Modding a class A motor home

[travelingaaron]

I recently bought a 31ft Class A 1993 Four Winds with a 454 Chevy engine. My gf and I live in it full time. We plan on traveling around doing "Workamping" as well as selling our glass products we make on the side (jewelry, beads, bongs, etc.). I am trying to figure out how to get more efficiency out of this thing. I know I am not going to get it to be great numbers but any increase at this low of a number is a big percentage. Also we don't exactly plan to be driving it all day every day. We are thinking more of a month or season in one place before moving on. It won't be a ton of miles a year but the less it costs to drive those miles, the more options of extra miles there are.

I am looking for ideas on what might be the best places to focus on first. Ease of install, low price, and mpg increase are the most important factors for the first few mods to get me into the swing of it.

[kach22i]

This should be simple, to start off you are looking at the wrong end with the photo posted.

Look to the rear first, that is where drag comes from.

I would think a simple boattail Dryden/NASA style would do a lot.

I also recently posted a VW van with a fabric tail which looked promising.

Please post some side elevations and rear 3/4 views to stimulate suggestions.

[MetroMPG]

(kach - I missed that fabric VW tail. Can you post a link?)

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

(kach - I missed that fabric VW tail. Can you post a link?)

Darin,it's at the Aero Forum under 'Box Cavity for a pick-up truck',#8 permalink.
The fabric was doped with out-of-date epoxy resin.

[kach22i]

Cut & Paste re-post from the Aerodynamic section:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...k-26367-2.html
This is totally a KISS method, might try it on my own truck. Is it crazy or what?

Modified a random image off the Internet, should work on any pick-up truck.

Cant corrugated plastic in 10-degrees from top and both sides, with tailgate down.

Automobile 2 - Odds And Ends Photos by kach22i | Photobucket


Might have to put a cargo net back there, could be trouble otherwise.

Inspiration was this:
Automotive Aerodynamics: Drag Area – Size Matters

[slowmover]

I (am again) driving commercially: Plan your move as to distances. "Legs" to accomplish at abut 100-miles/2-hours to stop for rest breaks. The trick here is to find the easiest on/off places to stop (such as Interstate rest areas). Plan your fuel stps with the same care (same side of road, prefeably beyond any stoplights; e.g., a truck stop on the same direction frontage road but past the overpass intersection. The fuel stop can coincide with the four-hour "one hour break" for both fuel and a meal.

The biggest road will be best (Interstate) over any other type. I can often trip plan so that more miles on the big road works better than a shorter total distance over secondary and tertiary roads. A straight line on the map is helpful for looking at alternative routing. The number of deceleration and acceleration events is crucial to finding the best compromise.

Some partss of trip-planning are simple: Don't traverse major metro areas between 0600 and 2100 if possible . . but that conflicts with not driving after dark. So work out compromises, such as shutting down about 50-75-miles from that big city ahead until o'dark-thirty tomorrow morning. Etc.

A vacuum gauge in drivers line-of-sight on dashboard will provide feedback (a tach next to it if not already fitted with same).

An old bomber like that needs best mechanical baseline. Tires are of greatest concern, and new shock absorbers are recommended. Chasing after steering slop will pay the biggest dividend as mohos are notoriously bad. Keep brakes tightly adjusted and be sure that balljoints/kingpins are in good shape.

A MAJOR tune-up is recommended. Look that up.

Proper weighing is the first step. Do it with full fresh water, full propane and loaded for travel at a CAT Scale.

PDF
http://www.rma.org/tire_care_info/ti...0311_FINAL.pdf

Correct any side-to-side imbalances. Inflate tires to load versus pressure guidelines by tire manufacturer. And start this by being sure that tires are actually correct for your vehicle . . don't assume that they are!!

.

[skyking]

Orbywan has done most of the legwork for a boat tail right in this thread, with some documentation:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...d-e-18151.html

Read through that one.

[YukonCornelius]

A chip with a different tune on it. TBI CHIPS