Howdy Didderly
 

New Ecomodder from the UK. Recently become interested in ecomodding, but now I've finally obtained a half way economical car I've decided to get stuck in.

I've recently acquired 2005 Ford Fusion, the small UK hatch version, not the American market one. It's a 1.4 petrol, and through paying more attention to my driving I've taken it from 37 to 44 mpg Imperial.

Next up is a bit of grille blocking, some underside fairings, slight tyres over inflation, the usual shizzle. If I can get it beyond 50mpg I'll be happy, and delirious with joy at 55.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...2&d=1482419482

Welcome to the site! Sounds like you're off to a good start.

Thanks Daox. I don't want to go potty with it, the car still needs to remain practical and useable, but I'm sure I can make some meaningful improvements for little or no cash.

I've started work in a lower grille block. I had some clear still like cores intended formalizing greenhouses, but a spray of satin black and it looks the part. Paint and plastic already in the garage, so total cost so far = £00.00. It'll be held in place by 2 discrete screws, and I've made a template so I can make a lesser block to let more air in in the warmer weather.

Next there are some daft vents above the front fogs. They're blind, don't go anywhere or do anything so they'll be getting smoothed across in due course.

The OBDII standard is global, right? You should be able to hook up an OBDII adapter and get it to talk to a monitoring app on your phone to make a cheap instant feedback info system.

I've found that nothing makes a bigger difference than knowing more about what is going on under the hood. When you know whats happening, you can know how to change what you're doing.

That is a neat car. We didn't get it here in the States.

Hi eligh. Yes, it's standard OBDII so eventually I'll get a gauge so I can monitor coolant temp, intake air temp, throttle position etc. For now it has a moderately useful fuel computer that shows average and instant consumption, so I've got something to work with.

Well hello there!

Hello matey :)

I see it's the European equivalent to the 1st generation of the EcoSport, that was available only in Latin America and a handful of African countries.

The cool part of the scanguages is the calibration you can do. Maybe your factory gauge is accurate. If so you are fortunate !
Welcome aboard.

It's proven fairly close to pump to pump fills and calculations.

A useful tool then. My truck is quite the Pollyanna, always way high on the MPG. If I reset the MPG gauge, it responds quickly enough to figure some things out till it gets some miles on it.

Hello and welcome

The cheapest and easiest gains to be had are with the person behind the wheel.

There are a number of tips here 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com

As for actual eco modding well the sky is the limit, just bear in mind that some of the mods mentioned here are not legal in the UK or they will attract unwanted attention from the transport police or may cause issues with MOTs.

My friend has a Fusion, but it is nothing more than a run about.

If you haven't already, start a fuel log, I have one in excel and I transfer the information here. It will help you see the affects of changes in driving behaviour and mods.

With the grill block it is good to start with the upper grill first, do the blocking slowly, keep an eye on the temp gauge also don't make it too permanent (at first) if you need to remove it in a car park.

Mike

Thanks Mike, thanks for the warm welcome. Just to be awkward ;) I'm starting with the lower block, mainly because it's the easiest due to the design. I've come up with a simple 2 screw mounting method and I'm going to make 3 different blocks ranging from fairly open to totally covered. I've made the totally covered one already, and today that'll form the template for the other 2.

It's fairly cold here at the moment, and with no engine under tray from the factory I'm hoping there will be sufficient flow from the upper grille and through the bay - I'll know soon enough I guess, but with 3 grilles it should be easy to swap them around as the seasons change.

The Fusion came my way after my last car caught fire. The Wife has a brand new Sportage diesel, and I don't do many miles (I cycle a lot, and regularly cycle commute, over here the risk of dying through a lazy git heart attack is greater than the risk of being knocked off my bike) so it seemed a good time to downsize. I couldn't downsize too much as I'm physically quite a large chap, so was looking at Fusion, Renault Modus, that sort of size - small, but not miniscule.

Straight away I was getting nearly 20 mpg more than my old car, which caused a strange sexual arousal and I quickly became addicted to trying to maximise that with my driving style. Next thing I know I'm a budding Ecomodder and a fledgling hypermiler!

That is what I have done, but I have recently added some bonnet insulation and the eninge temp has risen so I'm wondering if I'll be able to run with a grill block in the summer.

Ebay tends to be good for that, try searching for 'under engine', 'undertray' or 'splash guard'. Mine never had one but I found an aftermarket tray that works a treat. Not only does it help MPG but also keeps the eninge cleaner.

not a Zafira was it ?

No, a Gen II Kia Sportage.

First grille block fitted. Open block made and paint drying, intermediate block next.

<awkward chuckle>

I laugh because I know how it feels.