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Long ago my parents had a 1949 Pontiac that had rear wheel covers or "Pants" as my father called them. They were from the factory and fit real well. To remove them, one simply reached up under the cover and released a simple spring loaded lever and off they came. Being made from steel, they were a bit on the heavy side for a young kid. A simple process it appeared and off they came each time he washed the car. They seemed to collect dirt and mud during the wet weather. I often times was assigned the task of cleaning the dried mud on the lawn while he washed the rest of the car where I could never reach. At that time I had no clue that they had anything to do with improved mileage and felt that they were pure cosmetic in value.
More recently I increased the size of the factory front wheel spats on my 2014 Ford Fusion. Made them one inch taller and 2 inches wider to cover more of the front tire width. Used Coroplast with flat black paint and they look almost factory. Designed and installed rear wheel spats based on the spats of a friends Toyota and installed them. Since the installation in early November, winter fuel blend has made itself apparent but my mileage has stabilized at slightly higher levels than ever before so I must have done something right. Have ordered a Scangauge and may do some testing after it arrives.
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