Hood-Windshield Transition

[Joenavy85]

* On close inspection of the car I would remark that an add-on nose would allow you to seal the entire grille leaving only a shark-mouth slit at the bottom.
- Got plans for that, my girlfriends dad has a friends that does fiberglass work that can help me with this.

* A deeper,wrap-around airdam would prevent air colliding with the suspension members.
- I have a few ideas for this but nothing set in stone yet, going to do a fiberglass bellypan first.

* minimizing the front wheel opening gaps would help.
- easy enough to do with some coroplast and a couple angle brackets.

* dropping the rocker panels down another 5-inches ( 125mm ) would be good.
- already planned on this but was originally only going to do 4 inches, but i'll take your advice.

* blending the rocker panels into full rear wheel skirts would guarantee better lower onset flow to the back.
- i still have to figure out how to attach the wheel skirts since the rear door makes up the forward portion of the fender edge.

* flush wheel covers.
- easily done, i'm going to use BamZipPow's idea of using coroplast attached with gorrila glue with a hole for access to the valve stem.

* bellypan later with diffuser.
- already planned, in 3 sections, from the front bumper all the way back to the rear bumper, under everything.

* slip-on tail of any length. the Liberty has only a 2.425 L/H ratio and without additional length it's going to be a rough go getting the drag down appreciably.
- might wait until later on down the road (haha, pun intended) for this one, probably after my roadtrip this summer. i'll be making a cargo box for the trip and will shape it so that i can add fiberglass later to finish the "boat-tail"

[Frank Lee]

Get a small car and make some real progress.

[Joenavy85]

where's the fun in that. IMHO getting mileage gains out of a Jeep (or a Pickup truck in your case) is more fun than getting them out of a little honda.

[Frank Lee]

It's a "fun" exercise in futility for the most part. You are barely beating a truck that ONLY gets used for hauling/towing too heavy for the car.

[Joenavy85]

it is what it is. i have no money or room (apartment without a garage) for a second car right now, so i'm working with what i have.

[Blu3Z3rg]

Hey, i'm in the same boat... i NEED my pickup. Thing is, if i can increase my mpg's enough, i can justify letting my wife use it most the time (she doesn't drive as far/as much) and then i can get a little 4 banger just to get to work.

[Varn]

I came to the realization that long term I needed to have more than gas mileage in the mid 20s and bought a vw diesel. I thought that I needed more space than I do. We are ultra commuters going 150 miles from work to home, but only once a week. It immediately cut my fuel costs in half. It isn't just about fun in getting better mileage it is about the bottom line. I can not afford buying any new vehicle.

[Joenavy85]

Originally Posted by Varn

I can not afford buying any new vehicle.

same here, i can't afford to get a new car, i could afford a used car but i don't have a place to put it. if i had a house already i would get a late 90's civic hx with a lean burn engine and use it for commuting and the jeep for everything else, but no-can-do. until then, i'll work with what i have.

[BrianAbington]

A Co-worker of mine has a liberty. Hers is the first I have really walked around and looked at up close, it is a larger vehicle than my old grand cherokee I had years ago and looks like it has some good potential.

[Joenavy85]

yeah, i love mine, plenty of room in it, plenty of towing capability (full tow package with the automatic trany is 7500 pounds), great handling, smooth ride (for a Jeep), and plenty of "get up and go" when you want it. i just want to do what i can with it to better the mileage.