Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig
I made a belly pan to go under the nose, and it helped a bit. Took a trip to Rockland, and it got 64 mpg...would have done even better, but I was following my uncle on the return trip, and he was doing 75 mph most of the time. The next fillup netted 60.6 mpg, but I ran some errands and got caught in some construction traffic a couple of times this week, which I'm sure didn't help my mileage. Still, I'm getting better at squeezing more fuel mileage out of it, and having a good time doing it!
After I run this for awhile, I'm going to build a belly pan to go between the rear suspension and under the rear bumper and see how that works. I'm also looking at some of the smooth wheel cover ideas, as I have a complete set of Saturn wheel covers that would be ideal for this project.
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Nice! The belly pan helped me get into the 60s for mpg for some highway trips (according to the ScanGuage). Like you, I couldn't keep it there for the whole tank but my tank averages have been better. If you do a partial rear pan, make sure the leading edge is tucked up tight so air doesn't get in. I was doing a slow speed test of v1.0 mock-up belly pan and a gust of wind hit and sucked it right off the bottom of the car. Version 2.0 has been tested at triple digit speeds with no problems. Diesel exhaust is cool enough that I have coroplast in direct contact with the exhaust. I have pictures in my album.
Do you think the Saturn is more aero than the Jetta? Less frontal area? Will you swap in a taller 5th gear at some point?