2001 Toyota CorollaCE front bumper cover, body mod suggestions

[kennethone]

Good afternoon everyone,

This is my first post, thanks for your attention.


I just bought a 2001 corolla CE manual 5 speed with a 1.8L 4-cyl engine.

It gets pretty good mileage, 40 mpg on a mixed drive.

It seems to get better mileage on one lane highways and city than the freeways, where it gets around 35. Most probably because it lacks a 6th gear.

I'm looking to do some mods, not only to improve mileage, but also the appearance of the car.

Particularly, I'm looking for:

• Front bumper (plastic) replacement
• Front bumper grille cover
• Bottom panels
• Front and side lips
• Vinyl wraps

What I'd like to know is what front bumper covers do people prefer to use for best fuel economy.
Does a stock bumper cover get better mileage than a low-hanging aftermarket bumper cover?

I understand that bumper grille cover is going to be needed, and I plan on making one.
If the low hanging bumper cover is a better option, should the grille cover cover the whole bumper, preventing air from going under the car, or just cover the part that opens up into the engine bay?

Do the side lips help, or actually do anything for the efficiency of the car?


Lastly, the paint on it is not soo great, and I plan on using some vinyl wrap to improve the appearance. Does anyone have any opinions on whether vinyl improves or even affects drag?

What about lowering the car, is the stock suspension the best set up for mileage?

Any suggestions on how to improve efficiency on highways, around 70-80mph?

I guess that's all, thanks for everyone's input

[Vman455]

Most aftermarket bumper covers I've seen have way to many openings and grills. You want to close off the front of the car as much as possible and get it as close to the ground as possible, and it will be much cheaper to do that with something readily available and disposable like lawn edging. Same for side skirts; I wouldn't waste hundreds of dollars on aftermarket skirts for questionable results. Here's what I've done with lawn edging on my car, $7 for a 40-foot roll at Wally World:



Vinyl wrap won't affect drag; this has been tunnel tested. "Contrary to what you may read on your favorite message board, well-waxed, smooth paint is no more aerodynamic than the worst spray-can, flat-black primer job you can imagine."

[kennethone]

Hey thanks! :> that looks great and practical!

So having the bumper and skirts lowered to the ground does reduce drag.

What are you using to hold the lawn edging on, rivets? Is is tacked directly into the body/plastic, or does it need brackets?

Do the side skirts actually help with drag, or just the front lip?

Do you have to remove them every time you lift your car?

Thanks!

[Vman455]

I actually pulled the bumper cover and rocker panels off and bolted L-brackets to them, then bolted the lawn edging to the brackets after I put the covers back on the car to get everything even. I can just barely fit a jack under the skirts, they have about 3" clearance.

[kennethone]

That sounds swell. Do you still recommend covering bottom of the chassis with panels after this modification?