Tilting Quad Velomobile

[Ronald]

Thank you, sir. Yours is a posting with huge amounts of experience & desired information. Do you notice weaker side gusts? Obviously, more severe gusts would be bothersome, even dangerous.
If my preliminary 2 wheel body is light, sturdy, & easily enough built, I'll be doing both 2 & 3 wheel streamliners. I've been caught in torential downpours miles from shelter, & had to ride in freezing weather, so a body is highly desirable in addition to the aerodynamic benefits. I want ability to cruise at 30 to 40 mph.

 

[velocoupe]

Hi Ronald
About the effects of gusty side winds-- a proper concern as the velo looks somewhat skinny and quite tall parked between my Mazda and the Corolla. I'll definitely test it out after I've installed the tail section.
From my experience with my previous working model, (same width, +5 cm taller with edgy coroplast corners) there were no issues in 20 (+) km/hr winds because I constantly control vehicle tilt. I could definitely feel the force of the wind but it did not feel destabilizing. So I'm optimistic about the roll-over-resistance of my current build in stronger winds, especially since the author of the Left Handed Cyclist Blog claims that with Direct Tilt Control a rider can hold a vehicle at max lean (or in my case-anywhere along the range of tilt), and can corner with an extra .38 Gees compared to a Free Tilter and .61 Gees greater than a Non Tilter of comparable dimensions. I'm assuming that managing the forces when cornering is somewhat similar to resisting the side wind forces--a questionable assumption since I have minimal theoretical knowledge about such stuff.
Your comments about a an enclosed design resonate with me, especially the sheltered part.
I'm focused on building a fun-to-ride machine which is both practical (sheltered with secure storage) and feels safe to ride within my city"s cycle lanes and pathways.
What is your plan? Fast inter-city travel? Racing? Do you have any preliminary sketches of what it will look like? It sounds interesting- looking forward to your build posts.
Cheers