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Hi,
I've stayed away from this thread after the theoreticians entered the fray, but I have to say that I side with both 986Jim and mtch. This may seem a contradiction, but each completes a part of the total picture.
You can run calculations and sims all day long, but real life offers another dimension that cannot always be accounted for in the lab.
People know what they know, but that doesn't mean they know everything. I think I am well founded in the fundamentals of engineering, enough to have a passing knowledge of what I'm talking about. Should my resume' be in question, I have a BS in Materials Science (minor in Physics) from Purdue University. I have a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I have an MS in Aeronautical Engineering from University of Minnesota (Courtesy of the US Taxpayer - Thanks!). In addition, I am a graduate of the US Navy Test Flight School - United States Navy Flight Test Center at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, and a Certified Test Pilot with in excess of 3700 Flying hours.
All I can say is that we were continually surprised at Pax River when real-world test data conflicted with our preconcieved calculations. And, this wasn't Ivory Tower Academia, this was hanging it out beyond the envelope 9-5, M-F.
What's interesting to me in this impirical discussion, is that no one has yet mentioned Drag Coefficients and Frontal Areas - surely you're aware that the effect of these is not at all negligible in the context of the discussion here - remember your inverse square laws governing Drag?...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
Last edited by MNBoxster; 06-24-2006 at 10:00 PM.
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