Mythbusters

[Draggon]

Did anyone catch tonight's Mythbusters? Adam and Jamie took a plain old Taurus, got 26.4 mpg out of it, then by createing a bunch of golfball type divits in it they raised the mpg to 29! It was a bit more involved than that, but holy cow. If it really is true, I could imagine the buzz out there with the salt flats racers. This was just amazing.

[James W]

I was thinking about replacing panels on my truck with fiberglass divot panels.

Don't drive highway much but if I did, it might be worth looking into.

Thought the method of cutting divots was ingenious.

[Joe Handley]

I thought that was interesting, but I wonder how much of the suspension drop over 800lbs of clay gave the car aided in that mileage too

[Chuck Most]

I thought that was interesting, but I wonder how much of the suspension drop over 800lbs of clay gave the car aided in that mileage too

One would think that the 800 lbs of clay would negate any aero upgrades! Maybe there's a sweet spot between aerodynamics and weight we aren't quite clear on yet.

[Joe Handley]

The clay was formed to follow the lines of the car and the only areas that aero would have been affected was at the leading edge of the car where the clay rose about an inch above the sheetmetal and wasn't tapered much, then when the clay was removed, they stuck it in bins and threw those in the back seat of the car. They also set the test up so that it was only at highway speeds, no stop and go. If there had been some stop and go involved, it should have hurt the average. Kinda hurt watching that car hit bumps and rises in the road, you could see the car hitting the bumpstops hard enough to get the sidewalls of the tires to flex

I'm feeling a bit ornery today, think we should all write in and suggest having a vinyl top put on hte car to see how that affects the cars mileage too

[Chuck Most]

I'm feeling a bit ornery today, think we should all write in and suggest having a vinyl top put on hte car to see how that affects the cars mileage too

Or cover the whole car in vinyl- like a Mohs Safari Kar! What's with the dumb looks? Am I the only guy who recalls the International-powered, ugly as sin Mohs line?

[Pete J.]

It was a very interesting episode! I was aware of the reason for dimples on golf balls but never thought of there being a effect that would scale up. I was very pleased to see the mythbusteres covered the bases to make a relatively rigorous scientific test. They made 5 runs in each car. The weight of the car was the same each time so variation in ride height would not occur. They eliminated the effects of the weight by measuring at a constant speed(it takes almost no additional energy to keep an object going at the same speed regardless of relatively small percentage variations in weight). They scaled the dimples up to car size. The only thing that they didn't mention was temperature and wind, but still the outcome was significant.

I am curious to know if smaller dimples would have a similar effect or if they needed to be at scale. I have an engineer friend of mine who I am going to ask to explain to me why this worked. Are dimpled cars in our future?

[Harry P.]

Or cover the whole car in vinyl- like a Mohs Safari Kar! What's with the dumb looks? Am I the only guy who recalls the International-powered, ugly as sin Mohs line?

No, you're not the only one! The Mohs SafariKar, with that elegant padded vinyl upholstery... on the outside!!!

[george 53]

Holy shamoly, an UPHOLSTERED car???? Wat was the reasoning? To NOT hurt a pedestrian when ya hit 'im at 50 mph???

i've NEVER seen this "thing" when was it built? an on what car/chassis was it based on???

[Harry P.]

From the web:

1972-75 Mohs SafariKar

The automotive designs of Bruce Mohs came to life under the auspices of the Mohs Seaplane Corporation of Madison, Wisconsin. Though he had developed lightweight motorcycle/bicycles (even a motorcycle sidecar that was a working miniature boat), the first of his radical automotive designs to go into production was the Ostentatienne Opera Sedan. Using an International Harvester truck chassis and a V-8 engine modified to Mohs' specifications, this first Mohs car was a one-door (that's right, one door, located at the rear of the vehicle) four-seat coupe. Styling was a rather bizarre mix, with an imposing grille and radiator combination that shows evidence of inspiration from Rolls-Royce.

Numerous unusual features such as full-length steel safety side rails, 20-inch wheels, sealed-beam taillights and a skylight-style roof characterized the Ostentatienne, which was to be offered in Model A and Model B versions (304-cu.in V-8 Model A; 549-cu.in. V-8 Model as the model B.) Luxury? With standard equipment that included a refrigerator, a 2-way radio that had a pair of base stations for home or office, a gold-inlaid Walnut instrument panel, velvet upholstery, Ming Dynasty carpeting, special safety bucket seats, a 110-volt converter, a butane furnace, and a multi-fuel-capable induction system, it had few, if any, rivals that could offer as much. These heavy cars (5,740 and 6,100 pounds for Model A and B respectively) carried equally heavy price tags -- $19,600 and $25,600.

Mohs expanded his automotive line with the 1973 introduction of the SafariKar, a vehicle that he created as a quiet, luxury off-road vehicle for the hunt. At least this metal-top convertible had two doors mounted on the sides of the body, but these were of a unique outward-sliding style rather than hinged. Seating capacity was for eight passengers, with three bucket seats up front, a three-person bench in the rear and jump seats mounted for "temporary use in parades etc." as the brochure stated. Much like the cheap children's cartoon toys of the 1980s, the SafariKar levered, folded and transformed into sleeping quarters for two adults and two children in the rear seating area, with the second windshield (this was after all a dual-cowl phaeton) becoming a tray table above the vanity found in the second cowl.

And no, your eyes are not deceiving you, the exterior was flat black, finished off in Naugahyde! "They also appreciate the more conservative features," notes the brochure. "The Mohs body construction method utilizing cast Tenzalloy bulkheads, heavy-gauge aluminum sheet, polyurethane foam and Naugahyde covering is not only quiet in the extreme, but low in maintenance since there is no paint on the exterior of the car. You merely wet, wipe and dry for cleaning. No waxing. No polishing." The brochure made no mention as to how your local body shop might be expected to repair this in the event of collision damage! Optional features included four-wheel drive, a 2-way radio, stereo, television and butane furnace.

Like the Opera Sedan, the Safari Kar was built on an International chassis with an International 392-cu.in. drivetrain. Output was stated to be "Adequate." Only a few of the SafariKars are believed to have been built between 1972-75, offered at $14,500 each. Heady money in those days for a really heady car!

[Joe Handley]

No, you're not the only one! The Mohs SafariKar, with that elegant padded vinyl upholstery... on the outside!!!

wow, that almost makes a Pontiac Aztek look acceptable

[george 53]

Thanks Harry, an jeeze I thought this weeks RoM was ugly!! Well, yeah, it IS ugly, jus inna diffrent sorta way!!

[Harry P.]

If you got into a fender-bender with that car, did you take it to a body shop or an upholsterer???

[MikeMc]

Looks like a padded Checker with a" Rolls" grillkit.

[FujimiLover]

My Dad and I were wondering about the added weight of the clay decreasing the fuel milage. We were pleased that Adam mentioned that and their method of comparing a smooth clay-covered car versus the dimpled-clay covered car.

I also liked Jamie's method of creating those dimples!

Anybody seen the duct-tape episode?

Edited October 22, 2009 by FujimiLover

[slantasaurus]

Doesn't anyone remember that in 1968 Richard "The King" Petty showed up at Daytona Speedweeks with a 68 Road Runner with a vinyl top ??? When asked he told people that is was "for aerodynamics, like the dimples on a golf ball".......Of course the "real" story was that they had sectioned the roof and made so many changes to the car that the vinyl top covered up most of the work, and also distracted people from some of the other things they did to the car.

It was more than just race wins that earned him the name KING.

[old-hermit]

How 'bout Rhino liner on the whole car ?

No waxing, no washing, and no worrying about scratches!

21st century rat rod color.

http://www.truckinweb.com/events/2007/0709...w/photo_04.html

[Joe Handley]

Hehe, I've thought about using bed liner on some of the lexan "Trans Am" bodies to make the car look like it's got a vinyl top and I've used the stuff on a few crawler bodies too.

[charlzrocks]

cheap way to get them dimples.......

drive through a heavy hail storm (then replace the windshields)

sorta worth it?

I dunno..........

[vizio93]

cheap way to get them dimples.......

drive through a heavy hail storm (then replace the windshields)

sorta worth it?

I dunno..........

Or you could go crazy with a tennis ball launcher :lol:

[Craig Irwin]

Or you could just add them with a ball peen hammer. Did anyone see the un-aired Mythbusters on "Do pretty girls break wind"? Its on youtube and worth it for the laughs.