first findings: the first noticable results were kind of unexpected
-the first is the priceless looks on the faces of most men and mostly other 4x4 drivers that i pass by. and i admit that i really love the looks the aerocap gives to my vehicle. instead of being another bland pick-up, it now looks like a classy sports vehicle (even though these pics don't really do it justice.)
-the second more serious result was also somewhat of a surprise, i never thought before that my pick up was noisy or shaky on the highway. but it now feels like driving a car, you really notice after the first KM how silent and stable it now is.
-and the most serious finding is that i can now coast down 8-10 times longer than before. the highway exit i take to go home is at the bottom of a valley, after a 2-3 km downward slope. before i could only coast down in 200-300 meter jumps and had to accelerate again to keep speed. but with the cap i can coast down for the full 2000 meters, take the exit and arrive at the national road with enough speed that i need to brake quite hard on the engine!
i will report the fuel economy as soon as i can give reliable numbers
btw, i have also shut down all the gaps in the front (the grill one is just for testing now) without any effect on engine temp, though it is cold outside.
i also started making a wheel cover prototype, it is just set in place by hand and is not really attached. but it is made of metal and is quite heavy, so im too scared that if these came loose they could kill, so i abandone the idea for now untill maybe i can make plastic ones.
next on my list was making a front airdam, but i had an accident last week (i rammed i VW fox in the side after it ignored a stop and threw itself in front of me. the car is damaged to the side, and my left front bumper is pushed back 2 centimeters. so ill wait for what the insurances will do before touching the front) a good example of how hypermiling can save money in other ways
as i was respecting the speed limit on a road where most cars go over. thats how i nearly have any damage. btw, the lady driving the vw, had her license since january 09 ...
so i think i will now start making covers over the gaps around the wheel well
