jeep aero mod ideas

[johnpr]

ok ive been mulling over some ideas for my wrangler, i have mentioned an idea for a slant back top, and have been wanting to do a grill block etc etc. so here is a list and a (somewhat cruddy) drawing of my ideas.

*grill block
*add a fuel door
*belly pan
*close gap between front fender and bumper
*possible rear wheel skirt (still not sold on the idea)
*make a hard top,

ok the top is really the biggest thing, many people dont like doing aeromods because they have to permanently change the vehicle, possibly killing resale, well the jeep has a removable top so no harm, no fowl. what i am curious about, what should i use for angles A and B and i know that the longer i make it the better, but i think i am only willing to add an extra 3 ft to the end of my jeep (dimension c)

*removable "windshield extension" - light blue region

i am going to be towing the beast across country this summer and i think that having this would help with FE but not sure, i will be towing it behind my 2007 4 dr wrangler which i hope to also do a top for.

so any other ideas i should try or any other advice?

also, there are a few things i wont/ cant do they are

*lower vehicle
*narrower tires
*air dam (i feel this would increase the front area too much and i plan on a belly pan so...)

other than those i am pretty willing to entertain other ideas, and yes radical ideas are good, for instance i entertained folding the windshield down and making a top that would cover my seats thus drastically reducing frontal area but alas i need the room for cargo. also when i tow the vehicle i will have the tires aired up to max safe amount.

john

[johnpr]

also not that it matters but this specific jeep (in the picture) is not mine, i have steel rims a brush guard and a winch on mine, to most people thats not a big difference but to some it is, also, i was thinking of making disks to cover my rims but not sure yet

[Red]

How far do your tires stick out beyond the flares? Even with the OEM Goodyears, I had enough sidewall out side to prevent a good rear wheel cover.

Any belly ideas? Dragging the front axle around has to add a fair amount of drag. Same with our open engine bays. Been toying with the idea of getting some mud flaps or rubber sheet or something and extending the factory splash guards down to where my engine skid mounts, sealing the engine compartment and ideally smoothing out that area.

We mainly need a new windshield.....

[Cd]

I had to ask : Why ?

Actually since you are starting with just about the most un-aerodynamic vehicle on the road, you could see some real improvements from aero. mods whereas we folks with our jelly bean cars will really have to get radical with our changes to see any difference.
Also, Jeeps are such 'rough ' vehicles that you could have a clear PVC boattail and it wouldn't look all that out of place. ( But the whole pile of junk would come crashing to the ground once you hit one pot hole . )

Do you have a 2WD or a 4WD ?

[johnpr]

im thinking of doing a full belly pan, the axles are the only problem that ive seen so far, my wheels dont stick out from the wheel wells at (surprising seeing as it originally had 215 width tires and now has 235's).

as for why.... well i love jeeps, its how i ended up with a brick on 4 wheels, the only thing i dont like is the impact on the environment, hence the reasoning for wanting to do some aeromods (gas prices dont really bother me if that where the case i would just convert it to electric lol) as for the boattail, i plan on making it a little sturdier than pvc, i will be making a full top with the tail integrated in so as to make it one structural "self supporting" piece, it will definately be fiberglass (with plexi windows) and probably have a foam core and a wood frame, i have experience working with fiberglass so this isnt tat huge of a project for me.

and for reference it is 4WD

john

[Cd]

Originally Posted by johnpr

as for why.... well i love jeeps, its how i ended up with a brick on 4 wheels, the only thing i dont like is the impact on the environment, hence the reasoning for wanting to do some aeromods
john

Funny you should say that because I just ran across an electric Jeep much like yours. The guy claims it climbs over stuff no problem.
I 'll have to find the link.

As far as modding a Jeep because that is what you love, more power to ya !

And as you know ... going with a 2WD setup would result in better fuel economy .... but why ? It's a Jeep and Jeeps almost need 4WD !

[Red]

All real jeeps have 4WD Its only on the recent generation, the JKs that 2WD is offered.

I've seen an electric ZJ, but never seen an electric TJ. Any links .Cd? Would be cool an EV TJ.

Another hang up on the belly pan is the LCA. Although it would only affect your TJ since they hang below the frame, the JKs are almost parallel.

[DifferentPointofView]

All real jeeps have 4WD Its only on the recent generation, the JKs that 2WD is offered.

hey!

Your boat tail will not do anything if there is no air flow attachment. Jeeps have such a high windshield angle, that the air doesn't re-attach to the roof of your jeep, and just whooshes upward into the sky, as you can tell during the rain .

Have you ever thought of a moon/sun visor? they go on top of the roof at the windshield, and the air hits the visor, and re-directs the air to the top. AndLund moon/sun visors have a patented air flow design for improved aerodynamics. Although what makes it patented I don't know, but it definitely isn't solid and lets air through.


It's mounted on what i *think* is a ZJ. I of course, wouldn't pay the money for one, and I'd just home brew my own. Might not look the best but, it would0 save quite a bit of cash. I'd extend it more rearward, it looks to not redirect the air enough.

I'd make one if I were you, only i wouldn't make it permanent. I'd make the most out of your boat-tail.

[Red]

Way back when I had brought a bug shield for my TJ, in its current form it sends all airflow straight to the moon, but I wonder, if it was recut to a less drastic deflection angle, then paired with a windshield visor, could the two of them act as a bypass for half of the front end? The bug shield shifts the air flow towards the top of the windshield, then the visor shunts it back over the top?

Some pictures what it looks like





And some simulated "air flow" testing with a hose.

[DifferentPointofView]

Original link

(from JCW) Extended approx. 6" to 8" from windshield (depending on vehicle) to improve aerodynamics and reduce glare. Can be used with bug deflectors.

I don't know, but I think I read somewhere that with the use of a bug deflector, they can be used in unison.

[johnpr]

i hate to say it but 2WD has been an option on jeeps for years mostly for the people who use them just for getting groceries or going to the beach (and lets not forget the old mail jeeps)

anyhow, i have been considering a sun/moon visor, i would have to make one myself (no company offers one for the wranglers that i have found), i am curious though as to how much it will help. the windshield angle has been something that has been bothering me, hence the removable extended windshield idea for when i tow it but i have been trying to think of something more permanent. i will try to incorporate a sunvisor of some sort into my design, i sounds like a practical idea.

thanks guys for your input, definately adding some more stuff to think about. i wonder .cd if you know what kind of range the electric powered jeep gets? i do have longer travels so right now it is impractical but something i want to consider nonetheless.

[DifferentPointofView]

Red, I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but not only is the water going upward, it's also gonna be hit by air molecules at highway speed, which makes it curve more that what the water is. So *maybe* it will push it enough to hit the tip of the windshield. Otherwise I'm not certain. The angle definitely gets steeper at the tip. If that wasn't there, maybe it would work with the sun-visor.

i will try to incorporate a sunvisor of some sort into my design, i sounds like a practical idea.

That, and you get less sun in your eyes I'm thinking theres no one that makes one because wranglers and the like don't really... have a roof to mount it on... If you could clip it on the windshield part at like, the sides it might work. I don't know. it's sorta tricky with a roofless suv.

[Red]

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

Red, I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but not only is the water going upward, it's also gonna be hit by air molecules at highway speed, which makes it curve more that what the water is. So *maybe* it will push it enough to hit the tip of the windshield. Otherwise I'm not certain. The angle definitely gets steeper at the tip. If that wasn't there, maybe it would work with the sun-visor.

That, and you get less sun in your eyes I'm thinking theres no one that makes one because wranglers and the like don't really... have a roof to mount it on... If you could clip it on the windshield part at like, the sides it might work. I don't know. it's sorta tricky with a roofless suv.

Yeah, its hard to tell. I wanted to try another method to test but I couldn't find any volunteers at the time. Requires two vehicles and a bunch of flares doubt it very legal though.....

Well it could mount to the top of the windshield frame. Most light bars do something similar, but they tend to bolt to the bottom hinge.

[aerohead]

soften every leading edge that you can,especially around the top and sides of the windshield frame.Close all the gaps which allow air into the front wheels.An airdam which extends as low as the bottom of your lowest suspension member will give you a lot of the good a bellypan might.Allow some radius at the outer edges of the dam,or you'll have separated flow.Side body extensions including the front fenders which extend as low as the front airdam will allow air to go "around",rather than "through" the chassis.Don't do the grille-block until you've done these things,as you need to lower your cooling "load"first,or run the risk of overheating.As mentioned by other members,the hardtop will do you no good if you can't get a handle on separated flow in the front of the JEEP.If you can get the flow attached,the roofline can save you big time money.Model yours after the military version of the HUMVEE fastback.The flow will separate,and you can help that with a rear spoiler.You'll have a simple shape,easy to build and get on the vehicle.Rather than the dramatic upsweep,as depicted in your graphic,allow the bottom of the vehicle angle up at no more than 2-3 degrees,starting out,then further back,allow it a steeper angle to clear driveways,hill-climbing and such. Darin has posted a photo of CAR and DRIVER's Crisis Fighter Pinto article of 1974 in the blogs.Follow that lead on the JEEP and you'll be thumbing your nose at the gas pump.

[johnpr]

thanks for the advice, i'll work on some of this first

[crexcrex]

It wasn't too long ago when the price of gas hit an all time high of 1.00 per liter and that is when the jeep that i modded parted company, may it rest in peace as a Honda!

Unfortunately i am a sculptor of rock and in this instance a brick on four wheels inspite of the efforts to get better gas mileage pushing it over a cliff was a temptation that haunted me. That one 86 Cj 7 258 six banger with a five speed tranny. Fastback hard or soft tops, going doorless dumping excess steel and throwing on puny 235's was nothing more than a excersise in futility, from 16 miles per gallon to a paltry 26 highway city? 19...........

The days of the jeep are numbered after all it is not only a fuel sucking pig, they also ruin what nature remains. I readily admit that i was foolhardy and drove a brick no if's and buts.

A fuel efficient jeep? not in your lifetime even if you were a green 16 year old.

My thoughts are simply to sell and become a fuel sipping lunatic and buy whatever you decide, perhaps a dodge power wagon?

By the way the Jeep wave applied to those who had cj's, not tj's, yj's or cherokee's and as far as it is a jeep thing! it simply means that tearing up the contryside was a macho thing to do. How many did i own before i saw the eco lite? 18 genuine cj's fives and sevens two mb's and more.

keep your jeep if you can afford the gas, ecomodding a jeep? zero
wish you luck

[crexcrex]

Aerohead is running at the lip don't let his idea's give you false hope after all when they built a tank it was not for fuel efficiency. Now if you will tell us all what the jeep weighs, i know but not everyone else does'nt don't forget to include your add ons re winch etc, so your total weight is? and the number of horseies under the hood plus your gear ratio.

Turning a bush warrior into a street machine, why bother buy a car and free yourself from a brick!

[sweatbrah]

so basically if you want better mpg ...swap with a diesel.. 2.8 or less and you will see 30 mpg on freeway...and if you want to get off the paying at the pump make your own biodiesel... yes yes lots of work and money for such a project but its the only way in a jeep and still keep your jeep functional...

[crexcrex]

A good swap would be a diesel and if you want to get the mileage up there get rid of a lot of the dead iron that is taking a free ride and doing nothing for fuel efficiency, If i could a few years ago get 26-28 from a 258 six banger, you may well kick 35................

The cost factor and time and effort has to be worthwhile to you otherwise get with the program and buy what is affordable and possibly modded for economy
best of luck

[sweatbrah]

haha yah honestly.. Something practical hasn't crossed my mind yet haha.. it's a lot of work and money but heck if you love your jeep as much as I do I would want to drive my jeep on and off road and diesel is just perfect specially if you run biodiesel .. Save some bucks... But been looking at building an ev bike or car ( not sure what kind.. Probably something inpractical haha) still planning both out cause I have a short drive to school and it would be a fun alternative plus a rad project