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Phido's Model 3 and reducing drag experiments

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Hi Yall,

I have recently purchased a 2023 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Obviously a fantastic car and I am very happy with it. Its fast, its efficient, its practical, its long ranged. Its awesome.

However, I don't know what it is, but I really want to play and experiment with reducing drag on the car, not for any particularly productive reason, I'm not overtly interested in increasing range, or lowering operating costs. I guess I am just interested if there is any way to improve on the already significantly aerodynamically good Model 3.

Nothing expensive, just cardboard, flute board and masking tape. Nothing permanent or extensive. I am just curious where gains can be made, by how much and what that would look like. Many of the aerodynamic compromises are to serve other purposes, no one likes wheel spats, so they used air curtains, but spats could be fitted and then you wouldn'tneed the curtain, the front is designed to channel air into the cooling and wheel curtains, not perhaps to be the most aerodynamic shape on its own. A boat tail is impractical, but gains could be had.

Below is a picture attached, maybe rounding out and protruding the nose, blocking most of the cooling duct, rear (and maybe front) wheel spats, and a bit of a boat tail to clean up the air out the back. Maybe some soft rubber skirting. Maybe moondisc style wheel covers.

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You probably don't want to mess with the nose. Proper airflow into the heat exchanger is critical to maintaining the thermal management. Both of the cabin and the battery. Especially the motor(s) and battery.

It already has shutters.
At the very least, you will want some ability to monitor battery, coolant, and motor temps! The Abstract Ocean kits have you plug a bluetooth adaptor into the bus under the console to work the buttons, but the app itself provides such information.

Good luck, @Phido ! I, too, have been experimenting with aerodynamic efficiency, but in the opposite direction :p .


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How'd you get a long range in 2023? They're not making them.

Take the side mirrors off. They cause enough drag to reduce range by 10%.
I live in Australia, we get our cars from China. They definitely are still making lr model 3s, they even come with parking sensors and a umc. I'm a happy owner.

Yeh the side mirrors are something, don't really want to remove, just improve. But it would be an easy gain. Maybe I can replace the with much smaller mirrors, coin sized.
 
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I have a silver (not Midnight Silver Metallic) Model 3 worth chrome trim and I would get these MoonEyes wheel covers if I still had my original aero wheels. Moon Disc for Tesla Model 3 hub cap

Gonna get these and paint/vinyl wrap a big yellow smiley face on one wheel, a pink sprinkled donut on one wheel, an anarchy sign on one wheel, and a portrait of my buddy's mom on one wheel.
 
Are you sure rounding the nose will get better Cd? I think the Model S Cd improved going from 2.4 to 2.08 by using more square nose vs round. I believe the goal was to channel air to the sides of the car vs over under.