In lieu of blowing a wad of hard-earned $$$ on another car or bike, I'm now thinking about doing some semi-permanent mods to my '08 Mustang GT. I spend a lot of time on the highway and get better than most people expect: ~ 24-27 mpg in a 300 HP brick. That's based on the built in MPG computer... I haven't gotten REALLY serious and calculated my actual fill-ups. If I baby it for half a tank (max 55 mph, easy acceleration), I've pulled off 28.9. Oddly, the first half of the tank seems to determine the overall performance. Dunno if this is a calculation error on behalf of the computer, or more to do with the shape of the tank, or some other factor. FYI, the Mustang has a little bar gauge that shows you your current FE (a Min-Max rating). It's no ScanGauge, but a neat little gadget you wouldn't expect in a muscle car.
Anyhoo, I'm tossing around the idea of adding a small kammback extension, a belly pan beneath the engine bay, an upper grille block, and maybe even a set of rear fender skirts. Might lower the car an inch in the future, but I'm not sold on cutting the springs just yet. I've had those struts out before, and they're a PITA to work with, AND I'd have to get the front end aligned again.
Here's a mock up thanks to the local overlay app (not my car, mine's blue).
I think some corrugated plastic painted black and wired over my existing grille will work and look pretty decent. Same for the rear skirts, though I have NO idea how to attach them. I wanna do something a little nicer than duct tape!
On second thought, I might use aluminum sheeting so it doesn't have those ridges. What's the recommended thickness?
As for the kammback extension, it has to be this short or I lose access to the trunk. I'm really not sure how to brace it off. I refuse to drill holes, so I'll be relying heavily on 3M double-sided trim tape. Maybe some long aluminum brackets tucked under the trunk seams or something....?
Mustang side mirrors are ENORMOUS. Look like they belong on a full-sized pickup. May look into rigging up some smaller ones (motorcycle mirrors?) with a block off plate to clean up the install.
Also, have a look at the front end. Would there be any benefit to adding a spoiler of sorts that deflected the air upward before it gets to the windshield? Or is that overkill?
~ SM