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From: knutson@ut-ngp.UUCP (Jim Knutson)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: "The biggest farce ever"
Message-ID: <717@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Jun-84 10:54:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.717
Posted: Tue Jun 26 10:54:58 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Jun-84 01:44:00 EDT
References: <2104@ihnss.UUCP> <714@ut-ngp.UUCP> <667@vax1.FLUKE.UUCP>
Organization: Comp. Center, Univ. of Texas at Austin
Lines: 17

I would have to say, the analysis by Peter Barbee was rather well done.
However, I have to disagree with a few points.

First of all, I think cars on the highway today tend to be smaller than
the .85 of a Chevy Nova.  Secondly, the .32 drag coefficient could be brought
down even further if the public didn't mind the shape of the new cars.

Now, if we took the Honda CRX as an example of what is happening now, we
get:
	car 3 (CRX) : cd=.32 , V=34 m/s (75 mph) , and A= .65*A of 1 (Nova)

    so	.32(34**2).65/2 * Ap = F (car 3) = 120.22 Ap

which is less than the Nova at 55mph.  Now we can all argue facts and figures
all day long, but the idea is that smaller and slippery cars are making
he 75 speed limit viable.