idea to completely Streamline a car

[collegekid01]

So when covering my house windows with that shrink wrap stuff I was thinking, "What If I used this on the front and back of my car to make it streamlined?" My Idea is to make a sort of tent over the front and rear of the car. The tape for the plastic for the back would go on the sides of the trunk, the back of the trunk, the sides of the back window, and the back roof line. Then the front would be basically the same, the front of the hood the sides of the hood, the sides of the windshield, and the front of the roof line. The only thing I'm not sure of is how the plastic would hold up in high speeds. It would be fairly simple though. A pack of two HUGE sheets and tape is only 10 bucks at Home Depot. The down side is no access to the hood and trunk for awhile... maybe there's a way around it. what do you guys think?

[GasSavers_GasUser]

I think you are on to something. You could shrink wrap it like they do boats, except use clear plastic. Cut out the drivers door and tape that up so you can get in and out. It also has to get air though for both intake and vents. Then test it. I'll bet it would be more aerodynamic.

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by collegekid01

The only thing I'm not sure of is how the plastic would hold up in high speeds.

It sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it would hold up very well at high speed. I think it would be especially hard to keep the plastic on the back of the car because the air would be blowing the plastic around and putting stress on the tape all of the time. Another thing to consider is the fact that winter is coming on and the plastic would be more brittle and lots of glue on tape doesn't stick as well in cold temperatures.

[Rick Rae]

basjoos would be the one to weigh in on sturdiness... he's probably done more with plastic than all the rest of us put together.

For that matter, he definitely knows his aerodynamics and could probably comment on potential benefits, too.

FWIW, I used clear packing tape to form a grille block last year. The adhesive was pretty gnarly by the end of the season, but it did hold up okay from Fall to Spring. Of course, even though almost the entire width of the tape was unsupported, that doesn't compare at all with square yards of plastic being abused by the wind. (Which is why I started with "FWIW." )

Rick

[Jay2TheRescue]

I seen shrink wrapped boats going down the highway on trailers at 70+ MPH all the time and I've never seen one with the plastic peeling off.

-Jay

[GasSavers_BEEF]

but what about if water were to condense on the inside of the plastic?

you couldn't see out of it. you couldn't turn on the defrost to defog the window because the plastic would be fogged up.

if you did decide to do it, I would make sure that your side view mirrors are sufficient and that you can still see your break lights.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I think that goes without saying that you won't cover the glass. Yes, you can get clear plastic film, but not optically pure plastic without paying a small fortune. If you covered the glass or lights you'd almost be guaranteed to get a blue light special

-Jay

[collegekid01]

I was thinking this stuff
and putting it like this

that stuff is crystal clear after you shrink it I have some over my house windows right now
But after giving it a few days I realized that the front wouldn't have a wiper and snow and what not would build up. The back could still be a possibility though...

[collegekid01]

not that my car isn't aerodynamic enough lol! what a joke, it's like a brick with wheels

[Ford Man]

I wonder if you shrink wrap the headlight, grill, and air dam area if that would make it any more aerodynamic? The air would then be hitting a sloped surface instead of a flat one. It seems to me that would help some, but would the part that wasn't sticking to anything be clear enough to let the lights pass through it well enough to be safe? Since you're in Ohio where there is lots of snow if you put it on the back like you're showing would it be durable enough to handle the weight of snow and ice during the winter? How much does the shrink wrap cost? If it is pretty inexpensive you could give it a try. Could you attach it to the top of the car and to the edge and back of the trunk lid so you'd still have access to the trunk in case of a flat or just needing the space? It might also work for rear fender skirts during the summer when you wouldn't be getting the weight of snow and ice on it. It really looks like a good idea if you can make it work.