[Fat Charlie]

Today I did my first oil change since coming here. What a disappointment! I was savoring the wait, dreaming of grille blocks and underbody panels. I got zip. Subaru did what they could for this rig's aero, and there isn't much I can help with right now.

The grille? Upper and lower all face right into the radiator. Until I get more used to its temperature range I don't dare reduce it, especially going into summer.

Fog lights? Those things are maybe 1/4" from flush, and small. Even just a clear two liter soda bottle, clear RTV and five minutes with scissors wouldn't make economic sense.

Underbody? I'd probably be wasting my time. There's a nice front belly pan that I'm quite familiar with after six years of oil changes, and it ends right before the suspension. Behind the suspension the floor panels are smooth as far as the eye can see, with a centerline channel for the exhaust. I didn't bother backing onto the ramps to see about diffuser possibilities because I was just so depressed. With this underbody an air dam would just increase FA.

Wheel skirts are always a possibility, but I'd really rather wait until my fabrication skills get better. I'm not worried about being laughed at, I just don't want my car to attract much attention. It sometimes moves with a sense of urgency.

Exterior mirrors? Not happening, I can't get rid of them. In fact, I wish they were bigger.

So for aero I'm looking at maybe spats ahead of the tires, maybe side skirts and maybe a chin spoiler to clean up what's under the lower grille. That seems to be my biggest hope. There's an inch or so of the bottom that directs air down- extending a flat plate flush with the belly pan forward maybe four inches to scoop air into the lower grille might help a bit, maybe even enough to block the upper grille. It's also the only thing I can think of other than small tire spats that might actually help the underbody air flow.

Don't even suggest a boat tail. I'm nowhere near being in that league and with two kids and two dogs I need that hatch all the time.

So basically I'm whining tonight. The factory did a good aero job and my mileage is really just my own fault. I was hoping to pick up another MPG or two for free: an afternoon's work is a lot easier than working for it every mile every day. Sigh.