Scion xA aero mods

[NeilBlanchard]

The most I ever pumped in was my most recent tank: 11.47 gallons. On my gauge, actual empty is in the middle of the E -- look at the position of the needle when the car is turned off? As you ecodrive more, you'll gain some confidence about how far you can drive after the blinking gas light comes on.

I have not done any mechanical mods, other than a "cold" air intake with the K&N filter. My only electrical "mod" is to use mostly LED bulbs on the turn signals and marker lights, etc.

Are you coasting in neutral to carry speed, or downshifting to use the engine braking when you need to slow down? I also shut the car off at long traffic lights; when I either know the cycle and/or when I can see the yellow light on the crossing road, so I know to start it just before the green comes on.

[harshalsk]

Interesting. For my car I see 'R' instead of 'E' Character. May be it means Reserve!
If it is halfway on the 'E' or 'R' then that means I at least have a gallon more to go. I have AAA coverage so I should be brave enough to let it empty

I was on the fence about coasting (on my auto transmission xA) after reading this thread.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...html#post30732

I do coast in neutral with engine on at one place in my commute where I have a 1+ mile of preety good slope and the stop sign at the end.

I do turn off my car at couple of logner duration lights though.

[NeilBlanchard]

If you need to carry speed, then I think coasting in neutral is going to be best FE. If you need to slow down, then coast in Drive, or if you need to slow down more, then downshift to 3 or 2 -- when the engine is braking the car (even if you also use the brakes), then the fuel is shut off.

What is your engine RPM at say 65MPH?

[NeilBlanchard]

Okay, I have replaced both the video cameras and the video monitors of my video mirrors -- here's the earlier installation:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post105631

These new "backup" video cameras are pretty small, though they have lenses that are too wide (~170 degrees); in that they make objects appear farther away.



The other nagging concern is that for some strange reason, the molded plastic bit at the 'Y' in the cord where the video signal and the 12v power wire split -- gets quite hot! At first, it gets hot enough to burn my fingers! After a little while, it seems to be cooler, but this is concerning enough that I have ordered some different cameras. These newer ones also have lens angles closer to the first set (~120d vs ~100d) which is probably a very good thing.

Here's the installation:


These monitors look a lot better than the previous units -- these stay clearly visible in bright (and hot) sunlight. Their main problem is they do not just turn on when the car is turned on; and they have to be manually powered on.

I also like that they are wide screen -- this "re-expands" the image from the very wide angle video cameras, and helps correct for the horizontal compression of the barrel distortion of the image.

Does anybody know of a way to "fix" the power on issue on the monitors, so they just turn on when the ignition is turned on?

[NeilBlanchard]

Okay, the two Pyle video cameras has been very disappointing: the passenger's side unit has already failed; probably due to the heating problem I mentioned above.

I have already replaced it with what seems to be a better video camera -- it does not have any obvious problem like the heat, and the lens angle is less wide. I have not driven with the newest (third!) camera yet, but it is rated down to 0.5 lux which should be quite good in the dark.

Amazon.com: 1/4" OmniVision CMOS 420 TV Line Color CCTV Rearview Camera - Back-up Your Vehicle Safely!: Electronics

[2009Prius]

Great! What is the model of the new monitors?

[NeilBlanchard]

I thought I had that in there -- it is now! Here' they are:

Amazon.com: Power Acoustik PT-712IR TFT-LCD Digital LED Backlit 7" Slim Line Video Monitor for Headrests with Built in Dual Channel IR Transmitter for Headphones: Electronics

Please note the new monitors do not come with stands -- I reused the stands from the first monitors.

[NeilBlanchard]

New flatter aero wheel covers:



16" aluminum pizza "trays" (~$3.29 each from Amazon.com) pop riveted to the plastic wheel covers I got at K-Mart (~$17 for 4). There is a slight gap at the very edge, so there is probably a little air flow, and hopefully they do not trap dirt and brake dust.

Here's the xA as it currently is.



The most recent tank average was 54.8MPG; a new record for me! I'll see if these new covers help over time, and hopefully they stay on the car...

[harshalsk]

Oh boy! Neil you are breaking almost all records with your xA. Sorry I was dragged into too many things and could not get back to my xA's mods. Recently with Dallas's 100+ degree adventure for continuous 41 days and my AC running full speed all the time has reduced my mpgs to avg 36 mpgs. I also took away upper grill block to make sure my car can survive the heat. (It may not have been necessary but as a precaution I did it.)

To answer your old question my car does average around 2500 RPM near 60 MPH.


I was wondering instead of creating a bottom pan for covering the parachute/read bumper can I make holes into rear bumper and apply a grill to let air out. Will that really make any difference?

[NeilBlanchard]

My next tank was 55.1mpg.

I don't think holes in the rear bumper fascia will help much, if at all.

Do you have a ScanGuage or UltraGauge? The radiator fan comes on at ~204F -- I'm sure it would be running with or without a grill block.

I need to have the same final drive as your car -- 2500RPM @ 60mph would be great.