Experiment: smooth wheel discs tested A-B-A - 4.6% mpg improvement @ 65 mph

[brucey]

Ah, that's what I was looking for. Oddly, a 16" pizza pan fits a 15" wheel perfectly. I just wanted to make sure cutting them didn't lead to problems with it tearing apart or something from the rotation. Thanks guys! Plus this will fix the problem of snow packing into the wheels.

[ECONORAM]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

If anyone still had doubts on that one...

The chart is quite interesting. I tried a trip with clear packing tape on my wheels. Not sure what the difference was, as I didn't stop to do any A/B testing, but the tape did seem to help make the truck slipperier. Mileage was hovering around 20 mpg, even driving 70 mph 90% of the time. I did notice a lot of brake dust and dirt gathered behind the tape...
Unfortunately, I cannot easily find (21"?) pizza pans for 20" alloy wheels. I will probably buy some clear Lexan and cut disks for each. Found Regal Plastics here in OKC carries Lexan, ABS, and more. Still need a good method of attaching them, but the improvement to me is well worth the effort. I never got 20 mpg at 70 mph before...for nearly 500 miles.

[electric_ride]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

Mine do not come out to the edge (.75" gap) so I did not have to notch them at all. But the notch is a great idea if you only have one bolt.

Mine rattle when I hit bumps too. I tried some plastic tubing over the outer edge and it worked, till the tubing came off (broke epoxy).

So I am just living with the rattle.

I have been looking at this mod and love it. I understand about the rattle. Here are two what I feel really good options 1. tack it with 3M body trim glue maybe in a star pattern it won't take much or.... 2. put door edge molding around them. With the pressure of the wheel cover holding to the center cap they will not come off. Hope this helps. Anyone else with mod tips for a S10 please let me know as I am going to start modding my electric powered S10.

[Weather Spotter]

For other tips, head over to our wiki mod page and look for other s10's. Other cars mods can work to.

Car MPG Efficiency Modifications Main - EcoModder

[backyard engineer]

your dilligence is very evident.thank you for sharing

[ECONORAM]

Alright, a little update for you all. I am on version 2.1 of my wheel covers. I am now using unpainted black corrogated plastic, attached with parachute (550) cord laced around the wheel spokes. My center caps are recessed about 2-3 inches, so using Concrete's method won't work so well. I previously tried using self-adhesive velcro strips, but I kept losing a cover when I went over 65 mph. These stayed on at 85 mph, so I know 550 cord works... Just need to find something easier to remove.

[KillerBeeZ]

I have a 2 year old so I didn't have time to read the entire thread...thus I don't know if these were brought up... but I have a warning.

Some cars in some situations need that air flow to cool off the brakes. I know my 03 Grand Caravan would get really hot if I did this as they get hot as it is and I drive mostly in the city. So be sure to check the brake temp because the hotter they get the less they work and they will need replacing a lot sooner.

If your brakes get hot with this mod, I'd suggest replacing the entire brake assembly with one that's more for racing as they are bigger, disperse heat better and generally are much better/safer anyway. If it still gets hot, you will need to reverse the mod a little by making a few vents in the covers.

[Joenavy85]

Originally Posted by brucey

Plus this will fix the problem of snow packing into the wheels.

as well as keep water off of the rotors.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by KillerBeeZ

Some cars in some situations need that air flow to cool off the brakes.

The whole point of hypermiling is to stay off the brakes as much as possible, so it's not really an issue.

I know my 03 Grand Caravan would get really hot if I did this as they get hot as it is and I drive mostly in the city.

Are you sure they aren't sticking ?
If they aren't, change your driving style to avoid braking as much as possible.

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by KillerBeeZ

I have a 2 year old so I didn't have time to read the entire thread...thus I don't know if these were brought up... but I have a warning.

Some cars in some situations need that air flow to cool off the brakes. I know my 03 Grand Caravan would get really hot if I did this as they get hot as it is and I drive mostly in the city. So be sure to check the brake temp because the hotter they get the less they work and they will need replacing a lot sooner.

If your brakes get hot with this mod, I'd suggest replacing the entire brake assembly with one that's more for racing as they are bigger, disperse heat better and generally are much better/safer anyway. If it still gets hot, you will need to reverse the mod a little by making a few vents in the covers.

While heat may not buildup...it might.
Here is a thread I started on cooling front brakes:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...kes-18011.html