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Old 08-13-2015, 09:01 AM   #21 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mf70 View Post
Too bad on the folding idea. Vman's inside side mirrors look good - they take advantage of the modern gargantuan "A" pillars, and highlight the blind spot perhaps better than regular side mirrors.

Those wheel covers look GREAT! I would still advocate for wheel skirts for the rear wheels; the advancing wheel top PUMPS air into the car's slipstream, adding perhaps 20% to the air disturbed by the car. I don't have quick access to any data on drag reduction, however.

Exactly how did you fasten the wheel cover / pizza pans on? I see a single center fastener...
I'll be doing a short writeup on it since I believe any aluminum wheel could be covered this way. Basically I used a rubber expanding plumbing plug that uses a carriage bolt, which conveniently sticks past the wheel face. It's very solid.

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Old 08-13-2015, 07:38 PM   #22 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WindyDrew View Post
Folding the mirrors was worse. I could hear the turbulence. Gm must've done a pretty good job in the wind tunnel. I got my wheel covers installed. Pretty easy actually. I'm going to do a step by step since this could be applied to any vehicle for less than $100 and 2 hours time. Enjoy

The fenders, lights and mirrors are positioned in such a way to reduce noise but not drag.

Having noise does not necessarily mean more drag.
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Old 08-14-2015, 12:34 PM   #23 (permalink)
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Have you considered video mirror(s)?
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Old 08-14-2015, 01:14 PM   #24 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
Have you considered video mirror(s)?
Yes, implementation is my issue.
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Old 08-14-2015, 04:16 PM   #25 (permalink)
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Welcome to the forum, WindyDrew! (EDIT: oops, would I look at your join date?? )

It's great to see a Volt owner doing something interesting.

Does your Volt have the full depth air dam or the shorter one?
See: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...dam-19923.html

I vote for rear fender skirts as well. It's possible to make attachment brackets that "pinch" the wheel arch, so they're completely reversible and don't require drilling. That is, if the arch has a lip to pinch.
See: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...metro-103.html
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Old 08-14-2015, 04:22 PM   #26 (permalink)
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It's also worth checking the undertrays. I don't know about the Volt, but OEM ones I've seen (Mirage, 2g Prius, Insight) often leave a lot of room for improvement. And since they're plastic, there's no harm in putting screws into them to add more/smoother coverage with sheets of plastic (eg. coroplast).

Also: what's your tire pressure?
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Old 08-14-2015, 05:21 PM   #27 (permalink)
AC Customs car builder
 
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Tire pressure is 52 psi cold (sidewall maximum)
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Old 08-14-2015, 06:15 PM   #28 (permalink)
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how tight

Quote:
Originally Posted by WindyDrew View Post
How tight would a hitch boattail have to be to the body to make the most effect without hitting the paint. Can somebody photoshop a 2 ft ideal boattail on a Volt?
For a boat tail to function it needs top-quality airflow coming to it.So a very tight,'seamless' transition is always the best.
Quantifying the potential impact of gaps would be problematic.
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Old 08-14-2015, 07:07 PM   #29 (permalink)
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S10 - '99 Chevy S10 Base
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Thanks: 6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead View Post
For a boat tail to function it needs top-quality airflow coming to it.So a very tight,'seamless' transition is always the best.
Quantifying the potential impact of gaps would be problematic.
So maybe a vinyl extension on the front edge to smooth the gap to prevent contact?
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Old 08-14-2015, 07:12 PM   #30 (permalink)
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Or stick vinyl "wrap" material directly on the paint where there may be contact? Peel it off when you're done.

I had contact on the Insight between the tail and painted bumper:



http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...uft-25223.html

I stuck on painter's tape instead of vinyl, but even that leaves residue after a while.

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Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



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