Curious on what you guys think?

[silvercolly07]

So i did a few quick sketches of my truck (2007 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Z71 3.7l 4x4), not the greatest but it gets the point across. If there is anything you can think of that might help that would be awesome.

Thanks
MO

[Shortie771]

Images aren't working... I think you need 5 post before you can post images.

[silvercolly07]

Pictures should be showing now

[Shortie771]

First of all, welcome to ecomodder!!

Looks good. You should definitely get rid of your mudflaps though. A belly pan will help A LOT on such a high vehicle as well. If you are going to block the entire grill you should watch your temps carefully to be sure that you do not overheat (I have experienced this), I think you will be ok though because you have a bunch of airflow from below the vehicle.

I remember reading somewhere that about 50% of the aerodynamic drag on larger vehicles comes from the wheels and wheel wells. How accurate that number is, I am unsure of, but you can expect to see good results by covering your wheels with smooth hubcaps and if you are willing, rear wheel skirts.

As for the aerocap (truck bed cover), for best results you should carefully consider the angle of the roofline and design something to fit the "aerodynamic template". For that, you should take a picture of the side of your car, from a distance and then follow this thread.

What are your mpg goals? How far are you willing to go in terms of aerodynamic mods?

[silvercolly07]

Thanks for the welcome and Thanks for the info, I was debating about the rear wheel skirts, I'm really hoping to get closer to the 30 mark, more would be nice but I'm probably going to need to take baby steps at first, I'm hoping to be getting one of the scanguages this week so I can monitor things better. Sorry for run on doing it on phone.

[Shortie771]

We all start with baby steps, heck I'm still crawling... All of the little things add up. A grill block is a great place to start, it's cheap, easy and not very time consuming, depending on how complex you get... Mine took a few weeks, but if you keep it simple you could be done with yours in an hour.

A Scangauge will make a huge difference in helping you "adjust the nut behind the wheel". Changing your driving habits is probably the single best thing that you can do to increase your fuel efficiency. It's all about little changes, like going from 70mph on the highway to 60mph, turning your engine off before you shift into park, turning your car off at red lights... The list goes on.

From easiest to hardest, a few quick and easy mods you can start with (if willing) that will help you save a few extra drops are:

Max Sidewall PSI in Tires
Roof Rack Delete (if you have on)
Mud Flaps Delete
Radio Antenna Relocate
Grill Block
Smooth Wheel Covers
Warm Air Intake
Side Mirror Delete/Relocate (maybe not, if you do a lot of towing)

You can get more info on all of these mods HERE

[silvercolly07]

Thanks for the tips and links, since I've been lurking on the site for about the past week before actually joining. I've been trying done stuff but a little hard when you can't monitor anything. And thanks once again

[Shortie771]

Originally Posted by silvercolly07

Thanks for the tips and links, since I've been lurking on the site for about the past week before actually joining. I've been trying done stuff but a little hard when you can't monitor anything. And thanks once again

Not a problem. I noticed you have been lurking, when looked into your fuel log (totally not stalker-ish). Like I said before, the best thing you can do is change how you drive. Just from your tank-to-tank fill-ups you can see if you have been improving and from the looks of it you fill up often. If you are willing to try engine off coasting, you can see huge gains from it. WARNING: Before you attempt engine off coasting, be 100% sure your vehicle is capable of being flat-towed with the driving wheels on the ground!!! If not than I am afraid you are stuck with 2 options... Swap for a manual transmission or coast in nuetral.

I have recently installed an EOC switch into my car and I use it every chance I get. If I am going to be coasting or stopped for more than 10 seconds, the engine is going off. From this, a grill block and a little DWL I have gone from 33mpg average up to my current best tank of 41.7mpg!!

[JRMichler]

YAY, another Colorado/Canyon owner. Here's what I did to my 06 Canyon: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...yon-17070.html

My grille block changed slightly after hitting a deer. The main grille is still 100% blocked, the two openings on either side of the license plate are 100% blocked with acrylic plastic, the opening under the license plate holder is 100% blocked with Gorilla tape, the fog light covers have been removed, and the slit between the grille and the bumper is now open. No signs of overheating, but the highest temperature has only been 70 degrees.

[Shortie771]

Originally Posted by JRMichler

YAY, another Colorado/Canyon owner. Here's what I did to my 06 Canyon: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...yon-17070.html

My grille block changed slightly after hitting a deer. The main grille is still 100% blocked, the two openings on either side of the license plate are 100% blocked with acrylic plastic, the opening under the license plate holder is 100% blocked with Gorilla tape, the fog light covers have been removed, and the slit between the grille and the bumper is now open. No signs of overheating, but the highest temperature has only been 70 degrees.

Wow, you did an excellent job on your topper. I looked through the pics and it looks great. Also looked through your modding thread and it seems that fully enclosing the grill block netted you 1mpg in the summer, but it really seems to pay off best in the winter, giving you 2mpg. I guess it does a decent job at keeping that engine warm Keep up the good work!

I am not sure how the temps get for the OP though, so it probably wouldn't hurt to monitor your engine temps just in case. Better safe than sorry in this case. I would rather take the time to check my temps than end up with a warped head (probably worst case scenario).

Can't wait to see you start getting those numbers up. Sill waiting to see a truck with a belly pan with actual A-B-A testing to show the gain.