Basic aeromods to a 1990 toyota camry wagon

[beluga]

There are still quite a few 1987-91 Camrys on the road. Here's what I've done so far to mine, besides get general maintenance up to snuff, removing weight from throughout the car, checking tire pressure often and running the tires at max psi (35 on these dunlops)

Basic taped grill w/ logo removed for flatness-


Taped the headlights too, for now. Why not?


Bent required front license plate at angle.


Taped off some but not all of the hubcaps for Extra Sexy.


Removed roof rack cross bars (heavy! well made!), put side-mount radio antenna all the way down, have Fastrak.


Folded passenger side mirror - car has excellent visibility all around with tiny pillars and large glass sheets. Only need the mirror when car is full of stuff - so not removing mirror entirely.


Changed one bulb from standard to led so far - every watt counts!

Doing P&G... not sure if it helps or not since I haven't gone through a 2nd tank yet after starting. Planning to put a "55" sticker on to warn folks. After taping the grill, the radiator comes on slightly more frequently.

One addition which probably hurts mileage are the rain/wind deflectors... I always wanted those when I saw them overseas so when they became popular in the US last year I went out to get some.

Next on my list...

• remove cargo area carpet
  replace window motor - basic maintenance, not aero
  replace burnt out license plate bulb
  add valence air dam in front from a junk car lot or get lawn siding from the depot
  add turbulence reducers(?)/ wheel blocks and tails
  add a kammback
  add side skirts using lawn siding material
  add rear wheel well skirts
  add front wheel well reduction piece
  look for a prius or other newer spare tire that weighs less
  add belly pan
  build a "whale" rooftop shaper to work in conjunction w/ a kammback
  hook up mpguino unit
  replace front carpets with lighter material that doesn't skid but also protects base carpet. (towels w/ velcro or some other backing?)
  LRR yokohama orange tires
  polycarbonatize grill block, etc...

Am thinking of building a snap-on "kit" of ecomods for ppl who want them but don't have time to DIY. Not sure what demand is... I don't think "eco" or "money saving" is what will propel them though for most "consumers."

[MetroMPG]

Subscribed! Thanks for the detailed writeup & pics.

I almost bought one of these about 10 years ago - manual shift, though! In sexy, sexy brown paint.

Do you use the roof racks? If not, I'd take the whole mess right off the car.

[beluga]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Subscribed! Thanks for the detailed writeup & pics.

I almost bought one of these about 10 years ago - manual shift, though! In sexy, sexy brown paint.

Do you use the roof racks? If not, I'd take the whole mess right off the car.

i like the 60s-70s datsun brown. i see brown's been back in style for a year or two on MBZ, Cryslur and other cars.

I use them for moving mattresses around. I'm planning to build a whale roof to get that prius-insight-every-sports-car-made curvature so i'd rather keep 'em on for now. i know about the cross-wind stuff, thanks for mentioning though!

i've had manual. tired of it manu-matic seems ok as long as i don't blow the transmission.

i've cross-posted over at Fun 'n ugly aero-modding of a 90 wagon - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums =)

[beluga]

Got my best ever MPG last week after a bunch of tiny mods, ditching weight and massive P&G (ankle hurts, can't do toooo much). 450 miles / 12.7gal = 35.433070866141732283464566929134 miles per gallon. less than the xl1, but good for this boxy thing.

i think the next main mod must be a kammback wing, somewhere between the partial metrotail and the pickup truck down-wing i saw on here a while ago.
other kammwings i see that seem like good models (of course they have the whole wing hump profile up front, too, which mine doesn't yet)---
honda fit
prius vee
prius see

valence, wing, then belly pans and pizza pans, in that order seems most productive.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by beluga

35.433070866141732283464566929134 miles per gallon. less than the xl1, but good for this boxy thing.

Funny, that bit.

[Xist]

Yes, I would look into removing the window deflectors. They reduce wind noise by forcing the air away from your windows. It is a bad aero area, but it would reduce air attachment.

Seriously, do the lawn edging air dam. It is so easy that you will wonder why you did not do it sooner!

I am not a good example of this, but please do A-B-A testing for all of your modifications.

There are current discussions on LED lights on here. Many users have done this or at least looked into it. This, and replacing steel wheels with lighter ones, really do not seem to have return-on-investments, and LED headlights do not work properly.

I think that I read on here that for every percent that you reduce your car weight, you increase your mileage by half as much. There are not many ways to significantly reduce weight, and some of those are very expensive, like replacing the wheels.

[beluga]

Glad to humor a Metro guy

Xist thanks for the ideas!

Today: picked up a bookshelf and hauled it around. I think I achieved a partial kammback effect and lower Cd but am not sure... maybe it was negated by the liftback being open? The bookcase added weight for more inertia...

P&G kicks ass, i wish there were an automagical version of it w/ auto-sensing radar cruise control. (because lazy) If i make P&G vinyl decals will u buy them?

re weight of car. has anyone replaced their hood and side windows w/ polycarbonate? i can flex my lightness with a clear 1/8" 4x8 sheet for $96+tax at TAP Plastics.

finally added my gas receipt from 1/11...check my logz ... huge mpg jump from P&G, manu-maticness (WILL THIS KILL MY TRANNY?), tape-over upper gblocking & partial hubcap tape-overs.

since mega-tank:
* bought lawn edging
* bought pizza pans
* received MPGuido :P
* bought 2006 Subie spare tire - lighter than my "plus size" 80s spare

so here's more eye candy...

The January 11th record tank:


car side profile w/ bookcase strapped in = accidental kammback! (my only thought is how will i strap on a real one? but there are many ways to attach things to things...)


closeup


rear

[beluga]

time for some calcs.

how many miles/months need i drive before recouping costs from gas-saving devices?

forthcoming...

[Baltothewolf]

Do you hypermile for that 35mpg? I'm getting 32 in my 95 camry at 70 on the freeway.

[beluga]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

Do you hypermile for that 35mpg? I'm getting 32 in my 95 camry at 70 on the freeway.

short answer: yes

long: P&G (like riding a bike lazily; pedal hard while standing on pedals then coast a ways, ad nauseum), never drive above 65 and usually b/t 50-60mph on hwy, and all the tips/mods above...

read the top links on this site: 65/100 tips. use them.

SPEED KILLS in more ways than four