Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare - Jalopnik Comments

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

petersterncan — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:13:18 EST

@anaxomander: Ah, yes... the VX. Got my monikers mixed up.

petersterncan

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

anaxomander — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:12:14 EST

@petersterncan:
Nope. The VX was the *really* high milage (5 speed, manual windows, no AC) hatch from the early 90s, the HX was the somewhat (40s, not 50s) high mileage late 90s 3-box version that came with all the trimmings.
The CRX variations (Si, HF) are another bag entirely.
Internet rule #2: If you're gonna be a pedant, make sure you get it *right*.

[en.wikipedia.org]

anaxomander

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

AmishJohn — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:15:30 EST

*MPG. Curse my fat fingers.

AmishJohn

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

AmishJohn — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:15:07 EST

Sorry, all; it was the HF that wsa the high-PMG CRX:

[en.wikipedia.org]

AmishJohn

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

petersterncan — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:26:49 EST

@jakay11: No... the HX was the high mileage version.

petersterncan

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

instant_karma — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 07:50:22 EST

I had a 93 Civic CX, and I would get 47 mpg highway on it all the time if I drove it sane. Not a bad little car, it handled great, but the CX wasn't built for speed, it was built for cheap. Mine didn't even come with a passenger side mirror, power nothing, no tach. Engine was a dinky little 8 valve d15 making a monstrous 70 HP, and was geared pretty long but did get great mileage. I still liked it alot, got rid of it with 380k miles on the clock and it still ran fine, a bit of blue smoke by then, but never had to do anything major to it. Yes even the water pump and timing belt were never replaced.

I have a stock 90 Integra sedan now, and wish I still had that CX so I could drop my current driveline into it.

instant_karma

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

squablow — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:43:38 EST

@Armand4: I agree with you. While it's great to see someone actually try something and get it to work, I think he could have done much better with his time by studying streamliners and doing something more along the lines of what you have mentioned.

I would say weight is a bigger issue than aerodynamics, so shaving a couple hundred pounds probably wouldn't hurt either.

squablow

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

skulldriveshaft — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:03:25 EST

that is one insanely modded car

I imagine many here have gone that far on their engines and suspensions, this person just did the outside instead

still, freakin crazy looking

the shape won't make it aerofoil going forward, but you can guarantee lift off if you're going backwards.

but to figure out that running your electrical systems eats a few mpg, that's pretty extreme, could that be negated with underdrive pulley(s)/idler(s) ?

skulldriveshaft

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

danio3834 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:59:47 EST

"(estimated top speed of about 140mph). "

lol hahahaha

thats some real scientific estimation there.

danio3834

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

etang — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:34:59 EST

@Triborough: Agreed.

I'm going to swim against the mainstream on this one and say that I think this is both cool and interesting. The guy seems to be taking a logical try-and-test approach to see how much fuel efficiency improvement he can get. On a shoestring budget. With what looks to be his daily driver. Without much reliance on 'store bought' parts and pieces or outside experts. Or much concern about non-result effecting things like aesthetics.
This is no worse a way to spend time and money than, say, freezing your butt off this weekend at Thunderhill. Or nursing an old beater through 800 miles on the California Melee. Or trying to shave a few seconds off one's lap times at Sears Point.

etang

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

M0L0TOV — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:05:10 EST

Homer really did design a car, I knew it!

M0L0TOV

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Triborough — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:40:24 EST

It looks a billion times better than any of the crap the ricers do.

Triborough

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

silex006 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:41:04 EST

@jakay11:

The VX was the high-mileage Civic back in 1992

silex006

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

camp6ell — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:02:42 EST

@dankicksass: not worth it for you, certainly. worth it for this guy, who can surely be happy that he didn't sit on his ass for the 250 hours watching the zombie box.

camp6ell

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

FuzzyPlushroom — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:02:53 EST

@dankicksass: You'd think he'd at least drop in a real engine to bring him back down to 30MPG...

FuzzyPlushroom

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

FuzzyPlushroom — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:01:40 EST

I think I had this Hot Wheels car, actually.

FuzzyPlushroom

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

jolietjake — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:52:11 EST

I'm sure Wings West already has a call in to this guy to buy the design plans.

jolietjake

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

SexCpotatoes — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:20:38 EST

Needs more wing! That way it can look like a Superbird.

SexCpotatoes

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

yellofury * * * * * — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:14:07 EST

looks like a poor man's PininFarina Modulo

yellofury * * * * *

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Armand Bengle — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:30:48 EST

I really don't think this guy has read anything about aerodynamics or talked with any Bonneville racers (the place, not the Pontiac--oh, never mind.) V1650 already mentioned that this guy is ignoring the lessons of Dr. Kamm, and WILD_ZERO pointed out that the profile will probably create enormous lift. My idea for a high-mileage Civic would be to take a stock hatchback, add a bellypan to smooth out the airflow under the car and then use tall, skinny tires with Moon discs. It will weigh less than this plastic abomination, and you won't look quite as stupid. Although, let's face it, you'll still look pretty damn stupid.

Armand Bengle

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

the good dr zero — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:09:07 EST

@FLB: Extra-long crumple zones for extra safety as well as lower drag.

the good dr zero

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

the good dr zero — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:07:09 EST

@Schm: I've been up to 170 km/h (indicated) in my old '94 Civic (with the 1500cc engine) before remembering that I hadn't really checked tyre pressures beforehand, so I don't think that 90 mph is that far of a stretch. But with an aerodynamic profile something akin to an aerofoil, I wouldn't want to be in this particular Civic at 90 mph.

the good dr zero

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

dankicksass — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:04:36 EST

Over 90 days, its delivered 67.5mpg. Lets call that "double" the norm, at least for a Civic, 34mpg isn't unachievable. Thing was probably rated for 40mpg when it was built anyway...

250 hours x $60/hr = $15,000 - plus supplies, $400, giving us a grand total of $15,400. Can't argue that his time's worth nothing, its still shop time.

For that money mind you, our Honda enthusiast could have bought himself an off-lease Civic Hybrid, or an Insight. Maybe a Prius if he's not a Honda enthusiast after all and he's just another "green" asshole with a shitty car.

Even if his time's only worth $20/hr - consider the man could have just worked a second job for those 250 hours - he's still invested $5,400 into a beater Civic which he'll never get a positive return for investment from. The average American spends less than $1200 per year on fuel - if he spends half that, it'll take him nine years in his awful humiliating Civic to break even.

Not fucking worth it, period. Leave the boat tails to the tractor-trailers. They need em, though you won't see many using em outside high-end transport in the Northeast.

dankicksass

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:58:09 EST

This thing is the diametric opposite of the Stealthing discussion we had a few days ago about Murilee and his Civic or Crown Vic. Nothing stealthy about all that fiberglass.

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Shapeshifter — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:50:18 EST

I can't decide whether that's awesome or horrifying. Both, i guess.

Shapeshifter

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:39:10 EST

So this is what the boys from Unique Performance have been up to lately. The Honda Civ-ICK!

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

TurboBrick — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:23:16 EST

I wonder if he did anything to the underside of the car. I saw pictures of someone covering the entire underside of a Volvo 960 with aluminum sheeting, apparently it was worth a few mpg's.

TurboBrick

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:20:46 EST

@milo_carrera: Can't beat 'dict' tape either!

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

milo_carrera--now with Corrected Politicality — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:19:02 EST

@streetpirate: Hmmmm. Hooker spit. Is there nothing it can't do?

milo_carrera--now with Corrected Politicality

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

lanispet — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:06:35 EST

Interesting how the rear hatch looks to be very well done, while the rest of the bodywork is so choppy. i wonder how many US Postal Service plastic bins gave up their lives for that that...

lanispet

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

RalphieDC — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:53:32 EST

@FatBraff: No young Luke, the aerocivic gets stuck in the sand.

RalphieDC

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

streetpirate — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:51:33 EST

what did he build that out of? bondo over cardboard held together with dict tape and hooker spit?

streetpirate

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

FLB — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:47:22 EST

It's also very environment-friendly. If rear-ended, the car will vaporize into billions of little rust and fiberglass particles, thus eliminating the need to crush it.

FLB

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:30:21 EST

DIY A-BAT body kit

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

snep — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:21:13 EST

No way in hell that thing would go 140mph! The wind would rip all the paper mache off.

snep

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

V1650 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:20:47 EST

Hmmmm. Never heard of Wunibald Kamm, has he.

V1650

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

MetroMPG — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:18:54 EST

Hmmm... I'm having trouble deciding what's weirder: this car, or the fact that we're content to buy & drive giant boxes on wheels down our highways at 80 mph while grumbling about the price of gas.

MetroMPG

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

FredTheGreat — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:16:38 EST

Wow, I wonder how it feels to know you're the smartest guy in the trailer park. Too bad being the smartest guy in the trailer park is still like being the least retarded guy in the Special Olympics. You know even I am amazed at how mean that sounds but I can not think of a more appropriate way to verbalize my feelings on this ingenious piece of human ingenuity / stupidity. I mean seriously driving this at 90mph is just begging for a ticket, because its not as though this thing is incon-fucking-spicuous.

FredTheGreat

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Schm, lord of Torques! — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:10:42 EST

It can go 90 mph? Really? Where do you hide the Acid you leftist pig?

Schm, lord of Torques!

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

-chet — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:02:06 EST

I applaud the amateur experiment. At lease it's not "rice".

Ingenious use of metal rollers to prevent the tires from rubbing the wheel opening flaps.

-chet

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

dolo54 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:59:01 EST

@PaulE: "The craftsmanship leaves a lot to be desired" haha that's an understatement.

dolo54

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

NovaloadMissesPolar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:56:01 EST

Did Wile E. Coyote build this? Only he would pilot a cobbled together rolling disaster at 100 mph--
The Acme Aerodynamic!

NovaloadMissesPolar

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

crazygutgut — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:55:07 EST

Hang on a minute i'm loading my gun...

crazygutgut

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Stumies — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:50:11 EST

How does he turn? Can he even turn the whell lock to lock without rubbing?

@SLRSpeedshop: It's a jelly!

Stumies

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Elhigh — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:50:04 EST

"67.5 mpg"...of Bondo.

Elhigh

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

PaulE — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:47:07 EST

The craftsmanship leaves a lot to be desired, and I'd be curious about and/or scared of lift at higher speeds. ("It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Aerocivic!")

Even so, it's interesting in the same way watching a train wreck is interesting. Now, add some nitrous, maybe a turbo'ed VTEC ricer motor, some downforce and safety gear, and I bet it'd easily make the 200-mph club at Bonneville...

PaulE

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:39:37 EST

Chip Foose must have been involved - no rear view mirrors.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

SLR_BlowerMania — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:37:07 EST

Looks like the same Guy who built Bob & Doug McKenzie's "Spaceship Van" in Strange Brew. Great Movie by the way. eh?

SLR_BlowerMania

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:30:52 EST

@buck23: I agree, looks like one of those elementary school paper-mache sculptures.

I applaud the effort, but they do need to take a class on aerodynamics and smooth out that Dinosaur bone face CRX.

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Kelly — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:27:43 EST

Oh...it looks like one of the A-BAT's designers managed to escape.

How about driving a Civic HF gently, and not looking like an idiot.

I can only imagine what parking is like...besides being downright entertaining to watch.

Kelly

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

jakay11 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:24:44 EST

wait.. wasn't it the DX that was the high-mileage civic in '92?

jakay11

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Ω ß®ªғғ — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:15:16 EST

1992 Civic CX!

...oh sorry, I thought this was another edition of the Winter Guessing Game...

Ω ß®ªғғ

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

comedian — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:13:44 EST

This fellow (additional, and more accurate adjectives and adverbs deleted on advice of counsel) is looking at ways to reduce the mpg requirements of his headlights by selectively dimming them and/or shutting one off at times.

Yikes. Aerodynamic, ugly, and soon to be intentionally in violation of lighting standards.

comedian

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Ω ß®ªғғ — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:13:01 EST

Uncle Owen... Can I take the Aerocivic over to Toshi Station to pick up some Power Converters?

Ω ß®ªғғ

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

StuPidaso — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:11:31 EST

excellent craftsmanship. *golf clap*

StuPidaso

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Come&VetteMe — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:10:47 EST

What a disaster, I'll take 25mpg and not looking like a retard over that.

Come&VetteMe

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

bdon — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:09:15 EST

imagine using a balanced 3 main boxer engine in that crazy looking thing....

bdon

Homemade Boattail Aerocivic Gets 50 Miles Per Stare

Buckster — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:08:31 EST

Guy needs to learn how to work with fiberglass.

Buckster