Front bumper aerodynamic testing
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So after I installed my new bumper, I duct taped it with several layers of tape to see if it helped my gas mileage, and we all know what that does. I have the issue that I love the way the 200sx bumper looks, so I am going to see if blocking the back of the cutouts, instead of the front, renders the same result. I have several "calibrated hills" on my daily drive that I know what speeds should be when. I will post back soon. Here is my car with the mirror reduction and swapped grill and bumper.
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So I noticed actually the same FE results whether the block was on the front face or recessed into the bumper. So after some work with coroplast and lawn edging, I have a final product (for the moment) that I would love to show if the stinking page would let me post it. I average with this setup a consistent 39.8 mpg. That is only a 1 mpg improvement, but still a noticeable improvement. The biggest gains have been in handling, both wet and dry, and coast down. It now takes twice the distance to slow down from 55 on level roads as it use to. I drove through torrential rain coming home today and it held to the road so incredibly well. I was even running the ac and didn't see as big of a drop in fuel consumption.
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That's a 2.5% improvement from the grill block. That is about what most folks report, though the accuracy of most measurements is a bit dodgy.
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That's a 2.5% improvement from the grill block. That is about what most folks report, though the accuracy of most measurements is a bit dodgy.
Inside or outside the grill work shouldn't make much difference. You are basically just shutting off the lossy flow through the radiator and engine compartment. The actual shape of the grill block makes little difference as the entire area is a high pressure point. |
While a grille block can reduce aerodynamic drag to some extent, its main purpose is to provide a faster warm-up. That is where, IMO, most of the gain comes from.
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I've been wondering if that is the case. I have a WAI and the car is at operating temps even during the coldest part of winter within 5 minutes of operation. I did notice an improvement of 4.5 mpg from no grill/bumper blocks to putting them in. I figure my mileage on tank to tank fillups.
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How on earth do you add pics to these files without being too big?
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upload first to photobucket or flickr
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like this http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3011/3...66963fb5_b.jpg |
Okay, here are the pics of the front of my car.
http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...0220121656.jpg http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...220121655a.jpg http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...0220121655.jpg The files were too large to link to the site. |
What did you use for the bottom front lip?
Also photobucket or ecomodder should resize the image. When you are using photobucket image tab, just copy and paste. |
I'll attempt it again later, I tried before and it wouldn't resize. That is lawn edging across the bottom, and man the car handles better now. I just have to be careful as the front end tends to scrape on tall speed bumps, driveway lips, etc. I did notice I am more stable in the rain than without the lip on. Next step is to test the side skirts, more lawn edging, and rear wheel skirts.
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These pics are great. Are you going to duct air directly through the radiator? You can use black plumbing pipe insulation, wedging it into the cravices, securing it with zip ties at key spots.
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I swapped out grills a couple of months ago, and the only spot for air to enter the engine bay now is a slit about an inch tall above the front bumper. It goes right through the radiator and keeps the engine plenty cool, no ducting needed. I love the spoiler so far, and it was absolutely worth the investment.
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Thanks for the advice, my truck was horribly prone to overheating in the summer time. I have toyed with making an adjustable vent that goes to a lawn mower throttle mounted on my center column. This would enable me to open up for more air if the car starts running hot.
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Holy cow...that thing looks like a lifted 4x4! I'd do something about that wheel to fender gap! ;)
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I wish we could buy shaped lawn-edging like that here in the UK! Makes a really nice looking job of it.
All I can find is 1mm thick flat stuff... |
SoCal, I am working on finding a combination tire upsize, suspension lowering that will fit and be affordable enough to justify. I have debated a partial front wheel skirt, but that is just a mental though right now. Those Sentra's have dang good wheel travel off road btw.
Kingsway, you may be able to order that kind of edging online, if you are willing to pay for shipping. It is less than $6 in my part of the country. Today is a warm day, so I will see how the bumper effects engine temps. Hopefully I don't need to rig up a vent. |
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It's been a long time since I have been over your way, I completely forgot about the customs duty. Have you tried to look for some rubber seal for the bottom of a garage door. I had a friend of mine use that for his car. He had to reinforce it, but it is still holding up.
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