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Automotive Geekery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by rufaro, Jun 8, 2006.

  1. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    I saw a reference somewhere to an assertion that the Prius' teardrop shape makes it one of the best designed production cars ever. My 18 yo son cannot BEAR the though that my dinky(!) Prius MIGHT be better at something (anything! except gas mileage :lol: ) than his father's macho 2002 BMW 5-series (or, for that matter, his 1987 7-series), and he maintains that dad's car is also in that elect group of "one of the best etceteras." Now, I flunked out of HS physics, but, standing in my garage and just LOOKING at the 2 cars seems to tell me that, ok, the beemer is probably not bad at all--but can it really be as good, aerodynamically speaking, as my shiny new black stealthmobile??? :eek:
     
    #1 rufaro, Jun 8, 2006
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Not a chance. I did a couple of quick searches to find the numbers. The coefficient of drag for the 2002 BMW 5 is .30. The Prius is .26. The Insight, the slipperiest production car ever, is .25.

    Mom wins! :)
     
    #2 hyo silver, Jun 8, 2006
  3. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jun 7 2006, 09:49 PM) [snapback]267717[/snapback]</div>
    Woo Hoo :p !!!!!!!!! THAT shore don't happen much around here, with all that goshdurned testosterone flowing around them German cars!! BLESS YOU, Hi ('sokay if I call you Hi? I mean, you just pulled off a near impossiblity for me, so I feel we're kinda close--though I gotta be careful what I say around here--I saw your posts in Cool chicks thread!)! ;)
     
    #3 rufaro, Jun 8, 2006
  4. larkinmj

    larkinmj New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Jun 8 2006, 12:37 AM) [snapback]267714[/snapback]</div>
    The Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.26, which makes it one of the most aerodynamic cars on the road (the only production car that beats the Prius, to my knowledge, is the Honda Insight which is just slightly more efficient at 0.25- maybe there's one or two others.) The Beemer has a Cd of 0.31; not too bad, but still not as good as the Prius.
    If there are any auto designers here, they might say that the CdA (drag coefficient multiplied by frontal area) is a more accurate measure of aerodynamic efficiency. I don't know what those measurements are, but for certain the Prius beats the BMW in that regard.
     
    #4 larkinmj, Jun 8, 2006
  5. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    Man, you guys ROCK! B) The boys with their toys are now not only jealous of my, um drag ;), but of my new hangout (PC, I mean--not street corners being a cool chick in a black prius...). Y'all are really feeding that ol' instant gratification thing--thanks! (But, if you find some lurker seeming to ask pointed questions about me--none of you know me at all--I would not put it past know-it-all 18yo offspring to come trolling around to post phoney #s so I look wrong, as per usual. Well, this is what I say to my SO & other other-- :p !!!!!!!!!
     
    #5 rufaro, Jun 8, 2006
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The other you're looking for is the Classic Prius at 0.25 and the LS430 at 0.25. Yes, you can rub it in their faces that an LS430 is more aerodynamic than their BMWs :p To add injury, it's also quieter.
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Jun 8, 2006
  7. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jun 8 2006, 12:39 AM) [snapback]267767[/snapback]</div>
    Way cool--now I can be REALLY smug, huh? :rolleyes:
     
    #7 rufaro, Jun 8, 2006
  8. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Jun 7 2006, 11:55 PM) [snapback]267718[/snapback]</div>
    You're very welcome, Rufaro. I kinda got the impression you were outnumbered in the testosterone department and could use a little help. And yes, be careful what you say - pretty much anything is fair game around here. :D

    hyo
     
    #8 hyo silver, Jun 8, 2006
  9. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jun 8 2006, 10:27 AM) [snapback]268028[/snapback]</div>
    Whoops...and I used to be able to spell...Hi Hy(o)!

    Now, here are the replies from son:
    "My car is by no means quiet...and I like that. The Prius is a girly-man hippie car. Both Bimmers would quite effortlessly beat in just about any sort of race. Mine can probally out-handle the prius, the 530 certainly can. Both Bimmers have better Audio Systems ^_^ And the Jack is my car is the coolest car jack yet to exist. So there. "

    (Is them fightin' words or what???) ;)

    and husband:
    "Uh hunh. My beemer is soooo noisy..."

    No, I am NOT proud--I will fight as lowdown and dirty as I can. Intelligence is not what you know--it is knowing when--and WHERE--to ASK! :D
     
    #9 rufaro, Jun 9, 2006
  10. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    A girly man hippie car? Time to arm yourself with some silver bullets, girl. I'll leave the times and places up to you.

    "A cool jack? If your car didn't break down so much, you wouldn't even need a jack!"

    "Yeah, well, if your car weren't so noisy, you wouldn't need a fancy stereo to drown it out!"

    "Bye, Dear, I'm going out for dinner and a movie with the money I saved on gas."

    "Lost, Dear? Should we phone my Prius for directions?"

    Have fun, Mom! :)
     
    #10 hyo silver, Jun 9, 2006
  11. larkinmj

    larkinmj New Member

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    One of my favorite jokes (you may not want to repeat this to the men in your house, though! :) )

    Q: What's the difference between a porcupine and a BMW?
    A: On a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside.
     
    #11 larkinmj, Jun 9, 2006
  12. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jun 9 2006, 12:12 PM) [snapback]268733[/snapback]</div>
    All will be fired off as needed, except the last one. My guys just don't get lost--misplaced, occasionally, but NEVER lost. And--I don;t have the nav package (although I DID finally spend $300 on a handheld gps for the car, because, despite having lived in NoCal for 14 years, I STILL get lost when I am trying to find my way home from the Oakland airport, about 50 miles from home...
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 9 2006, 12:30 PM) [snapback]268752[/snapback]</div>
    Hell--this is WAR! If an 18 year old male and the father thereof can't take this one, they need to get out of the way! B)
     
    #12 rufaro, Jun 9, 2006
  13. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Jun 9 2006, 01:47 PM) [snapback]268842[/snapback]</div>
    To quote D. Boon "I have never been lost, but I have been a mite confused for a few days"
     
    #13 hdrygas, Jun 9, 2006
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