Mustang belly pan

[streeter]

I know you don't think of mustang trying to get better mpg but I have to (hopefully not for long). My EPA highway mileage is rated at 23 on a 2002 mustang gt (my only car). With a long list of bolt on mods and I run synthetic oils (oil does help). My average trip home has been @25.5 mpg(9 trips), which I think is not bad for doing 80mph and traveling mountains.
Long story short......I have been lurking here and finally decide to put a belly pan on my mustang. I could only find clear polycarbonate sheets at .030 gauge. Yes, it flexed but used it. I filled in from my front bumper cover (full width)to the back of the K-member with cutouts for my control arms. After much flack from the other mechanics at work I had it done.
I hit the freeway after work and found the front-end felt lighter and more responsive, kindof like going from 20 psi (spongy)in the front tires to over inflated On my trip home I actualy hit 210 miles to 1/2 tank I has surprised I was feeling good about making to las vegas on 1 tank of fuel I came out of the moutain pass and hit high winds and was thinking okay I should make it (have 1 gallon can of spare gas). I pressed on *thinking I can do it*. I made it @ 20 miles outside of las vegas (from Salt lake city) and my gas light came on I was thinking crap going to have to walk. Luckily it was basicaly down hill from there my car made it to the gas station and I filled up with 14.3 gallons and made it 393 mile to the tank, which came out to 27.48 MPG!!
I just wanted to say thanks to this website for tips on increasing my mileage.

Doug


P.S. next mod might be a upper grill covering, just have to figure out how to make it bend and mold to my existing body lines to keep it look good.

[FunkSkunk]

Great results!! now lets see the pics! That's got to look pretty neat being clear instead of the usual campaign signs. Awesome job by the way and I'm sure your co workers will enjoy some humble pie!

[streeter]

Originally Posted by FunkSkunk

Great results!! now lets see the pics! That's got to look pretty neat being clear instead of the usual campaign signs. Awesome job by the way and I'm sure your co workers will enjoy some humble pie!

Thank you FunkSkunk. I am trying real hard to keep this project clean and not ruin the lines of my car. I know for some of the people keeping good lines is hard
I took alot of grief making my belly pan. They all gave me crap. They are into 1/4 mile time and how fast you can go, basically HP. I tried to explain to them it would help in there times but it fell on deaf ears, except one. He came up and mumbled, " let me know how this works".

I am just extatic on my gain mpg, you people got me hooked (I hate you all) LOL

[lunarhighway]

ecomodding can be almost as exiting as going for pure speed an hp. its a different sort of performance, but i think more and more pople are wakeing up to the fact good FE is an important quality aspect of a car.

most people are sceptical when i'm putting new bits on my car as they tend to regard them as garbage. but once they see they work... suddenly some start to wonder if it would work on their car...

[MetroMPG]

A 2 mpg gain on a 25 mpg vehicle is nothing to sneeze at. Nice work.

I second the call for pics!

[streeter]

I have pics now I have to figure out how to post them

[donee]

Hi streeter,

Does your Mustange have wheel dams? Look in front of the wheel wells on a Prius, recent Lexus, Fit (others ?). There may be a few more MPG's available. The wheel dams push the air around the tire and wheel house. Which helps prevent some of the air from going into the turbulence within the wheel house.

Don't make em too big. The air flares out wider behind the dam. You just need that air flow to be just wider than the tire when it gets to the tire.

[streeter]

Donee, nope no wheel damns on my car yet.

I am getting ready for return trip. Looks like rain and high winds atleast in utah I think I will be lucky to get 26 on return trip.

Doug

[streeter]

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Okay, here are the pics.

[ChrstphrR]

That's cleaner than anything I've put under my car so far... Nice job!

I can't believe your coworkers (less one), had their shorts in a knot over this; If they never saw you mount it, and weren't crawling on the floor, there's no way they'd even see that you did a partial bellypan

(And... as you mentioned, it seems to give you a 2 mpg boost at highway. Stealth aero mods rule!)

The ONLY issue I can forsee with this, is oil changes. If you're used to using an oil extractor via the dipstick already, then even that is a non-issue.