I watched Myth Busters last night and they increased the gas mileage of a Ford Taurus by 11% by putting golf ball style dimples all over the outside surface of the car. So, who's going to make the body kit? LOL!


The Plan

Dimpled Car


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RickN
White 88GT 5spd
White 85GT Auto
White 99 F250SD 7.3PSD 6spd
1956 Ford 860 Tractor w/ Freeman Loader
20Ft H&H Tilt Bed Trailer

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 01-02-2010).]

Daisy Red Ryder bb guns will now become a hot seller.
DIY kit

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 01-02-2010).]

11%? daaamn. How big/deep were the dimples? That's a relatively easy mod if you've got a metal car...

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: 11%? daaamn. How big/deep were the dimples? That's a relatively easy mod if you've got a metal car...

They were a little larger than tennis balls. Maybe 2" radius or so. A heat gun and a croquet ball would probably be just the ticket for a Fiero.

I'm thinking my F250 would be a good candidate for this too! LOL

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 01-02-2010).]

Maybe I should hope for a hailstorm?

Hmm .... I wonder if the dimples would make it stealth to radar ?
What was the reason they attribute to an increase in gas mileage ?

quote Originally posted by cliffw:What was the reason they attribute to an increase in gas mileage ?

The initial premise was that the dimples on the golf ball allow it to travel further due to decreased wind resistance. So, they just wanted to see if it would work on a car.

The dimples in the golf ball allow air circulation closer to the ball resulting in a closer air stream with less turbulence behind the object thereby decreasing vacuum behind the object allowing for better flight.


http://ilovebacteria.com/golf.htm

The same principle applies the the car.

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Pennock's Official Thread Killer
Indiana Fiero Club

The Duke will NEVER DIE

Waxing it would become a real pain. and water freezing in those dimples would raise havoc with the finish.

But the 2 inches of clay the put on the car would be killer on your 0 - 60 times

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: But the 2 inches of clay the put on the car would be killer on your 0 - 60 times

and in-town and mountain mpg

Reminds me of that Saturday Night Live commercial about the adobe car.

quote Adobe. The sassy new Mexican import that's made out of clay. German engineering and Mexican know-how helped create the first car to break the $200 barrier. At this price, you might not expect more than reliable transportation - but, brother, you get it! Extra features: like the custom contour seats, or the beverage-gripping dash. And the money you save isn't exactly small change!

"Adobe. You can buy a cheaper car. But I wouldn't recommend it!"

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/86/86dadobe.phtml

[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 01-02-2010).]

Now maybe I'll eliminate the slice in my Fiero and can drive farther than 300 yards.

Jim

quote Originally posted by jimbolaya: ... and can drive farther than 300 yards. Jim

Maybe Tiger should have had dimples on his Escalade?

quote Originally posted by USFiero: Waxing it would become a real pain. and water freezing in those dimples would raise havoc with the finish.

if you have just beaten your car senseless with 100's of divits, i don't think your finish is a concern.

..

[This message has been edited by PaulJK (edited 01-23-2010).]

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: But the 2 inches of clay the put on the car would be killer on your 0 - 60 times

The thing is even your gas milage would suffer with the clay. They only measured the MPG at speed.
To get to the speed with all the extra weight would negate any MPG savings at speed.

Thoughts and Idea's:

Maybe you will see new cars come with dimpled surfaces to meet the newer MPG requirements.
I bet Honda will be the first manufacturer to offer a dimpled car. Then the ricers can paint the inside of the dimples. (smiley faces, odd color combo's, etc)
Then I'm sure the race teams will be able to use it as well. Imagine a F1 racecar with dimples.

That settles it. I'm thinking about making a dimpling kit and selling it. I just need a hammer and a dimple mold that is scientifically designed to optimize the dimple size. I also need to include a net that when placed over the body will show you exactly where to place the dimple for optimum mpg savings. I can offer it on late night infomercials for the low price of $199.95. At today's gas prices, just driving 255 miles will pay for the kit and the rest will be all pure savings! Even hybrid cars can benefit. I of course would have to include a disclaimer that it only works on metal body cars. Corvette's, Fiero's, older Saturns, Older GM minivans, etc. would be excluded.

Anyone what to invest? (if you have a Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, True Value, or Sears discount that would help a lot!)

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 01-03-2010).]

quote Originally posted by Oreif: The thing is even your gas milage would suffer with the clay. They only measured the MPG at speed. To get to the speed with all the extra weight would negate any MPG savings at speed. Thoughts and Idea's: Maybe you will see new cars come with dimpled surfaces to meet the newer MPG requirements. I bet Honda will be the first manufacturer to offer a dimpled car. Then the ricers can paint the inside of the dimples. (smiley faces, odd color combo's, etc) Then I'm sure the race teams will be able to use it as well. Imagine a F1 racecar with dimples....

Yeah, but this is a concept that would be perfect for the Volkswagen Beetle !