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front cycle wings on rear?
robby - 12/3/05 at 07:08 PM

anyone seen a locost with front cycle wings over the rear wheels? sat mine on today and thought they looked quite good. any legal / sva problems, other than lights? (doing this would save spacing out rear arches) think i've seen it done, maybe on another style of car? cheers!


clbarclay - 12/3/05 at 07:16 PM

By the sound of it the wings would look like an early lotus 7. The only danger I can think of is that the arches must suitably cover the wheels for SVA compliance.


andyps - 12/3/05 at 07:23 PM

I have wondered about this, but would think that ideally you would want arches that go further round than the front ones - probably about 2/3 of a circle as Caterham were experimenting with recently for the front to reduce drag.

Just have to sort out how to mount the rear lights then - I thought of stalks from the side of the rear panel.


clbarclay - 12/3/05 at 07:55 PM

Ahh, forgot that fronts don't go as far round, i thought you just ment profile from the front/back.


robby - 12/3/05 at 08:42 PM

if they "suitably cover" the fronts, does that mean they're ok for rear too, or different rule? should just get the lights on to the rear panel with a wee moulding on the corner.


smart51 - 12/3/05 at 10:09 PM

You'd have to think about the finish on the edges of the side panel and rear panel. They'd be visible through the gap between the body of the car and the arches.

I think it would look prety good. I don't much like the wide rear arches.


Dale - 12/3/05 at 10:32 PM

I like the look of floating rear wings but also worry about the possiblitiy of catching the back of your arm between the the body and wing.
Dale


RoadkillUK - 13/3/05 at 02:15 AM

Far too dangerous IMO, your arms, scarf or any kind of loose clothing could easily get caught in the rear wheel.

Not a nice thought.


robby - 13/3/05 at 07:37 AM

should be safe enough, us hardy jocks don't wear scarves! think i'll phone sva, seems a bit of a grey area...


Triton - 13/3/05 at 09:52 AM

The Riot uses cycle wings on the rear as does the Toniq r


splitrivet - 13/3/05 at 03:13 PM

They look cool on the toniq.
Cheers,
Bob


locost_bryan - 15/3/05 at 01:56 AM

The Elfin MS8 uses cycle wings on the rear - has lights in the main bodywork - surprised that the Aussies don't require them on the guards - they seem to be ruled by a Department of Silly Ideas staffed by silly little people!


TheGecko - 15/3/05 at 02:26 AM

On the topic of Australian Design Rules...

The lighting rules are pretty interesting to read. They have a short preface with some definitions and exclusions and then they just insert the relevant European standards virtually unmodified. For taillights that means the same rules apply as to most currently manufactured vehicles in the world i.e. min 350mm above ground; at least 600mm apart left to right; no more than 400mm from the outer edge of the vehicle. There's more than that of course (mostly to do with viewing angles) but that's the main gist of it (from memory, as I'm at work and don't have a copy of the relevant regs here).

The concept of "silly" regs seems to depend where you're sitting. From my (Aussie) point of view, the UK SVA test seems obsessed with sharp edges. I'm always amused when I see discussion of whether some small bracket in the guts of the front suspension might fail because of sharp edges. The idea that the vehicle should be comprehensively checked for any dangerous sharp edges without ever being comperhensively checked for strength seems crazy (from here).

Likewise, the American situation appears to centre on proving ownership and coming up with a "title" for the vehicle. Title? It's not a block of land - it's just a car.

Here in Oz, we have to prove that the vehicle meets the same standards as current production cars. Those standards, in and of themselves, are nothing unusual and generally align with equivalent standards all around the world. Whether a one-off, home constructed vehicle should need to comply with all of those standards is an ongoing subject of debate, but the standards themselves (mostly) make sense from a safety or enviromental management perspective.

Now, I don't know what the particular pecadillos of the Motor Registry people in New Zealand are, but I'm confident that we can find something to laugh about them from our respective perches around the planet.

Obligatory on-topic comment: I quite like the look of cycle guards all round and the Elfin is a perfect example.


Dominic


David Jenkins - 15/3/05 at 08:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by RoadkillUK
Far too dangerous IMO, your arms, scarf or any kind of loose clothing could easily get caught in the rear wheel.

Not a nice thought.


Like Isadora Duncan... CLICKY

David


Dale - 15/3/05 at 02:10 PM

Be glad your not trying to get one on the road -affordably-aka cheap- in Ont Canada- Write up an affidavit get a title/vin number then go to the local garage and get a safety check and your on the road. Then the insurance companys bend you over their desk and take turns with you. New kit car ( could be a bug engined one or a 600hp cobra they dont care all the same) with a perfect driving record and 40 years old looking close to 3000./year 15 year old kit car with a 1000 hp same record- 300.00 per year. There #$%$ing nuts. Looks like my seven has turned into a hot rod mgb with a chopped mgtd style to it.
Dale
ah I feel better now after venting.


paulf - 15/3/05 at 09:21 PM

Look at the bottom of page 185 in the second edition of the book.
There is a picture of a black and yellow car done in this way.
Paul.


locost_bryan - 15/3/05 at 10:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TheGecko
On the topic of Australian Design Rules...

Now, I don't know what the particular pecadillos of the Motor Registry people in New Zealand are, but I'm confident that we can find something to laugh about them from our respective perches around the planet.
Dominic


After a number of logging trucks rolled and scattered their logs over the public highway, they decided to tell the drivers to drive 10kmh slower while they investigated whether stacking the logs lower would reduce the rollover risk.

They're the usual sort of small-willies that gravitate to bureaucracies - plenty more ludicrous stories to be told!

Fortunately the sport car, hot rod, and motorsport groups in NZ got together to form the Low Volume Vehicle Association to fight for our rights, so we have a reasonably sensible Certification process.


robby - 17/3/05 at 08:31 AM

thanks all, think you've made my mind up for me!