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The grilles are made from 1/8 inch thick G10 Garolite (Epoxiglass). I used the stock grille and fog light bezels as templates and cut it with a saber saw. I taped the material to prevent surface scratching). The fog light covers are thin carbon fiber I had lying around the shop.
I have done the following mods;
Grille blocks
Fog light covers
Smooth 1/4 inch thick Lexan wheel covers
Beyond that I run 51psi (factory maximum) pressure in my tires rather than the Ford recommended 38.
All of those mods, combined, have upped my FE about 10%. Bear in mind, however, that the car is broken in now. I think 1% or 2% of the FE improvement may have been from additional break in. Of course, I would prefer to take credit for the FE improvement myself.
Oh, I hate to throw this into the equation, but, Gas Pods (vortex generators) seem to make a difference on the C-Max. I know there is a huge controversy regarding them. But, I have run them and removed them and there apears to be a 1mpg improvement with them at highway speed. I have not done specific ABA testing of them specifically to verify the exact change (if any) they make. However, when I install them, I finish my day around 1mpg better than the previous day. This is a pretty consistent finding. I pulled them off the rear "Spoiler" however because I plan on making a modest Kammback.
The majority of my driving averages around 45mph. I do appliance repair with the car and drive town to town in northern Illinois. So, 50% of my driving is 35mph in town and 50% is 60mph on rural highways between towns.
Lastly, I carry 200 to 300 pounds of parts and equipment with me every day.
Matt
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