LEB

I've been looking at the wind tunnel post from time to time. I've been involved in car testing a number of times over the years in a number of tunnels. I was the guy making the changes. They basically set the model on supports under the wheels without the wheels actually touching the ground plane. There are then very sensitive gauges attached to these mounts called strain gauges. Thus whatever loads that are put on the four corners are measured by a thing called a balance. The car can be run at yaw angles as well as straight forwards. It's usually difficult to change the ride height quickly. I'm not into the actual math used but by using the frontal area of the model and the area of the tunnel they compute blockage and then ultimately the drag. By doing it this way you can compare different cars, trucks, etc using the same scale. It's possible for a v an to have a better drag coefficient than a sports car. The speeds that are used are usually determined by trying different speeds and making a graph to see where the top of the curve is where it levels off and becomes reliable. The lowest speed that works is where they want to run because of the heat generated by the moving air. It takes a lot of air conditioning to keep the temperatures down. Basically you start at the front and work towards the back. Any changes that are upwind of other changes can make you start over. The biggest improvements are usually at the front. There they have the potential to affect more surface. I have made headlamp covers only to find that they didn't help. Finally, I'm only knowledgeable with working to achieve the least drag. If you want to go racing, you have to use a completely different set of goals. (That's where I don't think their wind tunnel exercise will be too effective. For everyday driving there's a lot of leeway in what the loading can be. If performance is considered it has to be coupled with tires, power available etc. The more power available the more you can trade off for performance. The variables are endless. Larry

Mike, I just had the same problem with my SER that got damaged in an accident. I asked the dealer for a recommendation and they sent me where they have their work done. I did mention to the owner of the shop that his work had to pass rather tough scrutiny. He said it would be perfect. His work was great except for color match. I pointed it out to him and they repainted. Color match is now perfect. I believe that shops that work on valuable cars should be able to match color or tell you up front that the color might not match so you can go someplace else. That's the service they're in business to provide. The paint provider will do an eye-match if necessary. I don't know the circumstances but it seems reasonable to expect a color match. Larry

Also, have you checked your valve adjustment? It could be just a tight valve. Happened to me. Luck, Larry

While you're on the subject of door gaskets.........I just installed new ones after painting. I can barely get the doors shut. The gaskets are that tight. I'm hoping that with time things will compress enough to have normal door operation. Have others had the same problem? Will it get better with time? It's been about a month now and things are still really tight although maybe a little improved. Oh, I trimmed the ends between the hinges right or wrong. Thanks, Larry

Sooooooooooooo Mike, What happened???????

Hate it when that happens. I've had luck by taking a nut that is slightly larger than what would be normal for the stud and placing it over the end of the stud or over the hole where the stud was broken off flush, Then welding through the hole in the nut with a relatively high amperage MIG. This , when it works, welds the stud to the nut and also introduces heat to the stud. I then put a wrench on the nut and wiggle it. It usually comes free. Also you might try heating the nut with a torch first to introduce even more heat. Good Luck. Larry