[payne171]

I have owned my 75k+ 2000 Insight for a little over two months now. I like lean burn, and the cd is great, but I would like to lean cruise at a higher speed than I can right now. I have done a grille block with good results (66.7 mpg on the oem gauge). I figure the greatest improvement I can make now is by making the rear end more aerodynamic. Ultimately I would like to install a trailer hitch mount and build a boattail/extra storage attachment for it, perhaps for long trips. While considering this, I thought of a less effective, but more usable idea to improve rear end aero. I may try to design flaps out of clear plastic that rest against the rear at low speeds. As speed increases, they would pivot out to follow the body contours. If it was really well engineered (probably beyond my ability), the airflow could pull them out and they would return when airflow dropped. For me I would probably motorize it. I figure I have about a 32" by 27" area at the back to work with. To those who know a little more about such things than me: good idea or likely not worth the effort?