The Worst Aerodynamics : A Car Story

[alohaspirit]

I was thinking about aero-ing it but as we know, aero is mainly useful on the hwy.

Most drives are around the neighborhood. (Maybe 1-2 hwy drives a week)
I average roughly 100 miles/week at 23/24mpg

So...
I might do a few aero mods but it will mostly be up to my driving skills.


Input please!


This is my car with a .45 cd

[sepp]

doesn't look so bad, and you get reasonable mileage for such a "tank"
what the picture tells me is: grill block and airdams in front of the wheels. the nice part is that your wheels are inside the body, would allow for some nice wheels skirts aswell.

[alohaspirit]

Thanks!

Heres more backstory:

Automatic, 2WD, 131k, I drive a steep hill to/from home
23/24 mpg is obtained by just my driving alone (no instrumentation)


I tried an upper grill block but was concerned about heat.
its 80-90F here during the day, maybe 70F night
And anyone who is familiar with trackers know they heat up FAST
(Water temp can go from 100F to 170F in a few minutes)


I was thinking about wheel skirts/covers and maybe... a front air dam



And I took out my sub box to cut weight.
.
.

[MetroMPG]

You're doing well, but it sounds like your best investment would be instrumentation.

If it's not a 1996 or newer (ScanGauge compatible), you can use an MPGuino instead.

Sorry if you've been over this subject already.

[Big Dave]

alohaspirit:

I should have my air dam trimmed back this weekend. I wouldn't recommend it for you. Keep in mind I drive more in a month than ytou do in a year. And I routinely drive 60-70 MPH. A small aero improvement is big for me.

What island are you on? Oahu? Big Island? Maui?

[alohaspirit]

Im on Oahu
"The Traffic State"


More info:
All mpg was done without a SG (but those times will soon be over)
Its a 1.6L 4cyl
My psi is always maxed at 44


Maybe an underbody tray?
As theres a ton of space under there.
(I can change oil without a jack)

[alohaspirit]

I will try to start a log

this week pulled 22.5 mpg (166 miles driven)


But now I have a scanguage
*evil chuckle*

[MetroMPG]

Glad to hear you've got the ScanGauge. You'll have fun now!

Originally Posted by alohaspirit

I was thinking about aero-ing it but as we know, aero is mainly useful on the hwy.

This is a common misconception.

With a .45 drag coefficient, half your fuel is being burned to overcome aero drag at just 25 mph. (Estimated, by plugging .45 into the estimate for my vehicle.)

[alohaspirit]

So to aero or not aero?

What say everyone?

(Kinda stupid question, but Id like to hear what plan of action everyone thinks is best)


-
The hills in my area are tough
I can coast down great but going up...
its hard to even get 15 mpg registered

[99LeCouch]

Aero! You have nothing to lose, and a world to gain.

Even the half-baked wheel skirts on my Buick are good for 1-2 mpg. Every bit counts.