Best fill in 6 years in the Firefly/Metro: 84 mpg US with 3 new mods

[MetroMPG]

I've seen some very encouraging numbers on the ScanGauge after my latest batch of mods (done since my last fill-up), so I filled the Fleabag before hitting the half-tank mark because I wanted to find out if they were for real. (And I made sure I filled it right to the top of the filler neck.)

2.8 L/100 km = 84 mpg (US) = 101 mpg (Imp)

That's over 582 km / 362 miles of my typical summer usage: mostly on scenic route & back roads, with a max posted speed limit of 80 km/h / 50 mph.

The latest mods...

1) New air dam:



http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post486061

2) LRR RE92's:



It's now wearing the worn out set of RE92's on alloy wheels from the ForkenSwift (RIP).

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post486687

3) Full wheel discs



I re-used the discs from my failed magnetic attachment experiment (zip ties this time!). A little bit sad to cover up the pretty Suzuki alloys, but the results are attractive in their own way!

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post487092

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Ever since I put the air dam on, I could have sworn that my butt-o-meter was telling me good things. And then with the wheel/tire change, it got even better.

It's actually one of my best non-pulse & glide, non-competition tanks. Not counting those, I beat it back in 2008 when I was alternator-less for a portion of that fill. But I haven't run without the alternator for a few years now.

And comparing some trip data, I had a best ever trip to & from my friends' cottage, AND with the highest average speed I've recorded on that trip. (I tend to spend some of my efficiency dividends on going a bit faster.)

[Daox]

Wooo, very nice. Congrats!

[cowmeat]

Dang man, nice tank! Those discs look pretty legit, almost as good as mine.

I've thought about putting an air dam like that on the Insight, but I already cringe if I pass over an armadillo, or a racoon, or a turtle . . . or a squirrel . . . . . or a field mouse . . . . . . or a nickel

[MetroMPG]

HA! I actually thought of the G1 Insight fleet when I saw my tank numbers. Of course, you guys can get these results going a lot faster than the Firefly.

For comparison... on this weekend's trip to my friends' cottage, on a route that goes through a bunch of small towns plus a small city each way:

- 3.1 L/100 km = 75 mpg US @ 39 mph average in the Firefly

In the Insight (pre-boat tail), on multiple trips at around the same average speed I averaged:

- 2.5 L/100 km = 96 mpg US (Then the boat tail brought that up to 109 mpg, round trip.)

As for the air dam, it's still too high! How do I know? I hardly scrape it on anything! The car needs to be lowered.

[niky]

Damn.

Stuff like this is why I came to ecomodder in the first place.

Major props, man!

[Longsnowsm]

Very impressive Metro! Congrats on the awesome tank! The Firefly is looking very good! What is the ground clearance on the front air dam?

[MetroMPG]

There's still tons of clearance:



(http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post486061 )

[Longsnowsm]

Very nice Metro! I think that is actually about the sweet spot between ripping the bottom of the car off on everything on or near the road and getting good aero coverage at about 5-6 inches above the ground. Anything lower and your dragging it on everything! Your car looks sweet!

[Eddie25]

that airdam results seem promising. do you have a belly pan as well? also how deep is the air dam or how far does it extend from the bottom of the bumper?

[MetroMPG]

No belly pan. It's on the list!

The air dam is about 10-11 cm / 4-4.5 inches tall.