Quote:
Originally Posted by Wonderjava
i read somewhere that the holes in the wheels let in air which is not aerodynamic, is there anyway i can do anything about without buying new rims or wheel covers? i cant afford to spend an arm and a leg so im looking for possible solutions...need to think outside the box...or in this case, outside the car.
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Aerodynamics is a pretty well established science among transportation engineers, and naturally the men and women who design today's cars aren't clowns - if smooth hubcaps (or wheels) would offer a 5mpg improvement on the same car, that's how they'd sell 'em by default because that would be an easy way to meet federal standards & sell more cars (that's the business they're in, after all)
So, smooth wheels are better... but not
so much better as to be a necessary change if you're not relentlessly pursuing maximum MPG above any other consideration.
Since we've established you're taking care of the basics (mechanicals in good tune, proper tire inflation, avoiding baggage, no unnecessary load on engine, etc) and that you don't intend to dramatically change the appearance or behavior of the car, the only two major changes left to make are a "belly pan" or "air dam" (these can be done very subtly, as to be literally invisible to anyone other than a smurf) - and adapting your driving behavior to minimize fuel consumption. Beyond that, there's just not a lot of easy/invisible/cheap MPG's to gain.
Many folks here are aiming for absolute minimum fuel consumption - which is awesome! - but more often than not the real gains come from seriously altering your car, and often cost more time and money than the financial payback from the efficiency itself is worth.