Grill blocks and other "Stock-looking" mods.

[Casey]

I'd like to mod my car- a '93 BMW 318is- for better economy, but I like the way it looks stock. I'm already working up a block for the grill below the kidneys, but what else should be high on the list?

[Cd]

You already have a pretty sleek car as it is.
Must likely, even the under body of the car is already pretty optimal.
Newer cars have small spoilers in front of the front and rear tires. You could add them to your car and it would actually 'update' the look.

If you have large open spoke wheels, replacing them with wheels that are less open, and with a shallow lip will help slightly. ( Just imagine that your hand has to brush across the wheel as it is turning at high speed. That is just what the wind has to do, and the smoother the wheel the better )

Experiment: smooth wheel discs tested A-B-A - 4.6% mpg improvement @ 65 mph


Other than that, I don't think you can do much to the car and keep it stock looking.

Do you have a Scanguage ? The ScanGuage would be the single most effective modification that you could make to the car. Since your car is a '93, it might not be compatible though.

Nice car !

[cfg83]

Casey -

For stealth-aero, a belly pan would be good. But you have to do it right, otherwise it can backfire on you. I wonder if your BMW has any after-market options that you can leverage? If not the full belly-pan, you may be able to get an engine pan and/or a rear diffuser.

CarloSW2