affordable Aero mods for LARGE SUV - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Tahoe_Hybrid · 10-07-2023, 05:51 PM

What are some great inexpensive mod

i commute about 90 miles aday round trip.. and gas is 6.39 a gallon

Currently getting 25.5 avg (peak is about 27.5 on good days)6.0 V8 SUV over the last 10 fill ups which actually isn't too bad considering the situation

my Toyota corolla is getting 45mpg avg(peak was 50mpg) on the same route..

i rather much be in the SUV(due to the crazy drivers out there.) but have been taking the car 1-2 days a week to mitigate my fuel costs

one of the issues is the hybrid battery it's pretty much dead. 100%. P0A80 code..

i got the tyres pumped for 46PSI..

i was thinking something along the lines of a belly pan...

i may have found another alternate route the appears to have more down hill as well... Less twists and turns (that wastes a lot of fuel in it self)
i'm going to test it today

this mod also has to be able to withstand 85-90mph speed

freebeard · 10-07-2023, 06:32 PM

Make it larger. Fineness ratio is your friend. Plus you can add crumple zone[s].

To paraphrase the racers, [economy] costs money, how [cheap] do you want to go?

Funkhoss' station wagon shows the way -- stack up the transmissions.

Quote:

94 Caprice Wagon 5.7L project--46 MPG so far - Fuel Economy ...
ecomodder.com › 94-caprice-wagon-5-7l-project-46-mpg-33961
Jun 17, 2016 ... UPDATE 1/8/20: To read about this car as it is currently configured, please jump to this post: ...

oil pan 4 · 10-07-2023, 07:45 PM

Finally giving up on all the BS?

freebeard · 10-07-2023, 08:25 PM

I'm certainly not going to point any finger. I've still got more Beetles than Metros.

The Super get ~25MPG running on three cylinders, and the Baja is a roller.

Tahoe_Hybrid · 10-08-2023, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebeard

Make it larger. Fineness ratio is your friend. Plus you can add crumple zone[s].

To paraphrase the racers, [economy] costs money, how [cheap] do you want to go?

Funkhoss' station wagon shows the way -- stack up the transmissions.

It has a 4 speed(physical gears not imaginary ones) EVT transmission already

technically it's a 6 speed 2x CVT and 4x physical gears....

i can budget 800$ going from 25 to 40-50mpg would quickly pay me back in 4mo based on the current rate of fuel expenditure i spend on fuel...

freebeard · 10-08-2023, 01:22 PM

There's more to getting that station wagon to 46MPG, side skirts and such.

Quote:

going from 25 to 40-50mpg would quickly pay me back...

You can put lipstick on a pig but that won't make it fly. ....or something. Do you have a plan?

The single biggest change you could make is a boat tail., but it's a pain in the aft. And it might get you to 30-35MPG.

Isaac Zachary · 10-08-2023, 02:07 PM

This is a tough one.
How to get better fuel mileage in a:

Full size SUV
that needs to go 85mph to 90mph
on a 90 mile per day route
with fuel costs at $6.39 per gallon.

If I were to make that kind of question on this forum I would be told to move to another state where I can live right next to my job.

Isaac Zachary · 10-08-2023, 06:10 PM

I'm going to venture out these opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

The objective is to follow your priorities. I see that safety seems to be your top priority, which is the reason for choosing the SUV. As far as that goes, I would urge you to first research the safety of your vehicle vs. other, more fuel efficient models.

Just going by "it looks big so must be safe" makes about as much sense as "it looks small so must be fuel efficient." There's a chance the Tahoe isn't as safe as you think it is, and that some smaller, more fuel efficient car out there could actually be safer.

According to the NHTSA, the 2023 Chevy Tahoe only gets an overall 4 star crash test rating. Have you considered this? Does having less than 5 stars not mean anything to you?

The main killer of 5 stars is it's 3 star rollover rating. If you're traveling 90 miles a day, how much of that exposes you to front (4 to 5 stars) and side (5 star) impacts? I would guess you do a lot of high speed freeway driving, the kind of driving that exposes you to drivers clipping into a corner of your vehicle and sending you into a deadly rollover. Do you really want a vehicle with a 3 star rating for that kind of driving?

https://youtube.com/shorts/zRm-BSzhe...Cqgnbb4iRSRabj

Of course maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you drive along cross streets all day and need protection from side impacts.

On the other hand, the 2023 Prius and Prius Prime have G (Best) rated 2.0 side crash tests with the IIHS. The new 2.0 similates something as big and heavy as being T-boned by a large SUV or pickup. If the Prius does well in a side impact by a large SUV and doesn't have the rollover put-your-head-at-bumper-height problem, then what's holding you back????!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7BrAPCpIM

I mean, seriously. You could be driving a Prius and be safer than you are now. Seriously!

freebeard · 10-08-2023, 06:23 PM

Quote:

my Toyota corolla is getting 45mpg avg(peak was 50mpg) on the same route..

i rather much be in the SUV(due to the crazy drivers out there.) but have been taking the car 1-2 days a week to mitigate my fuel costs
....
i can budget 800$ going from 25 to 40-50mpg would quickly pay me back in 4mo based on the current rate of fuel expenditure i spend on fuel...

www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/roll-bars-and-roll-cages/make/toyota/model/corolla

Six-point roll cages as low as $600. Put the rest in stance and anti-roll bars.

redpoint5 · 10-08-2023, 06:40 PM

The "safety" claim is usually either made out of ignorance, or rationalization.

People who want to be 'safe' aren't overweight (80% of people are overweight). They exercise and mind their diet. They don't climb up on ladders. They minimize travel, especially at night and early morning, they don't take any drugs including smoking or alcohol...

"I have to drive a large tippy vehicle 90 MPH because safety" is a dumb take.