Who has modded a 2nd generation saturn?

[david85]

I'm looking for some advice on some mild mods for my electric saturn. Right now it rests a few inches lower to the ground thanks to gaining ~700lbs from the conversion, but other then that, there are no real mods to increase the efficiency of the car.

Its a 1996 SL1 thats nicely stripped down with manual steering and no real options.

Tires are some odd size that are roughly 9% taller than stock but since they came with the car, I am running them (at above rated PSI due to the weight).

A belly pan was something I planned on doing since the begining of the project, but looking at some results in the wiki, I am wondering if it will be worth my while. I am a metal fabricator by trade and have plenty of experience with sheet metal, so I could make a nice streamlined aluminum skin underneath but I'm just wondering if it will make up for the added weight. I would be using proper sheet metal a little under 1/16" thick. Anything thinner would be too flimsy for my comfort (Besides, we already have the material in stock).

Are there any opinions on synthetic fuid for the transmission? Currently I am running simple ATF.

I'm also wondering about ideal tire profiles for when the time comes to replace what I have. The motor I am running consumes exactly the same amount of electricity (roughly 16 Hp worth) at 50 MPH in 3rd gear or 4th gear so cruising RPM isn't a concern. I'm thinking a shorter tire that is closer to stock size would be better.

I uploaded some shots showing the stance of the car and what the underbelly looks like. The spot where the fuel tank used to be is a large pocket at the moment and I wonder if closing that off will make any noticeable difference.