Julian Edgar

Julian Edgar worked as a secondary school teacher for eight years before leaving teaching and becoming a full-time technical writer. He edited a national Australian automotive print magazine before becoming editor of AutoSpeed, an online car magazine. Along the way he wrote extensively for Silicon Chip, an electronics hobbyist magazine, while also contributing articles to publications in Australia, the UK and the US. He has also worked at Executive Level in the Australian Public Service. Formal qualifications include a Diploma in Teaching (Secondary), Bachelor of Education and Graduate Diploma in Journalism. In the automotive field he has owned cars with two, three, four, five, six and eight cylinder engines; diesel, petrol, hybrid and electric drivelines; front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations; and cars with single turbos, twin turbos and superchargers. He enjoys aerodynamic modification of cars. He was the first automotive journalist to extensively tuft test cars and write about the results (starting in 1989), and use Magnehelic gauges to directly measure aerodynamic pressures (in 2000) - both approaches now widely used by amateurs. In 2018 he developed a technique allowing amateurs to measure car aerodynamic panel pressures on the road. In 2022 he developed techniques for measuring changes in drag, and measuring aero lift and downforce. He has been electronically modifying his cars for about 30 years. Over that time he has modified engine management systems, engine cooling systems, turbo boost controls, electric power steering systems, auto transmission controls, all-wheel drive torque split controls, stability controls, hybrid car regenerative braking controls, and lighting and sound systems. Over his driving career he has modified the suspension of many cars. Modifications have included changing springs, shocks and sway bars; modifying all-wheel drive torque split controls; developing and fitting custom air suspension systems with electronic controls; and developing innovative suspension systems for Human Powered Vehicles (HPVs). Julian has supercharged - and then turbocharged - a Toyota Prius. He has also turbocharged a Gen 1 Honda Insight and fitted it with programmable engine management, doing the engine mapping from scratch.The Insight has extensive aero modifications that give it measurable downforce, while at the same time achieving low drag. Designing and building loudspeaker systems is another interest. Many of Julian's loudspeaker designs have been published in print magazines and on the web. He has an extensive home workshop that is equipped with a chassis dyno; hoist; lathe; mill; MIG, TIG and oxy welding gear; metal folder and other tools. Julian lives in a hamlet 80 kilometres north of Canberra, Australia. He is married to Georgina and they have a son, Alexander, who is 19 years old. Also in the family are one cat, three sheep and four chooks!