Air dam A-B-A: I failed

[Xist]

I guess that I did not drive the car enough to warm up, but I did the A- route, almost twenty-two miles, went to fill up, and it clicked after 0.147 gallons, so I decided to do two clicks each time, and it stopped at 0.174 gallons, and I almost had gasoline spilling down the side of my car.

Okay, sure. 150 MPG. Somehow, I think that driving with the air dam would show worse results, and my second A-run might be worse still.

For how long do you need to drive your car before it is warm? It is over a hundred degrees for most of the day; how cold is that?

[redneck]

For how long do you need to drive your car before it is warm? It is over a hundred degrees for most of the day;

In my opinion, 25 miles minimum even at those temps. The longer the better.

Short fills are usually very inaccurate.


You could try these.


A-B-A testing

Do you have a Scangauge or Ultragauge...???

If so, no problem. Find a relatively flat road with little traffic as possible. Set the cruise control or use your foot to control a constant speed. 50 mph should be good. Find a landmark such as a tree, light pole or sign on each end of the test road. As you pass the beginning landmark, reset the gauge by holding or pushing the buttons. Note and record the displayed average when passing the landmark at the other end. Do this both ways several times with the mod installed and off. Compare results.

Or you could try A-B-A this way.

Measure the drag coefficient of your car


Or just find a fairly steep hill and do some roll down tests. Use a beginning landmark and from a dead stop, record the distances the car rolls till it stops.




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[Xist]

Thanks, Redneck. I actually tried coastdown testing on a flat isolated street, but even at 03, there was still way too much traffic. My HX does not have cruise control, which frustrated me, as well as driving my car for the express purpose of burning gasoline, which I try to minimize at all times.

I do not know of any hills anywhere around here, unless I go fifty to a hundred miles away, en route to my parents' house, and those are steep enough that I accelerate in third gear!

I could take the Scanguage out of my Forester and put it in my Civic, but I really need an MPGuino.

One project at a time?

Belatedly, I realized that I could have emulated A-B-A by just removing the belt, driving, putting it back on, etc. The power steering pump seems heavy, but everything combined is less than 1% total of the car's mass. I even realized that I could test two variables at once!

I could A-B-A the power steering belt with my ex-girlfriend driving the Forester, using cruise control, and me following in my Civic.

I cannot explain my personal life. Let's focus on ecomodding!

[2000mc]

Why not grab the scangauge? doesn't have to be calibrated to a vehicle to compare a to b. I think they're good for aeromods, but don't know if I would trust it to measure engine mods. my sg thought I was getting in the neighborhood of 10% improvement when I put on a HAI, but from my fills it was 0-2%. I took it off anyway because once I built it to pull enough heat on the highway it had drivability issues in town. With a p/s delete you know it will use less fuel, and the down side is if you could still parallel park. I would of liked to test this on my own car, but the biggest reason to test the p/s delete is only personal satisfaction

[ecomodded]

I would use a full tank of gas to do tests with. it is the most accurate way to measure changes in your average mpg which is what you want not a 50 mile run with a fuel top up to see the difference, there is not enough time/miles to get accurate readings from the tiny refills..

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

I cannot explain my personal life. Let's focus on ecomodding!

I would focus on ecomodding your personal life instead of distracting yourself with air-dams.

[Baltothewolf]

It's 90 outside and my Corolla is fully warmed up after about 5 miles. Just saying. I do Park my car in the direct sunlight, however.

[nemo]

It's not just a question of the engine being at operating temperature. All moving components axles, transmission and wheel bearings along with their lubrication need to at normal operating temperature.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Xist

I could A-B-A the power steering belt with my ex-girlfriend driving the Forester, using cruise control, and me following in my Civic.

Sounds like you might be introducing another variable, drafting. You would need to maintain a constant distance.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by nemo

Sounds like you might be introducing another variable, drafting. You would need to maintain a constant distance.

Many years ago, I trained to work in a group home. They taught us over and over that distance was our friend. After six weeks, one of the residents chased me with a big knife.



They fired me for that, even though he was allowed to use sharp objects while under supervision. For six weeks, I would relieve one guy and see several rules that he broke, and more that the guy who relieved me also broke, but you have the S.W.A.T. team called during your shift and everybody loses their mind!

I do not tailgate, especially her, while both of us are driving my cars.

However, if she sets cruise control, it would help me maintain a constant speed.