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"UPDATE"
I haven't driven the car hardly at all this winter.
However, it's spring and it's time for my annual spring fishing trip to NY.
In order to get the car ready for the trip I had to re-tape the passenger side of the car due to it being parked facing the sun on that side. Most of it had come unglued. Sorry, no pictures. However, it was worse than the last time.
I also replaced the passenger side front wheel bearings that sounded like a WW2 bomber.
Then for this trip, I decided to lower the front bumper to the lowest point of the under pan.
The new front bumper height is approximately 4.5 ".
Side view.
And a painted front view.
I decided to weigh the car at a local scrap yard as it felt heavy. It was loaded down with stuff extra stuff going North.
So it's off I go...
2,120 lbs. add 2 gal. of gas to fill tank = 2,134 lbs. me included. (Factory base weight of approx. 1,650 lbs.)
Everything seemed to be going well. Then the check engine light came on. It has been coming on intermittently for about a year now. But had been off for two days before the trip. Oh well, it wasn't going to stop me.
A little further down the road I heard the distinct sound of a WW2 bomber in the distance. It was the drivers side front wheel bearing starting to go bad. I should have done both sides.
As I passed into N. Carolina, along a quiet stretch of highway. I hear what sounds like a loose piece of foam under the car.
So, I pull over at the next exit and this is what I found...
I must have ran over something. It could have been debris, a dead animal or a small child... I'm just not sure...
More than likely however, I probably damaged it at the scrap yard and didn't realize it.
As luck would have it, I was nearly out of duct tape. So I straightened it out as best as I could then taped it with what I had and continued on. At the next rest area I pulled over to check how it was holding up. It had caved in again and the added air pressure was dragging down the rest of the redesigned front with it.
Nothing I could do about it as it was late Sunday night and nothing was open.
So, I said. Screw it... It will either stay on... Or it won't...
Thankfully, it stayed on.
The MPG was affected. However, not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
867.77 miles
11.89 gal.
72.98 mpg
Surprisingly, it only used about a half a gallon more gas than usual.
Unfortunately, I don't know if lowering the front bumper height will help or hurt the MPG. To many variables. (check engine, wheel bearing, bumper)
I'll get the bumper fixed. Then maybe the return trip will yield better info.
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