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Old 08-18-2011, 06:00 PM   #192 (permalink)
graydonengineering
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 147

Frontier 2wd 2.4L 5 speed - '98 Nissan Frontier XE
90 day: 27.87 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead View Post
dkruitz,I'm usually surprised by 'reality' whenever I put something new on the beast and take it for a run.
I have tried to out-guess the environment.The top panel will now be fixed to the truck and articulate vertically to clear the lazy-c frame which supports the side panels.During torsional deflection the c-frame will lift the top panel away for clearance.
The side panels are on the trailer and move with it and cannot bind against the trailer itself and during torsion,if they 'kiss' the upper panel,it will simply lift to clear and then return to 'level'.
The bellypan details are not completely ironed out yet.I have a plan although that could lead to a surprise.
On an approach to a ramp,there is enough room for the trailer to cock without striking the integrator.
In a dip,the c-frame will 'dive' into the void behind the integrator.
If things work out,the trailer and panels will allow for the full range of motion without any interference,with everything moving around on rollers.
So far so good!
This sounds a lot like what I did on my belly pan under the rear axle. 2 sections of chloroplast overlap there and I ran bungee cord through both. As the axle moves up and down, the panels will slide fore and aft against eachother casing shear on the connection fastener.. That is why I chose cloth/rubber. The setup is working out very nicely! The rear axle can move through full travel and the two panels maintain contact with eachother and the underside of the axle the whole time. I can see about a 2" wide strip of surface wear that represents the zone of normal road use. No binding and no travel limitation. I will need to replace the cords every year or two which is the only downside so far.
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Best 15-mile commute city/highway mix: 37.7 mpg
Best tank so far: 31 mpg

Last edited by graydonengineering; 08-18-2011 at 06:05 PM..
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