"ecomodding" ideas for my Ford Taurus???
 

I have been on this site a while and haven't posted lately, but it is summer now so I'll have quite a bit of free time. I have a 1997 Ford Taurus and need some ideas for making it aerodynamic.

I would like to make an underbody shield, but I have read that my car is an "underbreather" so I'm afraid that a shield will cause my engine to overheat.

I know I want to do something with my mirrors, but AFAIK there aren't any aftermarket mirrors available that fit my car. I absolutely will NOT survive on the road without mirrors, so removing them is out of the question. Perhaps there is some kind of cone I could attch to it to decrease the front surface area?

I want to do something with the front of the car, but I don't know how to attch it, because I don't want to damage the paint, and I would like ti to be removable. I go SCCA solo races sometimes so It would get wrecked if it was permanent.

I also want to do some kind of wheel skirts or something, but my car is narrow at the bottom so the wheel sticks out a lot, so a flat skirt will not work unless it's just like the top 5 inches. And, how do I make wheel skirts on the front? Is that possible?

I would also like to make some kind of shield to cover the wiper blades, but I'm not sure how something like that would work.

I also want to remove my radio antenna, but I use the radio everyday. Is there a way to run a wire to the sheet metal or something so I can still recieve a signal?

Here is some pics of my car so you can get an idea of what I have to work with:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...OTM/cotm01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...OTM/cotm05.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...OTM/cotm06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...OTM/cotm03.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/MVC-418S.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...OTM/cotm04.jpg

The mods you mention are all do-able. . Many have done what you have mentioned. Go ahead and copy them, I'm sure they won't mind..:p
I'd recommend cruising around the forum and read everything that catches your eye. MetroMpg!SVOboy!Doax! Give this man some links! Stat!:D

U.C. Davis aero modded a Taurus just like yours . They did an extensive write up on the modifications.
I post the link as soon as I find it.

Good car to start with by the way .

You are already driving the most aerodynamic Ford sedan ever made. (Cd 0.30) The antenna isn't in a bad place, but you could install a switch to control it. I once had a Caddy with a bad auto antenna that worked pretty well even when not extended. You mirrors aren't bad.

OMG! Take off those window visor things!

If you have a water temp gauge I would go ahead and try smoothing over the 3 openings in the front bumper with something like packing tape. Smooth over the front turn signals too. If you are handy you can make a wiper cowling that attaches to the rear of the hood. The problem is snow will pack in them.

Ahhh. Eibach makes lowering springs for your Taurus. 1.4" Lower is better, but it might knock you out of your SCCA class.

Good luck!

Here is the link : http://www.team-fate.net/wordpress/?page_id=16

Yeah, I've heard that too, about it being the most aerodynamic ford sedan. It makes things a little brighter to know that :)

As for the window visors, in an effort to save gas I leave my windows partially down at all times when the car is parked to keep it cool and hardly ever use the A/c... so I need to have those on in case it rains... I figure the cost of more wind resistance is less than the cost of gas my A/C would suck up.

As for lowering my car, I already bottom out on some speed bumps and dirt roads... My car may seem higher than most, but I think it has quite a low ground clearance. So, it can't really be lowered much more.

cool! I actually just saw a pic of that car the other day, but there wasn't anyt information with it.... while that seems like a smart idea.... erm, well, I simply don't have the spare time or money to do that. :(

Did you follow the link ( within the link ) ?

http://www.team-fate.net/technical/1997TechReport.pdf

They even did tuft testing.

The late Eighties Mercury Sable had a .Cd of .28 ... but then ... it's not technically a Ford.

I'd start out with the 100+ hypermiling tips. I'm sure you can get better than 24 mpg with a few alterations to your driving style. I know a coworker who had the same car and routinely got 27ish and he was by far not a conservative driver.

As for mods, I'd probably try to start out with something other than aero since you are doing pretty good in that area already. That being said I'd probably still block off the top slot in the bumper. Anyway, what I am getting at is I would look into a warm air intake for it. Since its automatic you'll be doing more driving with load. So, if the engine can handle a bit warmer air you'll see some benefits there. Have you pumped up your tires yet?