Front Air Dam ABA test results: 7.49% increase in MPG at 60 mph (2003 Honda Civic DX) - Page 5 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

MetroMPG · 05-28-2015, 12:34 PM

Couldn't agree more! I "fix" a fair number to make 'em more explanatory (which also helps Google searchers find our stuff), but also don't want to step on any creative toes.

Fat Charlie · 05-28-2015, 12:47 PM

In the Lounge, I'd have passed that one by. In EcoModding Central I should have seen it. If it had been in Aerodynamics...

It was probably just the huge pile of new posts over the long weekend.

2009Toyotoad · 05-28-2015, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean.Heihn

I wonder how low is too low? I just put on a landscape edging air dam, and since my car is so low already, it's about 1~2" off the ground.

I echo the same concern. I originally Installed Racing suspension on my 09 Yaris and while to 2+ MPG was a wonderful improvement the scraping on speed bumps was not. I got lucky in that I was able to raise the car back to nearly stock ground clearance on the front (4.5" versus 5" stock OEM suspension) however the rear is still a full 1.5" lower than stock height. So only the "topee" sized speed bumps are at issue now. But giving back the MPG gains is aggravating.
Last night in ordered the "Beat Rush" brand Front under panel, as my aftermarket choices are limited at this point for a 6 YO model. Hoping to get it installed by the middle of June.

There are no pre-engineered solutions for rear under panels So it likely I'll go with a Urethane diffuser/splitters at the rear and canards just forward on the rear wheels. I'll need to see the MPG improvements from the front under panel before looking at the Carbon Fiber splitter for the front. The front splitter is pricey at $195 USD, but as a pre-engineered solution it should have a higher durability than something I put together at home.

I'm sure I'll get questioned as to why I don't build my own. Simple liability. Everything you add to a motor vehicle not from the OEM increases your culpability in the unfortunate event it hits someone else's property or person. With pre-engineered products that responsibility is extended and to a certain partially transferred o the part manufacturer and installer. So make sure you read/follow and observe all the DIY instructions for the products installed. It does hurt to get a second opinion from a local body shop either.

2009Toyotoad · 05-28-2015, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporty Modder

The one on my town car was about 3" off the ground, It would scrape the ground when I would brake, and when I travelled in the lanes with deep tire grooves.

Hot rod says scrape the ground, i think it was bamzippow did that with belting on his truck.

If its scraping while braking, it sounds like your suspension is very soft and what's expected on a Lincoln Town Car. I would suggest going to a sportier suspension setup if I didn't think it a would seriously alter the luxury ride of the car. Instead of a sportier suspension system try adding 100 lbs to the trunk are far back as possible. This would create a pre-load condition on the rear suspension and rebalance the front to rear weight ratio. Experiment with varying weight amounts, I think your trunk weight limits are 400 lbs, assuming the Ford/ Lincoln panther platform used by Ford and Lincoln is the same for Crown Vics, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car.

Adding weight may seem counter intuitive, but if you consider the power to weight ratio of the car any fuel economy loss of in acceleration should made up for by the Aero improvements.

whatmaycome14 · 07-03-2015, 09:39 AM

Actually I had removed it originally because when I installed a full belly pan, I tested a few tanks without the air dam and didn't have any mpg losses. So, I figured why increase frontal area if I don't need to.

The new nose wasn't related to it's removal, although I would've taken it off at this point too.

sully06 · 08-13-2015, 01:42 AM

How did you mount the air dam? I used lawn edging for side skirts. I used L brackets and screws but I'm not too keen on how it looks probably because the edging was rolled up.

whatmaycome14 · 08-16-2015, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sully06

How did you mount the air dam? I used lawn edging for side skirts. I used L brackets and screws but I'm not too keen on how it looks probably because the edging was rolled up.

That's exactly how I mounted the air dam.