Front-end aero mod

[cephraim]

Hey guys.

I was just playing around with some styrofoam that was attached to some crate plywood. This was my first mod. Not sure how much it will help, but it was fairly easy. It also looks pretty decent, IMO.

Eph's NAH Front-End Aero Mod

I'd like to do something with the main grill, too. But, I really don't want to mess up the looks of the front-end.

Whadayathink? Any ideas for the main grill?

Thanks!
Eph

[adrive7]

I think I need a MySpace to see the pictures

Can you post them elsewhere?

[cephraim]

Oops! Sorry about that! Try it now. I put it on photobucket, which I believe doesn't require an account, right?

[adrive7]

Looks good. It would be even better if you could fill in that whole pocket. Next I would add a bit of an air dam underneath.

Also, whats the story with the sun roof fairing. Can you make that flush?

[cephraim]

Thanks. Since the car is brand new, I wanted to do something that wasn't too obvious. So, not sure about filling in the whole pocket. Think what I've done will have any effect?

re: my sunroof fairing
It's actually a wind-deflector that I paid extra for when I purchased the car and before I got hooked on hypermiling.

I'm tempted to remove it, cause I suspect it is increasing my Cd. I wonder by how much, though?

Thanks for the advice!
Eph

[adrive7]

Anything that increases your frontal area is going to increase drag. The fairing also is going to disrupt the flow over your car and cause it to become separated, increasing drag further.

Sealing the pocket would also reduce drag.

All of the effects are small, and have most effect at higher speeds. The cost savings won't be huge, so you just have to balance features you like with trying to raise your Fuel economy.

[cephraim]

Most of my miles are 35-45mph. I do about 15-20% of my miles on the highway. So, I guess these aero mods won't help much, then, eh?

[FastPlastic]

Sadly it won't make a huge difference in town. But it doesn't take much highway driving to pay for itself. Should warm up a little faster, Which is good for short trips. Best improvements in town is driving style/Weight reduction.

[cfg83]

cephraim -

Looks stealthy-good. You scored with a nice dark colored styrofoam.

It seems like you could "add louvers between louvers" on the grill and maintain the overall look. One nice thing about a new car is that you can use it as an excuse to *take* *your* *time* to plan out a really clean mod.

When I look are your grill, I keep thinking of the Ford Fusion grill as an idea for "wider grill, narrower gaps" :




CarloSW2

[cephraim]

Thanks!

What about putting something BEHIND the louvers, between the louvers and the radiator. Is that as effective at increasing FE?

Eph