypermiling and is the model that we need to be emulating when modding our cars rather then the much more popular traditional “race car” look that most modded cars on the highway try to copy. Even when taking our curves fast to save momentum, we aren't going anywhere near fast enough to require the increased downforce that the "race car" shape would generate.

Slightly off topic, I saw a white Toyota Camry Hybrid at the Whole Foods parking lot yesterday with some pretty trick black aftermarket rims. It actually looked pretty good... But I hadn't actually seen a (slightly) modded hybrid before. :eyebrow:

I don't see any point in it. Ok, i'm a girl. I admit it. :D


--des

if im ever going to buy a sporty car, it has to be RWD.... sure Honda makes the best handling FWD on the market.... but if I can't oversteer no deal!

I don't see any point in it. Ok, i'm a girl. I admit it. :D
--des
Some men do this for the same reason some women do gardening. Think of it as a man's flowerbed. Does that help???

Some men do this for the same reason some women do gardening. Think of it as a man's flowerbed. Does that help???

Ok but at least flowerbeds are really pretty.
Don't get that either as I can't grow anything green (that's not algae).

--des