I picked up the car last month after my gas guzzler 87 Suburban 4x4 died. I love big trucks, but it was a blessing when I got 18mpg around town in my car instead of 10 or 12. I haven't had the car on the freeway much but the previous owner reported up to 30mpg on the open road.
I'd like to mod the car for better mileage. Looking at some of the mods around here I think I have to start very small, because I don't have the capability (ie, wifes permission) to do a lot of outrageous mods.
For example: Antenna and drivers side mirror delete: No problem. Blocking the front grill: no problem. Rear wheel skirts: We'll see. Front wheel skirts I don't even want. Windshield wiper delete is a problem in the winter, but during the summer its a go. We are driving from our town of Reno to San Francisco this summer and I want to exceed 30mpg if possible. The car has brand new tires so I don't see putting different tires on it unless I could get a considerable gain even around town.
The thing is this: We generally drive around town around 150-230 miles per week. If we were doing lots of freeway driving, I'd certainly be interested in more extensive mods. But, we aren't. In fact we rarely drive out of town (we're homebodies) and as for commuting to work (6mi) I usually ride my bicycle anyway (see
www.rykoala.org)
So there it is. What simple, unobtrusive aero mods could I do to this car to increase mpg and cut down emissions? I can't afford a lot but I do love being creative. I also have designed and built my own r/c airplanes (they even flew LOL) and so I understand that type of aerodynamics but by browsing the forum I can tell that there is a lot about automotive aero that I know *nothing* about.
thanks for the tips folks!
Rykoala