aero mods for traverse/acadia/outlook/enclave?

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

Low hanging fruit? Fortunately just the standard and unavoidable, unlike that enclave, the exhaust, gas tank, hitch and driveshaft is well tucked for the most part, leaving just suspension and a little of rhe rear pumpkin. My problem is it's very unwven and they could have done like the cruze and jetta (very close to your picture), and even my ion was better from the factory. At least it has a proper bumper mounted air dam and tire spats, but it leaves much to be desired.

I have to say, the end result of what aerodynamic treatments they did do and the engine/transmission this suv is much better than I expected, but the pacifica van and cruze are 2 examples of how far they could and really should take it.

[freebeard]

Low hanging fruit is a metaphor.

Originally Posted by Google

low-hang·ing fruit
nouninformal
noun: low-hanging fruit

a thing or person that can be won, obtained, or persuaded with little effort.
"we know mining our own customer base is low-hanging fruit"

Thank goodness there was a pumpkin involved, or I'd be in a jam.

Originally Posted by myself@#10

90% might be only partial pans covering only the bigger cavities and voids.

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

I know what you meant, my response didn't come out right. the cruze and pacifica both iirc have the exhaust exposed, which, fair enough, since the only thing that could handle the heat (but still probably only cat back) is aluminum, and that's expensive and it corrodes with salt exposure. I can understand that, but plastic underpans really should be standard, and as a plus they help with road noise and rust protection. Car manufacturers act like the 2025 CAFE goals need to be met incrementally instead of just getting as good as they can as soon as they can. like they're afraid they'll change the numbers or something.

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

the grill, there is some blocking because of the filled in "blocks", but the actual area exposed to the radiator is just barely to either side of the GMC emblem wide and the bottom 7 inches high, the rest is unblocked until 3-4 inches behind the grill, then dead ends.

[freebeard]

Some Ecomodders might put blocks behind the grille on the left and right and call it good. Others might use L-shaped pieces, resulting in a vena contracta.

Optimal would be a curved block that seal the cavities. See here:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mic-34019.html

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

that ideal isn't practical, but I was planning on sealing the sides of the block right to the radiator. the top part of the grill isn't sealed straight to the radiator, but curves.

the cavity starts the full size of the grill then is reduced by shrouds. I would block the grill down to the size of the radiator, maybe a little smaller, and shroud it straight to the grill. thoughts?

the thoroughness of the air sealing on this car is top notch, the open top of the intake trough seals right to the hood, and the air intake picks up from the end, it's just that I would think the way they reduced it after the grill is suboptimal

the only place not sealed well is the bottom of he whole cavity, and possibly the sides of the cavity, I can't see them well. the bottom is right behind a big ol air dam, so I don't know how much sealing it would help.

[jcp123]

FWIW, noting that you didn't trust Chrysler minivans, we've had our '14 ex-Enterprise rental for about a year and 13k miles with zero issues. Currently at 58k.

Good luck with your project. I suspect careful driving will yield more than the mods. I haven't driven the new ones but I had a bit of experience with first-gen (bigger) Acadias, etc., and decided that Tahoes were a better option all-around, nevermind minivans.

Ive seen the new models on the road and they are indeed smaller. Hopefully that connotes some of the benefits you hope to reach.

[ksa8907]

It's a bit ironic that you bought a $45k awd luxury suv and now what to modify it to save a few dollars worth of gas.

Unfortunately, new cars don't leave a lot on the table without very visible modifications. Drive smart and enjoy the ride. We love our traverse! My wife averages 20 to 22mpg in mixed driving and plenty of idling.

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

this is our only car. the irony isn't lost on me, but we were facing, with the cars we were looking at, all vehicles within a couple MPG of each other. some smaller ones would have probably yielded worse gas mileage, but none around the same size would have touched it. all vehicles were within $5k (probably less) of each other, not all were available at the time.

with how much driving we're probably going to do with this, and the fact that my wife doesn't like the chrome grill (and can't always be trusted to drive carefully) I'm going to have the grill off anyway, and was just hoping to make it a little easier to hit 35MPG and manage cooling air better for when I tow with it, I'm not really looking to improve it any

[Isoldmysaturn:(]

Originally Posted by jcp123

FWIW, noting that you didn't trust Chrysler minivans, we've had our '14 ex-Enterprise rental for about a year and 13k miles with zero issues. Currently at 58k.

Chrysler can be compared to land rover. it can either be the best or worst car you've ever owned. my dad has had quite a few, grandpa has one, and going from others I've seen/driven, and they don't seem to wear miles well without quite a bit of money being put into them. There are a lot of people who have really good luck with them, and some who have bad luck with GM products, but GM products overall seem to be more consistent and overall better with less upkeep.