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Congrats cons! Article about aeromodding his 40+ MPG Ford Ranger pickup

This popped up in my Google Alerts last night - a fairly thorough article in the JH Weekly ("Jackson Hole's free independent newspaper") about ecomodding, starring cons' 2004 Ford Ranger and the success he's had with aero mods (also see his "Success Story" thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ger-14069.html )

The Wizard of Odd
Conor Miller's truck sure looks weird, but its GAS SAVINGS are worth all the rubbernecking.

http://www.planetjh.com/BlogThreads/..._coverlead.jpg

I love the description of ecomodding in the intro...

Quote:

Ecomodders are a subculture of enviro-conscious, penny-pinching, borderline-OCD gearheads who trick out their cars to eke ever more miles per gallon out of them. The modifications they make are often small but significant, and when those mods are combined with “hypermiling” driving techniques, the resulting improvements in miles per gallon can be astonishing.

Borderline OCD? I'm insulted! I'm way past borderline. :D

Other notable quotes:

Quote:

Without question, Odd is one of the most singular vehicles around Jackson Hole and Miller has gotten used to rubberneckers staring at his truck. From his vantage point inside Odd, it’s the guys driving big trucks that are most baffled by the aerocap and other mods he’s made. “The bigger the truck, the more they stare,” Miller said.

Laughed at this one:

Quote:

On the left side of the bumper, written in black Sharpie on yellow duct tape is this simple request to tailgating drivers: “Get off my ass. I’m coasting!” And on the other side, waiting to be replaced with a “46,” is this explanation: “38 MPG.” JHW

Worth a read: Planet News Article, Jackson Hole Wy | The Wizard of Odd | 8/25/2010

Great article, Conor!

Thanks Darin! I told the reporter to talk to you and Phil but I guess he was crunched for time. He misquoted a couple things ecomodders might pick up on: the aerodynamically dirty area being the bottom, but the most drag coming from the back. Also, I doubt taping the seams has yielded a mpg. And it doesn't compare to skiing a sick couloir- but it is like a sport to get obsessed about. Other than that I thought it was great!

Nice article but they sure could use a tech editor before publishing!

cons: oh, and drag being insignificant below 55 mph :D.

Frank: I hear you. It's a common problem, errors in stuff like this.

The last article about my car that MSN did, at the end of the interview I offered to proof it for the writer -- from a strictly technical angle -- and he accepted. Prevented a couple of bloopers from going public.

Another thought: the occasional mistake aside, it's articles like this that catch people's attention.

I can point directly to the 2005 EV World article about Phil's Toyota pickup as the spark that launched my interest in aerodynamics & aeromodding. At that time, there were no forums on the topic, but there was a long discussion that followed in the comments below the article. You can read there the suggestion that a dedicated forum be started, and that was the genesis of the now defunct MaxMPG Yahoo group, the spiritual predecessor of GasSavers and EcoModder.

So, maybe there will be others who read your article and discover a new interest/hobby!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG (Post 190643)

Yeah I told him drag is insignificant under 40. I think he just changed that to hwy speeds. But no biggie. I didnt get to proofread it. I also said not to take my word for everything-read this website.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG (Post 190648)

I totally agree. The whole time I was just thanking Ben for giving this subject some exposure. I read a lot of news and never come across this stuff. More dedicated ecomodders here ought to contact their local paper. Looking to the future, our oil comes from the most volatile place in the world. If the Israel/Iran conflict explodes, a hell of a lot of people will want to know about this. Even without that though, people will be interested. I had no idea until this April.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cons (Post 190663)

Yeah I told him drag is insignificant under 40.

Any cyclist will beg to differ ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by euromodder (Post 190724)

Any cyclist will beg to differ ;)

As a biker I agree, but my city mpg are brutal, so I'm torn.

You guys should leave comments on the comment section of the article. It's the front page of the weekly paper, so not just some obscure online column. The more comments, the more interest is apparent and the stronger the topic becomes, thus making it a more attractive article for a bigger newspaper (maybe not NYTimes, but you never know). This is a great opportunity for ecomodding to get more public attention, and have follow up articles. There needs to be more, so please, leave a comment!
Cheers,
Conor