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dfeldt91 · 03-08-2016, 02:58 AM

Did some weight reduction today. Got rid of the full size spare. That was at least 40 pounds gone. Thinking about removing the trunk carpet and tire cover. This car is a beast at about 3000 plus pounds depending on where you find you information. I really want to pull the AC equipment from the vehicle. The AC pump is ran on it's own accessory belt which I cut when I replaced the alternator to save fuel.

Speaking of alternators. I had to switch the old pulley onto the upgraded 125 Amp alternator(Stock was 90 I think). The old pulley is smaller than the new pulley which I had to remove because it was a different belt. That is probably robbing some horsepower and using a bit more fuel than if it were the correct size pulley. Going to look into pulleys and find a larger one to get it back to the right size...and save some gas..

Next for ecomods is probably the front belly pan. I got under the car and noticed it had three different belly pans stock I believe. A front, in front of the rear axle and rear pan. Front and rear are missing. Going to make those happen since they will help with drag immensely on the bottom.

Also have been driving around with my mirrors folded and am just really looking around before switching lanes. No police issues yet. My average for the Salem to Portland trip here in Oregon was about 36 mpg before the grille block and folded mirrors. Now I am at 40 mpg as I get into Portland. This includes a few hills. Thinking I may delete the driver side mirror and create a cover for it.

I will also be deleting the passenger side windshield wiper. I did a little experiment while driving at 60 MPH. I turned the wipers on slow and opened the sunroof. I put my hand out to feel the air going over the car. As the wiper was up, the air was noticeably smoother than when they were in the down position. So delete the passenger side and possibly create something that forces the air over the driver side wiper because they don't hide behind the hood so air hits them head on.

I also want to create some wheel spats to push the air around the tire instead of up into the wheel well. I love it when it rains because I can pull alongside another Passat and watch the air circulate(See the mist circulate) and see where the most turbulence is and then I can figure out how to solve the issue.

I'm going to be selling the Honda Civic that I got in trade since my friend destroyed my Golf transmission. With that money I want to purchase new narrow LRR tires and lightweight wheels. Since my car makes even torque from 1900 to 4500 RPM I also want to get larger tires to bring the RPM's down quite a bit. If I remember correctly, My car does 3000 RPM at 70 MPH or maybe that was the Golf? I don't remember. Anyhow, I'm thinking as much as a 10% increase in diameter.

03-08-2016, 02:58 AM	#22 (permalink)
dfeldt91 EcoModding Apprentice Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 128 Mazda 3 - '06 Mazda 3 iTouring Thanks: 7 Thanked 20 Times in 17 Posts	Did some weight reduction today. Got rid of the full size spare. That was at least 40 pounds gone. Thinking about removing the trunk carpet and tire cover. This car is a beast at about 3000 plus pounds depending on where you find you information. I really want to pull the AC equipment from the vehicle. The AC pump is ran on it's own accessory belt which I cut when I replaced the alternator to save fuel. Speaking of alternators. I had to switch the old pulley onto the upgraded 125 Amp alternator(Stock was 90 I think). The old pulley is smaller than the new pulley which I had to remove because it was a different belt. That is probably robbing some horsepower and using a bit more fuel than if it were the correct size pulley. Going to look into pulleys and find a larger one to get it back to the right size...and save some gas.. Next for ecomods is probably the front belly pan. I got under the car and noticed it had three different belly pans stock I believe. A front, in front of the rear axle and rear pan. Front and rear are missing. Going to make those happen since they will help with drag immensely on the bottom. Also have been driving around with my mirrors folded and am just really looking around before switching lanes. No police issues yet. My average for the Salem to Portland trip here in Oregon was about 36 mpg before the grille block and folded mirrors. Now I am at 40 mpg as I get into Portland. This includes a few hills. Thinking I may delete the driver side mirror and create a cover for it. I will also be deleting the passenger side windshield wiper. I did a little experiment while driving at 60 MPH. I turned the wipers on slow and opened the sunroof. I put my hand out to feel the air going over the car. As the wiper was up, the air was noticeably smoother than when they were in the down position. So delete the passenger side and possibly create something that forces the air over the driver side wiper because they don't hide behind the hood so air hits them head on. I also want to create some wheel spats to push the air around the tire instead of up into the wheel well. I love it when it rains because I can pull alongside another Passat and watch the air circulate(See the mist circulate) and see where the most turbulence is and then I can figure out how to solve the issue. I'm going to be selling the Honda Civic that I got in trade since my friend destroyed my Golf transmission. With that money I want to purchase new narrow LRR tires and lightweight wheels. Since my car makes even torque from 1900 to 4500 RPM I also want to get larger tires to bring the RPM's down quite a bit. If I remember correctly, My car does 3000 RPM at 70 MPH or maybe that was the Golf? I don't remember. Anyhow, I'm thinking as much as a 10% increase in diameter.