Am I the only person here that thinks that the front grill looks like a Ford Taurus?

[Johan]

I am looking to customize my car by blacking out all of the chrome, power coating the 21" wheels matte black and having a body shop somehow fabricate a new front grill in black (similar to this one I saw online, but in black)

So, anyone have any good thoughts on if replacing the regular, smooth nosecone with something like this (gridded pattern) would possibly impact aerodynamics (hence range) at highway speeds? I know there is no radiator behind there and no air flowing through those tiny holes, but would the gridded surface somehow create a more turbulent flow around the nose thereby ruining some of the aerodynamics?

 

[celter]

Maybe it would improve the aerodynamics?
OP: is this a commercial available grill?

 

[Johan]

Maybe it would improve the aerodynamics?

Yeah well, one thing I've learnt while reading up on the Model S is that real-life aerodynamics is anything but simple. It's not like laminar flow is always better than turbulent either, depending on how and where the turbulence happens, shape of the object, size, if you're creating the turbulence in front, under, over or behind the object etc. etc. etc. (Think golf ball with dimples which flies much longer than a smooth ball would, however this is a round and small object, not a car...)

 

[ModelS1079]

I am excited to get my model S P85 in late March however I dont like 2 things about the car

1) All of the chrome (straight out of the 80's)
2) The ugly bubbled-out cheap looking front grill

I am looking to customize my car by blacking out all of the chrome, power coating the 21" wheels matte black and having a body shop somehow fabricate a new front grill in black (similar to this one I saw online, but in black)

Thoughts and input and/or suggestions appreciated.

Chrome is back. 1950s. Classic car. Classy car. Fast car. Enjoy.

 

[rlpm]

Yeah well, one thing I've learnt while reading up on the Model S is that real-life aerodynamics is anything but simple. It's not like laminar flow is always better than turbulent either, depending on how and where the turbulence happens, shape of the object, size, if you're creating the turbulence in front, under, over or behind the object etc. etc. etc. (Think golf ball with dimples which flies much longer than a smooth ball would, however this is a round and small object, not a car...)

MythBusters did a segment where they covered a car in clay, then cut out golf-ball-like dimples. They actually did get better mileage!

 

[Johan]

MythBusters did a segment where they covered a car in clay, then cut out golf-ball-like dimples. They actually did get better mileage!

From the following thread: Aerodynamics

I am a degreed mechanical engineer and deal with pipe flow (the second easiest type of fluids, the easiest is flow over an infinite flat plate) all the time. And never really had to deal with compressible flow. And when doing real calculations you don't do the actual fluids problem. You use a simplified model which is still hard to deal with. I was (sort of still am) an avid cyclist and so looked at a lot of practical aerodynamic problems.

Fluids and Power Electronics were two of my favorite classes in college. Those and my physics classes were great.

As to why we don't see dimples there are really 3 reasons. First, is people wont buy cars with weird dimples on them. Second, is that non-dimple features can provide the same effects. Say the gap between body panels. Little lips and valleys can do that too. And third, this level of aerodynamics is hard/time consuming/expensive/has a small overall effect that car manufacturers haven't spent much time on it. The 'look' of a car will sell way more units than a single percent fuel economy improvement. And that even on cars a small crosswind will completely change the aerodynamics of the car that often times your 'improvement' isn't really all that effective.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Simple fix - wrap the cone with carbon fibre.

I was thinking about doing this -- I dinged my cone rolling forward into a wall (don't ask), and one simply can't repair damage to hard plastic. Has anyone wrapped their nosecone yet? Pics?

 

[HFh]

I was unhappy about the chrome before I got the car. It's nowhere near as shiny as I thought it would be. In fact the silver wheels are significantly shinier.

 

[Jason]

No wrap, but I commiserate with you - blown tire from truck scratched mine up bad. I was thinking same thing of doing a wrap. I'll post pic if I can get it done somewhere around here.

 

[artsci]

I have a spare nose cone on order for installation of the Blinder 905 laser jammer sensors. So I'll have something to experiment with when my car is delivered in April. Any suggestions from those who have thought about what could be done? Although I'm perfectly happy with the Tesla design, with the spare I can try out the ideas of those who are not.

 

[Cattledog]

Am I the only person here that thinks that the front grill looks like a Ford Taurus?

Yes.

 

[artsci]

Am I the only person here that thinks that the front grill looks like a Ford Taurus?

Yes.

Agree.

 

[PorscheDealer]

Brianman dont be confused...i want to add the mesh grill, but in "black"

 

[brianman]

Brianman dont be confused...i want to add the mesh grill, but in "black"

Aha! Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Beavis]

Since you posted this on a site with a lot of owners and reservation holders, I think the obvious concensus here is that it doesn't look like a Taurus. But you asked for opinions on your proposed mod, so I'll give mine. You need to remove all the emblems, add a body kit and install some ground effects. They would go nicely with the black mesh grill.

 

[djwang2000]

Sorry, that's hideous. As for the chrome -- to each their own -- but I can tell you most luxury sedans have a similar look.

 

[petero]

Endura Bumper Circa 1968

Agree.

A couple of months ago I forwarded this YouTube video to Mr. George B of TM. He liked it and forwarded it to the design team. I am not a fan of the black plastic nose cone not due to aesthetics but because it seems very vulnerable to parking damage.

Anyway, here is the link to a 1968 Pontiac GTO, Endura Bumper commercial. TM could make the bumper the same color as the body.

1968 Pontiac GTO (commercial) - YouTube

 

[Johan]

A couple of months ago I forwarded this YouTube video to Mr. George B of TM. He liked it and forwarded it to the design team. I am not a fan of the black plastic nose cone not due to aesthetics but because it seems very vulnerable to parking damage.

Anyway, here is the link to a 1968 Pontiac GTO, Endura Bumper commercial. TM could make the bumper the same color as the body.

1968 Pontiac GTO (commercial) - YouTube

Cool! But that bumper is an aerodynamic nightmare. Think "airtrap"

 

[petero]

Johan. Thanks, I was referring to TM using an 'endura' type material in a shape that is the same or compliments the Model S. The hard, black, plastic, nose cone is not going to hold up to bumps and bruises.

 

[Amin]

Love this grill, if you can get someone to fabricate - I'd love to know who...