VW Golf mods

[matthew]

Just starting on some mods for my '06 VW Golf TDI. Been working on the nut behind the wheel for about a year now since I got the car, and have seen steady improvements -- I'm up to a bit over 50 mpg on my last few tanks. Time for some aero mods.

First up: rear wheel fairings. Went with aluminum flashing to match the silver car. The flashing is screwed to a triangular frame of aluminum bar, which mounts to the wheel well at three points with wing nuts for quick removal. I didn't want to drill any new holes, but was able to mount 5 brackets on existing screws around the edge of the wheel well -- three to bolt the fairing in place plus two tabs to hold the edges flush with the body. Fairly pleased with the way the turned out.... performance effects tbd.



Next up: pizza pan wheel covers, and a removable kammback that I'll strap to the hatch like a bike rack for longer highway runs. Also thinking about a grille block and partial belly pan.

[ecofreak]

I'd say go with more discreet aero/mech mods, like the grille block cover/insulator, and see your results before attempting anything might be only worth hairs of improvement. Really good work on the rear wheel well covers though.

[Daox]

Grill block is always at the top of my list.

[matthew]

Thanks for the feedback -- I'll bump the grille block higher on my list

[theoteacher]

Great job on the flarings! I have the same car and am just starting out with the mods.. Keep us posted. I'm especialy interested in the kammback you configure,

[Weather Spotter]

those rear wheel skirts look just like mine!


Any ABA testing or tank to tank data? I am always looking for more wiki data

[Titanium]

Originally Posted by matthew

First up: rear wheel fairings. Went with aluminum flashing to match the silver car.

Matthew

You are determined and good job. I used to attend auto body class in high school and college, so I've done some metal work on cars.

If you go to the local auto paint supply store they can match the paint on your car and put the paint in a spray can for you. All the newer cars have paint number codes. Then you could paint those rear wheel fairings to match the paint on your car.

Paint does not stick to aluminum as well as steel over the long haul, just an FYI. I would take the fairings off the car, sand the aluminum with 320 grit sandpaper, clean all sanding dust off the fairings and then paint those fairings with the paint.

You want a mechanical (scratches in the metal/primer by the sandpaper)and chemical bond caused by the paint itself. You could go all out and prime them with primer paint, then paint them and seal that with a clear coat like the pro's do. Depends on how far you want to go with it. You have a nice car there, so I would go all out on that one.