Dodge Ram projects

[steve05ram360]

Yeah but they are over on cumminsforum.com the V1 air dam pics need to be moved over to smugmug from photosuckit.com, it is a narrower version of the one pic'd below.

DIY Air Dam V2_0 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum


and FWIW, mpg data over the last 5 months can be found here

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/3r...l#post27599266


http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...dam-24311.html

[freebeard]

so the fraction of an inch exit on the curtain is to accelerate flow out of the port right?

Yes, it is intended as a converging duct. Area in vs area out determines the dimensions. I'd go with ~3/4" mainly so it doesn't clog up with snow or road debris.

[steve05ram360]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Yes, it is intended as a converging duct. Area in vs area out determines the dimensions. I'd go with ~3/4" mainly so it doesn't clog up with snow or road debris.

There is a plastic piece there that is bolted to the fender somehow, maybe as a quick visual I yank it and see what can be done in that area. It is already at least 1/2" wide if not wider. I still think there is a problem with the exit angle and the wheel coverage.

[freebeard]

If it 'blows' on the tread it's not helpful. The idea is a curtain across the face of the wheel/tire.

[steve05ram360]

Yeah thats what i figured... If its easy to implement, i can test it fairly quickly with reasonable confidence in the results

[freebeard]

aerohead would say it's vehicle dependent and begs for wind tunnel time, but he'd also agree: Go for it.

[steve05ram360]

Update...

Installed front grill block (from rear of grill)
rear tire spats/air dam
vented front wheel wells (needs to be wider based on splatter pattern of dirt)
sealed off rear bumper (where air flow comes off the bed and into the bumper)

details & pics can be found here...
Aero Mods... - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum

Road trip Saturday, 700+ miles. Best my truck has done on this trip (and all time) is a 23.00x mpg doing reduced speeds, holding throttle steady up hills and coasting in neutral down hills. I had taller tires on back then, 34" vs 33" now. Gonna see if I can break that 23.00x record.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by steve05ram360

Update...

Installed front grill block (from rear of grill)
rear tire spats/air dam
vented front wheel wells (needs to be wider based on splatter pattern of dirt)
sealed off rear bumper (where air flow comes off the bed and into the bumper)

Nice job especially on the wheel spats! I was going to suggest getting the Silverado OEM dams (GM/Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that currently uses them, across its truck lineup), but those look pretty good.



You might think about a seal between the bed and cab, as Ram has done on the 2019:



(Sorry for the orientation; I don't know how to change it in the Ecomodder album).

If you don't need the ground clearance, think about dropping it as well. You'll improve the drag coefficient both by increasing the length-to-depth ratio by making the truck lower, and increasing the wheel-to-wheel housing volume ratio, which Hucho reports will lower drag and lift by a considerable amount.

Where is the air through the wheel well vents routed? I don't see an exit on the body side. A Magnahelic gauge would be useful for drawing a pressure map of the inside of the well.

[steve05ram360]

Thanks! The Chevy truck is where I leveraged the idea from... actually all of the stuff I'm doing is leveraged. Its all been done already, just not on my old ram. The bed seals are also on the list as well as an experiment with a diffuser in the rear. Looking to take those airtabs, mount them in a shallow diffuser setup under the bumper and aim them at the vacuum bubble that sits back there. I have not seen anything like that yet on the web so nothing to go by but trial and error.

That bed seal you posted, that's off the same chevy right? Ram has them on their 1500's from about 2014 & up, I will probably just snag those from a yard when I come across one. I picked up a garage door seal that I thought I could use but it turned into a CF trying to make it work. I plan to keep that other thread updated as I go and will update this one as well for the next guy.

[steve05ram360]

Adding...

Wheel well vents are just a pass thru, no routing on the back side yet. On the other side its open to the ground if I recall... the vent has a screen for large debris