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Originally Posted by orbywan
The first run to Phoenix after the mods showed 17.26 mpg, verses original mileage of 12.5 to 13.2 for the same trip. The second trip with the belly pans yielded 16.64, but that was not comparable as there were several events going on that diminished the overall result.
The return trip is what convinced me the pans are not helping at this point, but knowing how rough it was under there to begin with makes me think there are some things going on that I don't understand yet. Time and testing will tell.
The results with the boat tail make it a no brainer to me that this is where serious gains are to be made, pans or not. Is there any chance of making a boat tail for your Sprinter that would split in the middle and fold outwards like the big rig trailer tails? A tail that swings upwards out of the way comes to mind but the weight and the 'sail' factor when it was up there might be problematic.
I have a local RV dealer that sells a lot of your type of vehicle and they are very interested in this build. I'm taking the vehicle over for them to see next week. I'll take a look at one of their vans and see if anything comes to mind. Thanks for the input.
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I'm sure with enough time, money, and energy, I could create a fold away boat tail. However other factors make a boat tail problematic, including daily parking. The van is already as long or longer than most parking spaces here in the Phoenix area. So unless I can create something that opens and closes automatically or semi-automatically (push button on dash maybe), I just don't see it happening.
Back in the spring, I made a full grill block for my van. A lot of it has had to come off this summer of course. But between what I've been able to keep on the grill, and taping up the headlights and bumper to body gap, I've managed to gain about 5% over last years summer mpg's. Hopefully as it cools down and I can put more of the grill block back on, I'll gain a few more percentage points. If a belly pan gave me another 5-10% gain, I would be happy with that. Given the time and cost though, I think smooth wheel covers and rear wheel skirts may come first.
Good to hear you have caught the attention of the local RV dealer. It might be hard to convince customers to do a boat tail on their rig. But if they could do a belly pan on their rigs (out of sight, out of mind for the customers), and prove a 5-10% or more gain in fuel efficiency, I can see customers purchasing that as a dealer add on for a reasonable price. Let us know what they say and how they react. Thanks!
