FastSkinz??????

So, I was looking into paint colors and MPG and ran across this. It's called Fast Skinz and it is a 'wrap' that goes over your paint job. It has tiny little dimples in it like a golf ball and claims to increase gas mileage up to 20%! Thats a lot but aerodynamics is a key factor in MPGs! Decided that i would see what you guys thought.... BS or not?

 

uhhh, golf balls go reallly fast. cars arent so fast like that

 

http://www.fastskinz.com/drag-terminology-defined.html

http://blog.webridestv.com/2009/02/19/fuel-efficient-paint-job/

 

they showed this product on daily planet and used a porsche on a test track, showing the results with and without it


definitely was interesting

 

....yet

 

then you're not doing it right

 

I don't see how that would work, I rolled a truck once and drove it once the engine was cleaned up but left the body damage. Didn't improve anything! What about all the hail damaged vehicles? Are they getting better MPG?

Ok so those weren't great examples, but I don't see how it would work, maybe I just don't understand. 20% is a lot, normally you can't trust them when they say 10% so should I trust them that much less? Hock its been raining the last few days and I was just thinking.

 

sounds like the same principle that high speed boats use.

the steps you see on the bottom of boats introduce air between the hull and the water, thus reducing the water drag.

i guess it is doing the same thing

 

I didn't think of it like that sock. Good point.

 

there was an experiment on the old F-16XL, in the mid 90's, that was using a Super Laminar Flow Control Glove (photo link at bottom of page) on the wings that was doing the opposite of the fastskinz concept.

it was creating a vacuum to remove this turbulent air to reduce friction for sustained supersonic flight.

intersting stuff

 

yeah, idk! Wont be buying it though until some more research is done..... so, maybe never