Hello
 

Hey, I'm new here. I'm pretty interested in fuel economy, and aero dynamics, although I do have conflicting interests when It comes to cars. I like fast, modified cars, but at the same time, I enjoy getting awesome mileage.

So I drive a 2005 jetta tdi-pd. I've installed air-ride in the car so I can raise and lower it. And I have fitted smoothie wheel covers to play into the chrome trim theme of the car, having a lowered car with those wheel covers has improve my mileage a bit.


Car in question:

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/5703/img7679w.jpg

What kind of filter was on the camera for that shot?

Nice looking wheel covers :thumbup:

Welcome to ecomodder!

I don't believe I used a filter for that shot. If i did, it would have just been a polarizing filter.. But its most likely just levels and photoshop tweaks you see!

18-55mm lens on an canon xti for those interested in cameras.

I was thinking it was polarizing based on the effects toward the corners of the shot. Glad to have another car/camera nerd on the site :p

Yea, thats definitely a touch of vignetting I added in photoshop. I tend to do that with most pictures I take, along with playing with the levels.

I could see the levels. Have you ever done HDR merging?

I have, yes. But I prefer not to because it has to be done just right or it looks stupid. Almost all of the time I dislike HDR because people do it wrong.

I'm very particular about HDR's.

This is an example of a 2 exposure merge HDR I did.

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs29/f/20...2f5fe13d13.jpg

While we're on the photo topic, I'll put up to of my favourite pics I've taken so far :)

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs31/f/20...51d017dba7.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs32/f/20...2a17f8d50c.jpg

Definitely nice shot :thumbup:

Thanks!


Also, for those interested, a bit of a "build thread" from another local forum I post on. feel free to read through to look at the air-ride install.

http://www.customobsessions.com/modu...wtopic&t=24874

On nice smooth highways its nice, I can drop the car down extra low to make it a touch more slippery in the air, but I can pop up to go over any obsticals, speed bumps, or pot holes.

I'll also add this like because it has a few more pics..

VWvortex Forums: Low on Diesel: My build thread

Very cool pics!!!

Its cool to see another Performance/FE guy on here. :thumbup:

Welcome!!!!

Palmer -

Welcome to EM! I've wanted an example of an air ride on Ecomodder, so your Jetta is extra cool.

I was going to ask you to post some pix of the air ride, and you already had it all laid out for us, :thumbup: .

CarloSW2

Awesome! Glad to help out in the air-ride department. If you have any questions I can answer them to the best of my ability. I must say I was displeased with the ride quality at first, and thought I had wasted thousands of dollars.. The bags have been on the car since the middle of may, and they just started to really get broken in the middle of last month. Before that the ride was pretty bouncy. I'm pretty happy with it so far, unfortunately, as soon as my gf gets her 2001 tdi auto I'll be selling the bagged '05 and looking for a mk2 jetta td.

Also, When you drive a bagged car, you tend to drive lower then anyone at a static ride height due to your ability to raise the car.. however, sometimes there are unforeseen obsticals, and you scrape the oil pan, or frame on the ground. I absolutely refuse to raise my car unless i know I'll scrape for sure. I've gotten hung up on speed bumps before, haha. I love getting the front lip to scrape just a little bit. It makes me smile.

When I get a mk2 it will be absolutly slammed on coil-overs. I'll be wielding a piece of 1/2" steel to the oil pan. :)

Palmer -

Good info. I didn't know there was a break-in period for bags. If I had the $$, it would be such a cool way to solve the "bumpy City road" vs "Highway loves lowering" driving dilemma.

CarloSW2

I didn't realize there was a break in period either, untill i read about another guy who had just installed bags on his car and posted in another forum how much he hated the ride. Other members told him to tough it out untill the bags got broken in.. It was then I realized that my ride quality had improved over time.


Also, I'm more scared to drive low on the highway because we have periodic dips that will drive the front end of you car right into the asphalt. Not cool when you're low. At least in the city you're going slow enough to avoid them. I usually pick a height and stay with it. Usually that height is stupidly low. I just slow down and deal with bumps as I need too. Not always good for FE, but its easier that way

Well kids, Saturday morning the car is going into the shop to have the air-ride swapped out for stock suspension again. I hope to have the air-ride sold this weekend or next. As for the car, i need to get it back to stock, then thats going to be for sale soon after..

Bring on the winter beater!!

Just a not about lowered cars. I took off the air-ride today, and had to drive an hour home at stock ride height. I really noticed a difference in drag on the highway. I had to feed it more fuel just to carry momentum, I couldn't cost as far, and it just seemed to take more effort on the car's behalf.

So, I believe lowering your car makes a significant difference.

Well, I'm bumping this thread because I'm back.

I sold the mk4 jetta, and the air-ride (took a little longer then expected) and now I'm back in a car worth calculating fuel mileage for. (I had a beater over the winter)

The new ride is a 1997 jetta, super low on coil-over suspension, 1.9IDI diesel motor with a garrett t3 turbo, and a 2.5" turbo-back straight pipe exhaust.

Originally the car made about 70-75 HP, now we're guessing it'll make 100HP when it boosts ot 30psi or more.

Providing I keep my foot out of boost above 15psi (so hard because its so fun) I'm hoping I can get some pretty decent numbers out of this car in terms of mileage.

I'll have a bunch of pictures after this weekend. Its going to be in a rather large, local, VW only car show on Saturday, and I'll be going on a ~250km cruise accompanied by ~150 other VW's. I doubt I'll get good mileage out of that trip...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back into the performance/fuel efficiency game!

Cheers!

maybe we should start a PHOTOSHOPPED thread.....

hot day on the Moon.....

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...8_edited-1.jpg

out by the old barnyard....

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...ranch023-1.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...ranch010-1.jpg

Those are some nice pictures!

Back on topic, Here's the new bucket. Still haven't finished my first calculated tank of diesel yet. It won't be great mpg's.. This car is so fun its hard to keep my foot out of it :D

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5531/img9876g.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3671/img9878.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/3489/img9884v.jpg

Pics are from a local Vw car show. 150 cars cruised together for 224km to get to the show. Largest Vw rally in Canada.