Friendly Wager: 60 mpg 95 Mercury Tracer

[M_a_t_t]

The top left corner of the passenger mirror is obstructed by the A pillar, but is otherwise useable and the driver mirror is actually very good. I might be used to having no mirror at all though.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

The top left corner of the passenger mirror is obstructed by the A pillar, but is otherwise useable and the driver mirror is actually very good. I might be used to having no mirror at all though.

Is it out of question to set it either a little back or lower in order to overcome this obstruction?

[M_a_t_t]

I think I can rotate the mirror towards the back of the car, but I'm limited by how far up I can adjust the mirror.

[M_a_t_t]

Still haven't messed with the passenger mirror. I did some work no the rust on the wheel well though. Just a temporary fix though. I think it turned out ok. I didn't really want to mess with it at the time and I needed to fix a coolant leak on my mom's car (08 hyundai veracruz) so this is what I ended up with. I haven't finished the grill block that I mentioned in a different thread yet either. I need to modify the driver side end plate to make up for the broken bumper before I can finish it.

The hole was actually prettly large (and seemed to be getting bigger quickly)


I was planning on trying to weld in 2 pieces. The first part of the wheel well was pretty flat and only curved in one direction. So I was going to make this piece and weld it in there then make the rounded side of the well. Like I said I didn't really feel like messing with it then so it's now more of a deflector than a real fix. It blends in pretty well though.



That wagon I mentioned earlier in the thread is gone. I also started a new job that is more highway (~24 miles one way) than my previous job and traffic requires you go the speed limit or above (people regularly doing 60-65 mph in a 55) so any aero mods I do should let me reap the reward faster. Plus it's 2nd shift () so the wind is usually a little calmer when I get off so I can probably do some quick testing on my way home from work. I also quit the newspaper route I had been doing.

Preliminary results (adjusting MPGuino currently) show low to mid 30's for the trip.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

That fix looks quite good. BTW even though you might not be willing to spend too much on this car, it's still worth to consider painting this and other parts you eventually do some fix with Hammerite or other rust-preventing product.

[M_a_t_t]

I want to fix it and keep the car for 2 reasons. 1. Practice with sheet metal skills, if this looks kinda ugly it won't matter so much and I can make nicer parts for my other cars with rust (all of them ). 2. At least for right now, don't really have the money for another car.

I need to finish work on 2/4 of my motorcycles (valve adjust on versys and head gasket on 1100) and clean the garage up. Then I can work a little more comfortably in there as it gets colder.

That panel will be temporary. Might end up being one of those long-term temporary fixes though.

I also got 38.5 MPG on the trip back from work last night. Still adjusting calibration on MPGuino though.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

I want to fix it and keep the car for 2 reasons. 1. Practice with sheet metal skills, if this looks kinda ugly it won't matter so much and I can make nicer parts for my other cars with rust (all of them ). 2. At least for right now, don't really have the money for another car.

Seems perfectly reasonable. When it comes to your other cars, maybe it would make more sense to consider a more effective rustproofing, even if you end up not blowing money on this one.

[M_a_t_t]

I did some pressure testing for the separation edges I've had on for awhile. My pitot tube mount wasn't the best and would rotate a little bit so I think I need to modify it and re-test before drawing any conclusions. Possibly use a different road too. Speed limit was 45, I did 50 MPH.

My mount:


I used a holesaw to drill a hole in the broken bumper cover. I thought there was going to be a foam core, but it was actually hollow. Initially the pole was a tight fit, but after driving for a few miles it loosened up. I used some duct tape to hold it in place, which worked fairly well.


On the end of the pole is this. A coiled up coat hanger plus the pitot tube held on with some heat shrink. It was a tight fit over the pole and then I used some electrical tape to secure it even better.




I tested in the 4 spots shown here (tail lights and bumper). Units were converted from inches of water.
Modified light: -27.4 Pa (-24.9 Pa & -29.9)
Stock light: -29.85 Pa (-39.8 Pa & -19.9 Pa)
Modified bumper: -31.1 Pa (-34.8 Pa & -27.37 Pa)
Stock bumper: -34.85 (-47.3 Pa & -22.39 Pa)

I could see the mount rotate (not much, maybe 10* or so) as I drove so I know that was messing with the readings. Not an oscillation, just a change in direction. Probably because of the reverse in direction and therefor crosswind side.

So initially we have 8% lower on the lights and 11% on the bumper. I think I can say the separation edges works, but need to work on the mount to say how much with any confidence.

[Vman455]

Those numbers are all negative, right? They should be lower than atmospheric on that part of the car.

To mount my pitot, I'm using the tow hook and 3/4" PVC pipe that has threaded ends and various threaded caps. Only costs a few bucks at Menard's, is easily replaceable, and doesn't move.

[M_a_t_t]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Those numbers are all negative, right? They should be lower than atmospheric on that part of the car.

To mount my pitot, I'm using the tow hook and 3/4" PVC pipe that has threaded ends and various threaded caps. Only costs a few bucks at Menard's, is easily replaceable, and doesn't move.

Yes, I edited the post to correct it.

I'm not very familiar with the prius. Can you post a picture of the setup?