I fixed Formula One! (yeah right).
I had started a campain on fb on Twitter to propose aerodynamic rules changes. I doubt that anyone noticed or cared but Ross Brawn (former Ferrari engineer and team leader, now technical director of F1) did testing and they are going to make some of the changes I suggested last year.
In 2019 they are going to simplify the front end of the car and make the DRS flap at the rear a little bigger so it will be easier for a following car to pass.
It’s just a case of 2 engineers examining a problem and arriving at a similar solution. But Ross Braun has the benefit of actually knowing what he is doing and testing it in a wind tunnel.
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The aero that these race teams have come up with in recent years has been super interesting. I certainly have no idea the fluid dynamics behind them. And less so the implications of the aero on cars. WIthin Motogp right now they are experimenting with new aero themselves. There have been many concerns from turbulence behind them to cost. No idea what the board is going to do about them. Outright wings are banned already, but as pictured below, if it flows with the body and doesn’t cause huge amounts of turbulence, it is allowed for this season.
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Behind them is the problem.
The front wing has 2 functions - it makes downforce obviously. But the more important function is to direct the air to the ground effects under the floor where most of the downforce is made. It works great in a wind tunnel with one car. Racing in traffic can’t be simulated with CFD accurately.
The problem is when someone tries to pass, the turbulent air from the car in front screws up the airflow to the front wing of the passing car. Just when a driver needs the grip to pass, half of it disappears. The new regulations are trying to make the cars easier to drive in traffic.
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Bank has the apparently needed info for the car and the info they need from me. Guess I’ll have to hurry up and wait, but I should be able to get the car by the end of the work week.
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Be sure to post a Pic when you get it. 
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Loan was approved so I guess it’s good to go now. Just got to double check with the dealer to make sure replacing the strut is going smoothly.
Yay
It’ll be nice not having a car that’s old enough to be drafted.
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Hey, my race car resents that. 
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Oh, I hear you, my RS is plenty fun and I’m actually hoping to not sell it, but driving 56 miles to work and back five days a week in an 18 year old “sports car” gets a little old, no pun intended.
EDIT: If my friend pulls through on fixing the brakes in my current car I’m planning on fixing the other things and turning it into my weekend car. I’ve been thinking of exploring the state some more this Summer and I think it’d be more enjoyable in the current car. At the very least it would certainly have more character.
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Oh, yeah. I daily’d my Miata for 45 miles round trip for about 18 months on clapped out suspension before I decided to race prep it.
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I can relate. I fell on some hard times and needed to do a bit of a commute a few years back.
From Plymouth WI to Greenfield WI, every weekday, in my 67 Monte Carlo. It was about 65miles each direction. I burned through a LOT of audio books.
Cost a good chunk of my paycheck in gas too. Every morning I would add $20 in gas and a half quart of oil. Not fun at all.
Ninja edit:
I also gained a ton of respect for the long-haul truckers during this time. Not only because they can stand being in a vehicle for so long, but because of how nice they are on the road.
ohai dere. Took me this long to find out this thread was a thing.
I have a 2004 Civic DX Coupe with a manual transmission and a D17A1 engine with just over 195,000 miles. Acquired the car at 154,000 miles. Changed the clutch at around 165,000 miles. Everything seems to run fine. I love these cars.
Just changed the front brake assemblies (worn out) and the oil pan (rusted to hell). I live on the seacoast of NH, we get nasty winters and really salty roads. Currently doing periodic checks for any leaks.
in order for it to pass state inspection this month it will need a new windshield and an exhaust manifold flange. Yay… my wallet… it’s okay, it’s for a good cause…
Next car I get will most certainly be a WRX.
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WRX isn’t worth the total cost of ownership IMO.
More expensive gas, insurance, and repairs.
They’ve gotta run on higher-octane gas, right?
At least 91 octane, although 93 is beneficial. They can run 87, but they’ll have worse performance and gas mileage all the while letting the driver know they aren’t happy (tend to knock).
They aren’t bad cars by any means, they’re quite fun, but they often require more put into them than a regular Impreza. But again, just my opinion.
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good to know. Was actually juggling a regular Impreza and a WRX. This won’t be something that happens in the near future. I’ll be using the civic for a good while yet.
Everything could change in the near future as well. Subaru is moving to a new unified platform for all models, called the Subaru Global Platform or somesuch, so the verdict is still out on the newer Imprezas.
Subaru upgraded a bunch of stuff starting with the fourth gen Imprezas though, so the 2011-2016 Impreza and 2014-present WRX. Updated engine, better sound deadening, nicer interiors, and some undercoating. Arguably better looking too. The move away from the EJ25 series engine is a godsend too, no longer need to do headgaskets every 100K miles.
I would split car purchasers into 3 categories. Cheap used car. Nice used car, and new car. Don’t get a WRX unless if you fall under nice used car or new car or you’ll hate yourself forever. I got my WRX with 99k miles on it and that’s pushing it IMO. Cost of ownership is a bit high but unexpected issues such as going kaboom aren’t really a thing until the 200k range assuming you don’t buy something a 16 year old ragged on.
Think it’s worth noting first owner of my car was middle aged and kept the oil changes written down in the owners manual and second owner, who owned it for 30k miles, was a chick.
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Both can do 91, but the WRX will get slightly better performance out of 93 and the STI slightly worse out of 91. I wouldn’t go below 91 on either car.
