Aero suggestions for my car

[atomicradish]

I think I have pretty much maximized FE in my car with driving style changes. I am on to aerodynamic modifications now.

This is a picture of a car that looks exactly like mine. Paint and spoiler are even the same!



Another car that looks similar to mine



Front end view (best i could find)



I was surprised to read that this car has a .29 cd stock. So far I have blocked the two eyelet pieces of the grill using cardboard and some zipties. I plan to block off the bottom also.

Other mods:

Wheel skirts

Mirror delete - I am not sure how I will solve wiring for the mirrors. I only want them off temporarily... will there be cords blowing in the wind?

Perhaps wheel covers? These are alloy wheels, will it be possible to cover them??

Mods I am not handy enough to even attempt:

Boattail
Belly pan

Thanks in advance guys. If you could help point out some of the sources of drag on this car I might be able to work from there.

edit: The hood on my car has a factory designed hump in it on the drivers side. It was exclusive to the DOHC cars. Unfortunately I can't fix that. It does add a little bit of uniqueness to the car though.

[Xringer]

It looks like your mud flaps are smaller than mine were. Mine were like little parachutes.
I took the front flaps off, but the rear flaps left a big hole, so I cut them down.
Here's a URL.

HondaSUV Forums - Discussion forum and bulletin board for Honda CR-V, CRV, Element, Pilot, HR-V owners - View Single Post - Got a new SGII (ScanGauge-II w/ X-Gauge)

I also blocked out about 70% of my grill air intakes.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-crv-2563.html
So far this summer, the water temp is staying in the normal range.

[SuperTrooper]

Say goodbye to Mr. Spoiler.

How do you feel about lowering the car with a spring kit?

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello,

Does your car have foflights, or not? Either way, flush covers for them would help.

An upper grill block\wedge would also help.

Maybe metal foil tape on the wheels?

Add a deflector for the wiper trough?

Does your car have a power antenna?

[whitevette]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

I think I have pretty much maximized FE in my car with driving style changes.

I was surprised to read that this car has a .29 cd stock.

Thanks in advance guys. If you could help point out some of the sources of drag on this car I might be able to work from there.

A rather large source of drag ( yes, drag) in any rolling body is the rolling resistance of the tires. This "backward push" is another force to be lowered or eliminated in the quest for higher efficiency. Tires have a resistance to rolling which can be greatly lowered. This might take a bit of self-discipiline to swallow...have you noticed (on the tire sidewall) the warning : "Max Press..."? Why is it always 36 psi? All cars, all corners, all sizes? This is not logical...thus, I started to think this matter thru. What I finally came up with is quite simple...the tire cos. want you to keep your fear of high pressure
( left over from bias-ply tires...which wore the center of the tread if much over 32 psi was put in) intact so ... the tires will wear out sooner. After all, the replacement tire market thrives on wear. Doesn't it?
Back to tread wear...with the intro of the radial tire, everything changed. The radial belt in the tread area acted like a tank tread. Tread bowing / deflection? Not likely. When steel tire cord was introduced, it became a moot point. But the sidewall warning was still there. Now it was / is 36 psi for cars.
Without going into all the details, I'll just say what I do ( and have done for many years ) ...I set the cold pressure... at all 4 corners, on both my cars, to 44 psi. Check 'em with a broom handle thump once in a while ( looking for that nail leak) and reset the pressure every week or so. My tire tread lasts longer than the sidewalls (ozone checking) and , after 7 years, the tires need replacing anyhow. The ride? Not bad. The grip? Great! The rolling resistance is notably less...the car creeps easier than ever. The harshness? I can live with a slight increase in "road feel". Wet traction? Great! Heat build-up? Less! Which means longer tread life. Fear of blowouts? LOL! NTSA specs say "No" to failures at these low pressures.
My conclusions? I buy tires less often than I ever have. And I relax at high speed knowing my tire "footprints" are flat and true.
Try it...you'll like it. -whitevette
P.S. The rear spoiler? You don't want to get caught at the speed which begins to show any effect ; ie, it's drag.

[atomicradish]

My car does have fog lights like the 3rd picture car. They are recessed about half an inch.

My car originally came with a power antenna however it broke off and is now replaced with a regular antenna. I cannot remove it because the radio is the only music I get for my 300 mile trips (my cd player is broken).

Metal foil sounds like a possibility. How much is it, and will it strip the paint from the wheels if removed?

I will get to work on a wiper cover and finishing the grille block. I have yet to find any coroplast, so it is taking me longer than I would like. I'm also considering an airdam since I'm not able to make a belly pan.

I posted a question regarding the spoiler on another FE website, and several people said the spoiler might actually be helping my FE?

[atomicradish]

Whitevette,

The tires are in my list of things to do. My the rear end of my car was out of alignment and was wearing thru tires rather quickly, so I have different tires on front and back. My front tires have a sidewall rating of 36 psi. One of the back tires has a rating of 44 psi, and another 55 psi. I have the front tires at 36 and the rear tires at 44, though I would like to buy a set of tires which I can fill up to 60 psi (i only get used tires though)

The 55 psi is a uniroyal. I have heard they are the best brand for longevity. Can anyone back this up? What is the best brand of tires to get for FE?

[SuperTrooper]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

I posted a question regarding the spoiler on another FE website, and several people said the spoiler might actually be helping my FE?

Spoilers like this are designed to create downforce, which creates drag. Given the speeds most cars operate at they are decorative doodads. The key to sedans like yours is letting the airflow from the roof flow down to the decklid and smoothly slide off the back. Spoilers create turbulance. That's why they are called spoilers.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

Whitevette,

The tires are in my list of things to do. My the rear end of my car was out of alignment and was wearing thru tires rather quickly, so I have different tires on front and back. My front tires have a sidewall rating of 36 psi. One of the back tires has a rating of 44 psi, and another 55 psi. I have the front tires at 36 and the rear tires at 44, though I would like to buy a set of tires which I can fill up to 60 psi (i only get used tires though)

The 55 psi is a uniroyal. I have heard they are the best brand for longevity. Can anyone back this up? What is the best brand of tires to get for FE?

At 25 % overinflation,your tires would only net you a 1% improvement in mpg,something difficult to even measure at the pump.Your ride would be all shot to hell,and road shocks normally absorbed with the sidewall,would be transmitted into the cabin,making for noise and harshness.
I'd recommend you cold inflate your tires to whatever Mitsubishi specifies for the Galant.If you're going to run at continuous high speed (75-mph or over ),I believe your owner's manual will suggest an additional 3-psi can be added.Tire manufacturers recommend that you do not exceed the maximum pressure embossed on the sidewall.Your recommended pressures are set for braking-bias,and it is a safety,control, and stablity issue for the vehicle.When you shop for the new tires,you may be able to obtain rolling-force -coefficients to help you shop for the lowest LLR tires.Some LLR tires have half the tread- life of conventional steel all-season radials.You may want to do a life-cycle cost analysis before you buy.

[whitevette]

Originally Posted by aerohead

At 25 % overinflation,your tires would only net you a 1% improvement in mpg,something difficult to even measure at the pump.Your ride would be all shot to hell,and road shocks normally absorbed with the sidewall,would be transmitted into the cabin,making for noise and harshness.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. All totally wrong. Such is the nature of the anecdodal response. I'm speaking from 13+ years of corporate R&D tire cord work.