Scion xA aero mods

[NeilBlanchard]

The SG II is sitting on the housing at the base of the steering wheel, that moves up and down with the steering wheel tilt.



I need a neat way to mechanically fasten it. It is the adhesive on the Velcro that is slipping when it heats up.

[orbywan]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Thanks for that -- I'll try to take a look for the backup trigger wire. These monitors have a modular plug and so it might be an additional pin (or jumper?) that could power it?

The biggest challenge is that the Velcro I have holding my ScanGauge in place, slips when the car gets hot, which makes turning on the second monitor more difficult...

It just occurred to me Neil that if your monitors don't have a reverse-on trigger wire (98% of what we see now days does, look in your wiring diagrams for the monitors), there should be an item on the menu for 'Power-on' or 'Auto-on', or something to that effect, so you can program them to come on when there is power in the line.

I see the photo of the two monitors behind the wheel. I take it your gauges are on the center part of the dash?? I wish my Saturn was laid out like that, that's a perfect spot for monitors. Mine is in the center part of the dash where the stereo used to be. Those are so close to your face you could use a single quad monitor and run the two side cams on the split screens.

[NeilBlanchard]

I checked again in the Setup menu and there is nothing about the power on. :-( The power cords for these monitors is a small plug on the back (which also includes the video signal) and I only remember the two plugs on the other end.

I'll settle for an attachment method for the SG II that stays put.

Yes, the xA has the instrument cluster in the center of the dashboard, and the spot for th monitors is about ideal. They have to be close to the steering wheel to prevent a reflection off the inside of the windshield at night. If the monitors had really high contrast ratio (i.e. they leak almost no light when showing black) then this reflection wouldn't happen.

[orbywan]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I checked again in the Setup menu and there is nothing about the power on. :-( The power cords for these monitors is a small plug on the back (which also includes the video signal) and I only remember the two plugs on the other end.

That's a drag. The other thing that we've done in the past, if it has physical on/off switches (as opposed to a switch that tell the microchip to turn on the panel) is to pop the cover off the back and hardwire the power directly to the circuit board. I'd only recommend that if you've had experience with such things before and you don't care about the warranty of the monitors. You're probably better off just pushing the buttons.

[NeilBlanchard]

I've considered doing that. I am fairly handy with a soldering iron, but this is not all that near the top of my to-do list.

[adorable]

Was reading interesting aerodynamic articles.

One auto magazine said the new spoiler on the electric Toyota RAV4 helped drop the Cd from 0.35 to 0.30 (along with the Korean-RAV4-sourced side mirrors).

I wonder how much of a Cd reduction the Scion xA's spoiler would provide?

---

Another magazine showed tests of a Telsa S front intake/fender aero mods - covering fog light area, front upper and lower intake areas. Essentially confirms what was found here - COVER THOSE FOG LIGHT CUTOUTS!! and partially tape over one of the two intakes in the center.

Those test results are in these 4 images here:
https skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=10384173642E8B29!447&authkey=!AGrO66u7 eJ1AqXM

[Cd]

Adorable : I found a video confirming what you mentioned regarding the Cd figure.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post341625


Amazing, considering the large wheel openings and non flush wheels.

Thanks for the info.

[NeilBlanchard]

I don't think the rear spoiler on the xA helps very much, and it might actually hurt a little bit -- it is basically flat which is much better than raised, but it should be angled down to be of any help. An good ecomod Kammback would be the way to go, and not having the factory spoiler there would be the best place to start.

If you look at the RAV 4 EV spoiler, I think it is really a small Kammback.

[adorable]

farm4 . static.flickr.com/3073/2610974656_2953858bb2_o.jpg

Here is an awesome slide from a Ford 999 presentation.

Stock 0.34 Cd
lowering car -0.08!! (50mm clearance)
close off cooling -0.025 (as we've seen here)
remove mirrors -0.015 (ditto)
bellypan -0.01
------
final 0.21Cd

So, for xA owners, just the first three will have a huge effect vs a complex bellypan fabrication and install. And, at minimum, likely a 0.05Cd reduction for the xA.

It's probably safe to say that getting your xA lowered by any amount, even the small drop going to the TRD xA struts will help noticeably. Shocking though to see the 0.04Cd drop just taping over the front and removing mirrors on the Ford 999.

Notice the 'straight' looking decklid extension on the 999. The xA spoiler might well do something useful...

[adorable]

ecomodder . com/blog/20-yearold-modified-honda-crx-hf-scores-118-mpg-fuel-economy-run/
Also makes me wonder with the huge gains from lowering a car, was this front ramp even necessary?