MYTHBUSTERS prove golf ball dimple theory on cars works!!!

[askotto]

A few years ago I proposed golf ball dimples on a car reduces drag just like it does on a golf ball.  Of course I was laughed at and verbally beaten to a pulp.  EVERYBODY told me how it couldn't work, at least in their opinion. Well guess what?  The Mythbusters tested if a car gets better mileage with golf ball dimples and the dimpled car got 11% better mileage than the same car with a smooth finish.  They covered a car with 1" of clay and smoothed it out.  It got 26 mpg in a precisely controlled mileage test.  They carved out golf ball scaled dimples in the clay and the car consistently got 29 mpg!!!  That means the "burble effect"  a golf ball employes, the ripples in a racing boat hull and the "shark skin" texture of our latest super sonic fighters use does equate to a car covered in golf ball dimples. A dimplen car will go faster than a smooth one.  I win!

I'm going to cast flexable latex "tiles" with dimples on them.  I'll cover the car with the tiles and make fiberglass molds off the body.  Then I'll replace ANKLE BITERS smooth aluminum body with the fiberglass "dimple special body and see how fast it goes.  Film at 11.

Otto

[1212FBGS]

go for it..... those tv kooks didnt happen to test if the vehicle got lift did they? let us know how it works out for ya.....
kent

[donpearsall]

Yeah I just got done watching the same show. It was great to see an actual golf ball car with scientific testing done in real world conditions. The 11% improvement was amazing. Detroit pay attention!
Now I am going to figure out how to do that to my bikes and my leather riding suit.

Don

[Dr Goggles]

A few years ago I proposed golf ball dimples on a car reduces drag just like it does on a golf ball.  Of course I was laughed at and verbally beaten to a pulp. 

Methinks you protesteth too much, you copped it for going out the back door . The golf ball theory is a pet topic with LSR people I doubt anyone got too hot under the collar about it.....

EVERYBODY told me how it couldn't work, at least in their opinion

.

No , not everybody

Well guess what?  The Mythbusters tested if a car gets better mileage with golf ball dimples and the dimpled car got 11% better mileage than the same car with a smooth finish.  They covered a car with 1" of clay and smoothed it out.  It got 26 mpg in a precisely controlled mileage test.  They carved out golf ball scaled dimples in the clay and the car consistently got 29 mpg!!!  That means the "burble effect"  a golf ball employes, the ripples in a racing boat hull and the "shark skin" texture of our latest super sonic fighters use does equate to a car covered in golf ball dimples. A dimplen car will go faster than a smooth one.  I win!

That seems to be a reasonably sensible controlled comparison.

I'm going to cast flexable latex "tiles" with dimples on them.  I'll cover the car with the tiles and make fiberglass molds off the body.  Then I'll replace ANKLE BITERS smooth aluminum body with the fiberglass "dimple special body and see how fast it goes.  Film at 11.Otto

Seems a lot of work......do you think the body is close to perfect as it is.?....then go ahead, it will be better with dimples whatever you do it would seem. If you have large areas of detached flow it will be an extravagant folly.

My bet is dimpling the body would be a long last in order of significance behind Cd( although it will become a function of it) and frontal area.... You will, it seems go faster with dimples and hell knows you'll be cuter but I suspect you'll be tired and broke and not that much further ahead.....

[maguromic]

There is some merit to dimples.  I don’t know if putting dimples all over the body is the ideal thing.  Some Lexis cars come with dimples on the floor to cut down on noise. Since noise is friction the dimples must be doing something for Toyota to put it into production. Also the current IRL rulebook bans textured paint on the race cars.

Velodrome bicycle racers use a dimple rear wheel by Zipp for aero gains. They had a pretty interesting article on this in the October 2006 Race Car Engineering magazine. Tony

http://www.zipp.com/_media/pdfs/technology/revolutionary_speed.pdf

http://www.zipp.com/_media/pdfs/technology/rough_around_the_edges.pdf

http://www.zipp.com/_media/pdfs/technology/going_the_distance.pdf

[wobblywalrus]

Cars and babys look cute with dimples.

[Elmo Rodge]

Perhaps you would be better served with the investmant in a ball pein hammer at Harbor Freight. If things work out for you the next step might be improved fuel mileage on your daily driver. Wayno

[LittleLiner]

Based on a realtives experience when he lived in Dallas I suggest you park it at a shopping mall in Texas for one year.  Between door dings and hail damage you should be well covered in dimples . . . although the ball peen hammer will be faster.

[Dean Los Angeles]

Put away the ball peen and go here:
http://www.fastskinz.com/index.html
Popular Mechanics says no:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/popular-mechanics-busts-fast-skinz-dimple-wrap-claims-8321.html
Leslie Porterfield says yes:
http://fastskinz.blogspot.com/

[Stainless1]

Now our secret is out.... we got an extra several MPH out of the bike after I painted it.... 

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Bob, what size roller do you use?  And -- most important -- is it one of those textured ones, like for fiiling the cracks in the pavement with extra ceement?  How do you get that nice finish?

[joea]

i hope everyone i race has the dimple effect on theirs...


myth busters proved it....ok...we better educate the FI, Nascar,
and aero plane folks...dummies....

[maguromic]

myth busters proved it....ok...we better educate the FI, Nascar,
and aero plane folks...dummies....

Don' know about Nascar, but its been banned in F1 for about 5 years.  Most likely to cut down on testing costs to see if it works. As recently as a few years ago Ferrari came to Monza (or one of the long tracks F1 races on) with a dimpled front wheel discs which quickly got banned.  I believe now they have a small ledge on the outer disc above the wheel nut for the same effect. Its also interesting that there front discs don't rotate. Tony

[dieselgeek]

Mythbusters...  the same guys who "scientifically proved" that the dangers of depressurization in an airliner at 35,000 feet are totally bogus 

(tell that to Payne Stewart)

[Nortonist 592]

Some years ago I read an article about why golf balls are dimpled.  It wasn't so they would get better mpg.  It was more to do with stability and maintaining trajectory.   The thought b eing a ball that doesn't wobble will go straighter thus further.  I have noticed on some of the 250 GP bikes the area betwen the hand cut outs and screen have holes drilled in that area   But I have never thought of Mythbusters as particularly scientific.  More on my style of operatring i.e.  Brulliant idea!  Hit it some more with the hammer!  Lets go to El Mirage and try it!