Fuel Cells
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Loco Honkey
Banned
The purpose of a fuel cell isn't so much as to save weight as it is to make it safer and free up some space underneath the car for things like undertrays and diffusers. Since the cell is inside the car and it has the entire car and cage around it, it makes it infinetly more difficult to puncture in a crash.
haccord141
Senior Member
true, but what are undertrays and diffusers and what do they do?
haccord141
Senior Member
ok, and the trays keep the bottom of the car flat so it doesn't creat air build up right?
yes but in the case that the fuel cell does get punctured inside the car during a crash, doesnt it make it that much more dangerous because you have gas spewing all over the inside of the car and if it ignites you would have flames directly inside the car. rather then having it somewhat sheilded from the inside by the shell of the car.
and im not positive on this, but isnt a fuel cell easier to puncture then a stock fuel tank? it just looks less sturdy (sp?) to me, i dunno i could be wrong.
i do agree on the space saving thing, for diffusers and such, but does anyone make diffusers for hondas? does the tank have to be removed to use them? more specificaly are there any for a crx? and doesnt a diffuser only help at high speeds? where would a diffuser be an advantage over not having one, what kind(s) of racing?
sorry to jack your thread
haccord141
Senior Member
fuel cells are made to be somewhat bomb proof, for crying out loud your racing! y would a stock honda fuel tank be better than a fuel cell. The only fuel tank that is romotely equal the the fuel cell would be the one that mercadies (sp?) made, it is supposed to be bomb proof.
Loco Honkey
Banned
It's virtuall impossible to puncture a cell that's mounted inside the car, in which a cage is mounted as well. The car would have to be completely crushed in order for the cell to be punctured. If this were the case, I think a fire would be no more harmful to the driver than the sudden lack of space inside the car.
No comment. However, I will say that air management through and around modified imports is vastly overlooked. Now that I have a project car, I'm gearing up to start fabricating some parts that you've never seen before. Don't even ask; I'm not going to say. The last time I ran my mouth, someone beat me to it because they had the resources to make said product. I will say this- what I'll be developing will improve handling, increase top speed, improve high speed accelleration, increase dynamic stability, and will improve fuel mileage. Think it's snake oil? Stay tuned.
Aerodynamic enhancements start to come into play at around 40 MPH, depending on their design and speed range in which they're intended to be used. As for what kinds of racing; well, any type of racing where you're concerned with absolut performance above 40 MPH.
No worries. Start a new one if you want to talk aerodynamics. The information I give will be limited, however, as I don't want to leak too much about my ideas.
hcivic.com
Senior Member
the main reson fuel cells are used is also due to the internal honey comb structure the prevts fuel slpashing and movment
i was more referring to the possibility of the cell getting dislodged and getting thrown around inside the car, which could cause it to rupture, leak, etc.
thanks for the slight aerodynamic lesson. cause what i was thinking was that those diffusers didnt help until high speeds (100+).
in addition how would removing your existing gas tank in favor of a fuel cell affect aerodynamics? i mean you would have this big empty space under the car now. do they just leave the existing tank in place if you do not fill up the empty space with a plate or diffuser? jus wondering what the general concensus is with this. leave the empty tank, or jus have a big hole?
Canuck 93 Civic Si
Senior Member
Originally posted by E_SolSi@Oct 26 2003, 06:22 PM
you want the car as light as possible
you want the underside of the car as smooth as possible
you want the air coming out the rear as non-turbulant as possible
from there draw your own conclusions
Exactly. Fuel cells are usually mounted in a way that is much stronger then a conventional fuel tank. Gas tanks on hondas just use two metal straps to hold everything in place, fuel cells on the other hand either use straps on have mounting points on them for bolting. Fuel cells are also made stronger. Its a metal or aluminum box as opposed to a plastic one. As for the space left under your car, its probobly a good idea to try and make a plate that fills the hole and if possible goes all the way to the bottom edge of the rear bumper. the less ammount of meterial you have pordruding into the airstream, the better. If youve ever seen someone drag racing without a rear bumper, thats why. If you look at the profile of the bottom of a car you have the floor, gas tank, spare tire well then a space, then the rear bumper. The airstream will fill the space and the bumper acts like an airbrake, slowing you down.
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