09-08-2013, 09:52 AM
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#51 (permalink)
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Cyborg ECU
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jedi_sol
Didn't top gear try to cook something using the heat from a car engine?
Why cover the wheel skirt with aluminium? Coroplast is pretty dang weather proof. Just seems like a lot of extra work. Are you worried about flexing?
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I'm not all that worried about flexing, since it has backing and it is pretty firmly secured and on the side of the car, where I imagine solar heat build up will be less intense. It's all about the fit and finish. I think I can get a cleaner and more "OEM" look out of the aluminum, especially at the edges. Plus, if I buy aluminum sheet for the under tray from a local metals supplier it seems I'll almost certainly have a surplus.
cbaber, I forgot... I have no plans for testing these ABA right now. Past experience suggested the difference might be within the noise, and I don't have cruise control, which makes testing harder. This is a mod others have tested effectively. But when I get a GPS of my own at some point, then I think I might try a downhill coast-down test, measuring top speed, average speed, and distance. Just to see if I can confirm others' results. EDIT: I'll add MetroMPG's graph of the benefit he saw, which does not prove mine will show a benefit, only that there is reason to believe it's a good mod:
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See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.
Last edited by California98Civic; 09-08-2013 at 10:17 AM..
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09-10-2013, 11:18 AM
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#52 (permalink)
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Hypermiler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by California98Civic
The exhaust goes out the back of the car. This is just the part that gets hot.  |
As long as you don't have one of those magic crack-o-matic exhaust headers. I did.  It cracked from the O2 sensor going up through the Y.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedi_sol
Didn't top gear try to cook something using the heat from a car engine?
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I saw an episode with Mythbusters and Alton Brown where they successfully cooked a Thanksgiving feast on the engine. They measured all the various temperatures and positioned the different dishes strategically for cooking temp and time.
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11-mile commute: 100 mpg - - - Tank: 90.2 mpg / 1191 miles
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09-13-2013, 01:31 PM
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#53 (permalink)
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Cyborg ECU
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian
I saw an episode with Mythbusters and Alton Brown where they successfully cooked a Thanksgiving feast on the engine. They measured all the various temperatures and positioned the different dishes strategically for cooking temp and time.
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I imagine they were working from ideas promoted in this book:
Manifold Destiny (cookbook) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine!: Chris Maynard, Bill Scheller: 9781416596233: Amazon.com: Books
Oh, and this too, "Diesel Dining" (for truck drivers): http://www.amazon.com/Diesel-Dining-...ref=pd_sim_b_2
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.
Last edited by California98Civic; 09-13-2013 at 02:06 PM..
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09-23-2013, 08:13 PM
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#54 (permalink)
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Cyborg ECU
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Plasti-dipped
Painted the side door distinction moldings, the side skirts, and the wheel skirts in plasti-dip. Sorry for the miniscule photo... gonna paint the front plastics after I replace the upper grill block:
Looks cleaner, I think.
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.
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09-23-2013, 08:55 PM
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#55 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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its really hard to judge the "cleanliness" of your car due to the small picture. My opinion will stay neutral for now until you upload a bigger picture. lol
oh btw...is that an SI upper grill? i noticed the "H" emblem is missing.
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09-23-2013, 09:36 PM
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#56 (permalink)
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Cyborg ECU
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jedi_sol
its really hard to judge the "cleanliness" of your car due to the small picture. My opinion will stay neutral for now until you upload a bigger picture. lol
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jedi_sol
oh btw...is that an SI upper grill? i noticed the "H" emblem is missing.
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Just a thin piece of coroplast cut to fit behind the plastic grill frame. I did take the emblem off, however. I want to replace it with a thin sheet of scrap aluminum laying around the garage, but I'm kinda busy, maybe a little lazy, and definitely indecisive. Haha!
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.
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09-23-2013, 10:09 PM
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#57 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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how much ground clearance do you have on your side skirts?
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09-24-2013, 12:21 AM
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#58 (permalink)
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Cyborg ECU
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jedi_sol
how much ground clearance do you have on your side skirts?
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I just went out to grab a quick measure. It's dark but it seems to be between 3.5" and 3.75". Going over speed bumps at work and elsewhere I generally do not scrape, but occasionally I will if speed or weight change how I clear the obstacle.
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.
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09-24-2013, 10:11 AM
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#59 (permalink)
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Hypermiler
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Need to paint the wheels now!
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11-mile commute: 100 mpg - - - Tank: 90.2 mpg / 1191 miles
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09-24-2013, 02:37 PM
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#60 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian
Need to paint the wheels now!
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Pep boys now carries plastidip in all sorts of colors!
Pearlizer
Bronze
glossifier
blaze blue
blaze pink
blaze green
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