Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Project: modding sixth gen Corolla sedan on a budget

christofoo · 10-03-2012, 02:55 PM

Save up, get rid of it and get a Prius.
Practice ecomodding. Hopefully make it look good or at least have some nice looking bits on it so the wife won't feel so nervous when I go after her Civic, or the Prius.
Have fun.
Improve mileage for a given speed.
Try to keep mod ROI under 7,000 miles.
Keep it running healthy and keep emissions down.

I'm going to be editing this first post for index, status, and current pics.

Latest results: 46 MPG @ 65 MPH for 1300 miles! Stock Cd of 0.36 reduced to 0.28 (maybe).

Outdated pic:

Finished mods:

$33 - Smooth wheel covers.
$15 - Rear wheel skirts. (Coroplast on steel strip.)
$35 - The air dam is dead. Grill block, and gap filler. Air dam early on. Braces and opening. Refinements and upper grill block. Broke the corner, painted it, repaired it, ducted it, cut it higher and added a soft chin. Death of the air dam.
$15 - Passenger mirror delete. Added wide angle rear-view mirror.
$62 - Block heater (here is a tutorial I wrote)

Other mods I hope to finish:

Air dam.
Side skirts (look at how the stock body curves in on the sides, that's gotta penalize drag on the wheels)
Aero hood cowl to streamline windshield wipers
Soften edge radii on front wheel wells
Kammback
Spoiler or Box-Cavity combo
Killswitch

Mechanical condition:

Fixed! Rolling resistance high when cold. Primary problem: high viscosity of 75W90 tranny oil, switched to Honda MTF. another cause in the transmission. Secondary problem: drum brakes need to be turned. Got the 'self-adjuster' in a better spot (doesn't self-adjust anymore), but still need to turn or replace the drums.
Abnormally severe groove wander. Could be the shocks?
Shimmy at 70 MPH (but when do I drive that fast?) Could be the shocks?
Leaky trunk
Broken parking brake equalizer
Fixed! (AAP diaphragm leak) Rough idle See Carb rough idle

Enjoy!

I forgot to mention: this car does not have an overdrive, despite having a 5-speed manual transmission. It also lacks a cruise control. Solution: P&G - reduces throttle loss and keeps my heel moving around so it doesn't get sore. Too bad the carburetor makes it a poor candidate for EOC / killswitch. Or does it?

10-03-2012, 02:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
christofoo Master EcoModder Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 292 00C - '00 Toyota Corolla 90 day: 43.54 mpg (US) Thanks: 147 Thanked 190 Times in 73 Posts	Project: modding sixth gen Corolla sedan on a budget Name this project! Goals: Save up, get rid of it and get a Prius. Practice ecomodding. Hopefully make it look good or at least have some nice looking bits on it so the wife won't feel so nervous when I go after her Civic, or the Prius. Have fun. Improve mileage for a given speed. Try to keep mod ROI under 7,000 miles. Keep it running healthy and keep emissions down. I'm going to be editing this first post for index, status, and current pics. Latest results: 46 MPG @ 65 MPH for 1300 miles! Stock Cd of 0.36 reduced to 0.28 (maybe). Outdated pic: Finished mods: $33 - Smooth wheel covers. $15 - Rear wheel skirts. (Coroplast on steel strip.) $35 - The air dam is dead. Grill block, and gap filler. Air dam early on. Braces and opening. Refinements and upper grill block. Broke the corner, painted it, repaired it, ducted it, cut it higher and added a soft chin. Death of the air dam. $15 - Passenger mirror delete. Added wide angle rear-view mirror. $62 - Block heater (here is a tutorial I wrote) Other mods I hope to finish: Air dam. Side skirts (look at how the stock body curves in on the sides, that's gotta penalize drag on the wheels) Aero hood cowl to streamline windshield wipers Soften edge radii on front wheel wells Kammback Spoiler or Box-Cavity combo Killswitch Mechanical condition: Fixed! Rolling resistance high when cold. Primary problem: high viscosity of 75W90 tranny oil, switched to Honda MTF. another cause in the transmission. Secondary problem: drum brakes need to be turned. Got the 'self-adjuster' in a better spot (doesn't self-adjust anymore), but still need to turn or replace the drums. Abnormally severe groove wander. Could be the shocks? Shimmy at 70 MPH (but when do I drive that fast?) Could be the shocks? Leaky trunk Broken parking brake equalizer Fixed! (AAP diaphragm leak) Rough idle See Carb rough idle Enjoy! I forgot to mention: this car does not have an overdrive, despite having a 5-speed manual transmission. It also lacks a cruise control. Solution: P&G - reduces throttle loss and keeps my heel moving around so it doesn't get sore. Too bad the carburetor makes it a poor candidate for EOC / killswitch. Or does it? Attached Thumbnails __________________ ECOrolla89 (modding sixth gen Corolla sedan on a budget) ECOfamily Civic and its Aero Hitch Box I owe some posts about coast-down. My sweet blog: http://cannonblast.net/christofoo Last edited by christofoo; 01-26-2013 at 06:34 PM..