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From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: net.rec.ski
Subject: Re: ski tips, up or down?
Message-ID: <860@ames.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Mar-85 17:44:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.860
Posted: Sat Mar  9 17:44:36 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Mar-85 08:12:40 EST
References: <518@intelca.UUCP> <3230@utah-cs.UUCP> <154@columbia.UUCP>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 27

Before breaking bones, i pondered this long lasting philosphical
question.  Rather than ponder long, i decided to try and experiment.
My car is a 78 VW diesel rabbit which normally get around 50 mpg.
new: the engine is rated at 48 horsepower, so air resistance
has a major effect on mileage since it has so little power.
most of my driving was normally highway since i usually biked to work.
i have an overhead roof rack

my question was whether it was worth taking the rack off while
not carrying skis.  i found that driving with a rack with one person
resulted in 10% less mileage than without a rack over the same distance.
i tried to make conditions as equal as possible: driving while there
was minimal wind, and so forth.
i conclude that the resistance of the rack has a greater effect
on mileage than skis.  putting a car on a wind tunnel might not
have the same measurements compared to driving the car.  any such experiment
must take these factors into account.
perhaps we all should get together and publish a paper on this subject
in SKIki magazine?

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Research Center
  {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene
  emiya@ames-vmsb.ARPA

p.s. i don't use a rack if two or fewer are going in my car as was the case
on my last ski trip.