groar's 1997 Megane Modding Thread

[groar]

My last tank reached 2041.7 km at 3.021 L/100 (1268.9mi at 77.85mpgUS)

This result was achieved thanks to :

• Mild aerodynamics : the rear wheel skirts (rebuild with chloroplast since a long time), the mini open tail, the trunk extension (which was under the trunk cover), a simple upper grill block and the half front wheel arches
• Tires pumped up over 4.0bar (58 psi) while kept at 3.6 (52) all summer, 3.0 (44) all winter, max sidewall at 3.5 (51) and placard at 2.4 (35).
• A 13W amorphous solar panel
• Pulse and glide at 70-80 km/h (44-50 mph) and down to 65 (40) when possible. It was 70-85 km/h (44-53) before... Of course, I heavily used the diesel FAS kill switch.

But before that tank I removed all the aeromods and the kill switch for the technical inspection. I put back the kill switch immediately, but put back the rear wheel skirts, the mini open tail and the upper grill block after 400km = 250mi and the half front wheel arches after 1600km = 1000mi. The solar panel was installed and the tires pumped up at 800 km = 500mi.

Here is the car at the end of the tank :

• From the right :

The tail is missing painting as it was covered with posters by anarchists during a travel far from home

• From the rear :

• From the front :

Have fun,

Denis.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by groar

My last tank reached 2041.7 km at 3.021 L/100 (1268.9mi at 77.85mpgUS)

WOO-HOW !


Try not to get any shade on the solar panel.
Won't the sticker come off with WD40 or a dedicated glue remover ?

Also, too much heat (as in behind glass) is not good for solar panels as it reduces their efficiency.
But putting them on the outside probably means they'll get stolen

[groar]

On that picture you can see a speed camera locator :


I bought it because its head up display function.

Here it's only displaying ---- as the speed is under 10km/h.

I haven't put the transparent film under the wind shield, but the visibility is OK.

I wanted a speed head up display but on after market they are all expensive and complicated to install : they need to be connected to the speed sensor signal...

This speed camera locator is much less expensive and as it's based upon a GPS receiver it doesn't need to be plugged anywhere excepted to the 12V plug. This permitted us to install it in less than 1 minute in my wife's car during holidays...

For people wondering what is the new switch aside the kill switch, read here

Have fun,

Denis.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by groar

With a little luck it should be one of my last tank with Megane... and in diesel team

Could you elaborate on that? Why are you changing cars, and what will be Megane's fate?

[groar]

I should receive the replacement Saturday, so it should be the last week commuting with Mégane, which will be un-modded, the rear part has already be removed, and sold to anybody offering me enough.

My next car is a geek toy To quote hobbit :

Two electric motors and a gasoline engine, forever enmeshed in
a whirling struggle for power, each seeking to gain the most while
using the fewest precious resources -- their delicate dance
constantly choreographed by a consortium of cold, calculating
computers -- which in turn are mere slaves to a stream of arbitrary,
capricious, and often downright stupid instructions from the loose
nut behind the wheel.

... That's a ...

I named my geek toy Dennisius as a tribute to Dennis Ritchie, the genius who co-created Unix and C.

I bought my geek toy in an Honda dealer, but it isn't a sub ton beauty. The dealer told me there is around half a dozen insight 1 in France. Hint : my geek toy has an HSD badge.

During the first year I may consume more with my geek toy than with Mégane, and it will cost more by year (as gasoline is 8% more expensive than diesel), but I will generate 20 times fewer pollutants
As a bonus, I will be able to use my scangauge, so I hope to break records after records

By now I'm reading documents by hobbit and john1701a...

Have fun,

Denis (with only one 'n').

PS look at my garage ;-)

[Arragonis]

Welcome to the slightly bonkers world of the Prius

[Piwoslaw]

First Arragonis gives up his diesel and now has a Prius, next Groar does the same. Am I missing something?

[320touring]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

First Arragonis gives up his diesel and now has a Prius, next Groar does the same. Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing the "Too much money and not enough sense" gene..

Groar, Top work with the megane- I've always maintained if forced to buy a french car it'd have to be diesel- and this thread proves it.

Wish we in the UK could get away with such obvious mods- but the UK Police are less forgiving than yours- never mind the insurance company

Good luck with the Prius- I espect you'll beat Arragonis hands down

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by 320touring

Yes, you're missing the "Too much money and not enough sense" gene..

...

Good luck with the Prius- I espect you'll beat Arragonis hands down

Ahem - "ours" is actually company provided, so only costs us tax

And for MPGs, I think Groar could probably beat a lot of us even in the Bentley Continental he doesn't have in his EM garage...

Look forward to the Prius thread.

[groar]

My main goal : health.

Daily I will sacrifice a little money, and during the first year dinosaurs juice, to emit 10-20 times fewer pollutants, you know the one that are killing lives (I don't care about the planet as it will survive us) and make children asthmatics.

The following aren't directly comparable, but gives a great enough image:

Euro II diesel in grams per km over NEDC cycle, from European emission standards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• CO 1.0
• HC + NOx 0.7
• PM 0.08

2006 Prius in grams per mile over EPA cycle, from Details | Green Vehicle Guide | US EPA

• CO 1.0
• NOx 0.02
• NMOG 0.01
• PM 0.01

I will be emitting fewer CO2 as soon as the lifetime mpgUS is over 60 (under 3.9L/100) which I hope to reach rather quickly

Currently in France gasoline is 1.495€/L while diesel is 1.343€/L.
With these prices I'll spend fewer money as soon as the lifetime mpgUS is over 75 (under 3.15L/100) which I may reach
Without taxes prices are respectively 0,639 and 0,686, ie taxes are respectively 0.856 and 0,657. Europe wants to have taxes proportional to energy content and diesel has 11% more than gasoline, so diesel taxes could increase by more than 44% and diesel prices by 22%, so diesel may be more expansive than gasoline very quickly...

I happily discovered that the insurance fee is lower for my 2006 prius than for my old 1997 diesel... Certainly because prius drivers aren't racers, the safety level is higher (while Megane I is one of the first to obtain 4 stars at EuroNCap crash tests, Prius II has 5 ) and European spare parts are so expensive...

Finally when I test drive it, it seams to me so natural to drive it... I found it so great, as per ex the display of energy flows and the automatic kill/start switch I'll be able to use my scangauge, so to monitor each commute individually Also I'll be able to compete directly with world wide people having the same car as I have

Denis.