The aerodynamics of high speed are wildly different than the aerodynamics of highway speeds. F1 and other high speed racer designs are actually intended to create resistance in very specific ways (generating downforce for traction) while downforce is never a problem in your average grocery getter.
Factory claimed mileage figures on many modern vehicles are perfectly reasonable, and are increasingly attained in real world driving scenarios by the general motoring public. In the case of some specific vehicles, usually diesels and hybrids, owners that pay even a sliver of extra attention to their driving can exceed posted figures by some amount. Personal experience (which is given for illustrative, rather than scientific purposes) is my mother's '13 Civic: rated at 38 on the highway, but trips to VA and MD have netted a verified, multitank mileage of 42 on the interstate. The Nighthawk and the Ford CV were not eliminated because they were "too good a deal." Ford would have quite happily continued to sell CVs and parts to fleet buyers all over the world if someone else weren't threatening to eat their lunch with more modern cars that handled better, got better mileage, were lighter, and were far better equipped. The Vic just was no longer good enough for the needs of those fleet buyers, and there was no longer enough money in it to justify keeping up the certification and distribution costs. The Nighthawk went away for similar reasons; not enough money in the market to justify keeping it around. -Kurt On Mon, Jun 30, 2014 at 3:28 PM, Phil <[email protected]> wrote: > Fuel wise, there is nothing to realistically compare it with except maybe > those 1900 bicycles with the 5' tall front wheels, ha ha. > > Seriously though, it is virtually a single wide go cart frame that rests > on 4 big 15" car tires: lots of coasting power. Indy 500 being the fastest > racers > would not use anything but the most efficient design. And unlike a bike > which is never at a steady state in balance, you could gain a measurable > coasting > effect 50% of the time resiting and balanced on 4 LARGE bearing wheels. > > Performance and efficiency go in hand, depending on the inclination of > design. Indy 500 are the fastest racers there are. Why would this design > not > be the most efficient design on a fuel injected water cooled motorcycle > engine? Who cares about 84mpg? I have never seen any factory claimed > mileage > that was reasonable. > > I just hope it starts a trend. Honda quit making the NH750 because it was > too good of a deal all away around, like Ford quit making Crown Vic's. > Two front wheel trikes are an exciting design. CanAM blew their shot with > a $25K monster toy. There is a smaller 500cc model with tilting front > wheels (from > whoever makes BMW 650cc scooter engines), but you really need a chassis > around it if it's going to replace a car. This has a chance to catch on > like 'Doodle bugs' after WWII. It's what I've been waiting on this century. > > With AC, it's perfect as it is and it does not need a single thing more, > from 50-60 (practical) miles per gallon plus. > > > > On Sunday, June 29, 2014 5:15:32 PM UTC-7, Phil wrote: >> >> http://eliogenuine.eliomotors.com >> >> [image: The Next Generation Elio] >> >> $6800 next tear maybe in old GM factory in New Orleans, LA. The only >> thing I'd wonder about is Pep Boys parts distribution (???) and >> the chances of a Chevy engine being put in one. Otherwise, I love the 3 >> wheel design and I won't get wet :-) >> >> I'm there though. The mighty rip off auto industry will crumble or either >> they will illegally destroy the company before it gets off the ground. >> It's something the whole world needs NOW. Then maybe we will see nuclear >> vehicles since this will squash all gas vehicle competition. >> Keep your fingers crossed! >> >> I don't want a pickle, just want to ride in my motorcycle. >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
