Day two of modifications. I want to get the basics done, even if they aren't pretty yet. Today my aero mods were a full lower grille block and sealing the openings between the underbody and edge of the bumper, while interior was temporarily fixing the seat belt.
The seat belt does not need pictures. The belt is twisted, and when the twist is above, the belt does not retract- maybe a safety hazard, definitely annoying. I don't have the tool to remove the bolt, so I removed the lower plastic piece and tucked the twisted part at the bottom, where it will not get in the way of the functioning of the belt.
The lower grille block.
Some quick tips;
-When working with corrugated plastic, make the short cuts against the grain, and the long cuts with it. It will help make them (the cuts) smoother, and easier to cut.
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Closing the gap.
It is small, but it needed to be done. The damage to the skid plates (not aggressive, but if you asked the parking lot curbs, they might say otherwise) is evident. The issue is they were not put on properly, or had issues, and they left a gap that surely was causing extra drag. I taped it like a duct!
The vehicle so far.
Tested the route again, and the engine should have been warmer, as the last drive was completed around 17:40. Same setup, ~58 degrees F, left at 19:57, arrived back at 20:25. The original total MPG was 65.0. The total for the first three trips was 63.4 MPG. This trip resulted in 64.3 MPG, a decrease from yesterday.
Although temperature is a bit lower, I believe the issue was recharging. Yesterday I noticed very little other than downshifting and braking- it was charging so little it didn't read. Today it consistently charged most of the way, making it harder to get to speed, and harder to get to and keep lean burn.