My Mazda Aero/MPG build

[b23]

Hi guys,

I am a new small business owner located in Arizona. I do deliveries for car batteries, and recently bought a 1996 Mazda B2300 for the deliveries instead of using my Tahoe all the time. Better mpg = more money in my pocket, I guess the same reason everyone does it! Nice to save the planet too

Getting pretty decent mpg now, 24-28mpg depending on driving conditions, but have been toying with the idea of modding for more mpg. Did some research and found this forum and decided to give it a go! First things first I am going to sort out the engine, had some issues when I bought it that I am still sorting out. Getting 24mpg easy now, should get 26mpg easily averaged once the engine is sorted out. My GOAL is 30mpg+ (85% highway)

My plans roughly in order of how I want to do them:

Stage 1
• Solid wheel caps (moon caps)
• Adding rear wheel skirts
• Panel gap filling - probably just with tape
Hoping for .5-1mpg gains

Stage 2
• Low rolling resistance tires (B381)
• Custom solid flat plate covering undercarraige
• Lowering the car, pretty severely too (car is pretty high now)
Hoping for 1-2mpg gains

Stage 3
• Custom aero cap will be done as time permits, maybe with tonneau cover in meantime
• May also taper the rear at this point (though would prefer non-permanent mods)
Hoping for 1-2mpg gains

May also lighten it up as appropriate, removing the bench seat and installing a single driver's seat, as light as I can find, and possibly replacing the rear bed with a fiberglass version if I can find one. Would like another .5-1mpg gain out of lightening it

Will mostly be using this as a log for myself, I look forward to improving my MPG. I am new to this ecomodding thing, though have been a car mechanic for years. Im used to making BMWs go fast, now I get to try my hand at making my Mazda sip gas. I am already pretty experienced with economy-minded driving, but will be doing plenty of research to try to find anything I am forgetting or any other tricks I can use.

Happy modding everyone!

[BamZipPow]

Welcome to the forums! Post up some piccies and specs on yer current truck (engine size, type of transmission, etc).

Have you looked into gitting and OBDII scanner like an Ultragauge, Scangauge II, or one of the bluetooth/wi-fi based ELM327 readers that you can find on eBay fer cheap? Yer Mazda should be OBDII compliant...

How many batteries do you carry on average? Have you beefed up the rear springs at all?

Have you checked out any of the aero cap threads?

[b23]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Welcome to the forums! Post up some piccies and specs on yer current truck (engine size, type of transmission, etc).

Have you looked into gitting and OBDII scanner like an Ultragauge, Scangauge II, or one of the bluetooth/wi-fi based ELM327 readers that you can find on eBay fer cheap? Yer Mazda should be OBDII compliant...

How many batteries do you carry on average? Have you beefed up the rear springs at all?

Have you checked out any of the aero cap threads?

Thanks for the warm welcome! Seems like a very active site, I have a lot of learning to do here

Will post up pics of the truck once shes cleaned up, got it with some scratches on it and wetsanded it back to pretty good shape (almost all the scratches came out - thank goodness for single stage paint) but have yet to buff it smooth and wax it. Shes not too pretty right now... but she drives great

2.3L 4 cylinder with 5 speed manual w/OD. OD is something like a .76 ratio so its quite an overdrive, which is great for MPG.

I have looked into the MPG software, glossed over it on my post but I will be adding that around stage 1 or 2. I plan on modding it in stages to make it a little easier for me, Ill order parts then install everything for "stage 1" at one time. Otherwise I think it might get overwhelming.

I carry no more than 10 batteries at one time. Rear isnt suffering, havent beefed up the springs and doesnt seem like I will need to. Bed can easily carry 10 batteries, and I have my workhorse 5.7L box truck for hauling the pallets of batteries or other bulk quantities.

Was reading through some aero cap threads when I got an email that this thread was replied to






I do plan on moving or removing the toolchest. I do use it, but dont need to use it - batteries would be fine to sit in the bed, I dont leave the truck unattended when loaded so theft is not a concern. My aero cap build I plan on doing some nifty storage innovations, so I can load batteries into the cap from the side.

Spare tire is already sitting on the side of my house, some free weight savings right there Ive got AAA towing after all

[Frank Lee]

10 max- a Metro could haul that!

[b23]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

10 max- a Metro could haul that!

I live in Arizona and my business needs to have a nice image. I know personally of a few companies that fell flat on their face for neglecting their image. I show up in a Geo Metro and people point and laugh and think this business must not be doing well!

If it were a personal car, or a situation in which image didnt matter, I would be in a Metro in a heartbeat. But here in AZ everyone has trucks, I see at least 10 Ford Rangers everytime I go out (honestly, usually closer to 50, with 9/10 of them being other work trucks). I dont mind a few mpg tradeoff in exchange for having something that makes me seem a little more official, maybe even more relevant? Mind you its not a 2013 Ranger or anything, but these trucks are par for the course for deliveries out here. Plus with the occasional delivery on unpaved roads, a truck is in many ways a must.

Not to mention that while a Metro may haul 10 batteries, I would expect its mpg to suffer a bit, and I may be back at the mpg figure I have with this truck if I put 10 batteries in one of those things. Ive driven a few, and the batteries I have are not just Honda small batteries. I am talking huge RV batteries, 1000+ cranking amps, and over 40 pounds each. 400-500 pounds in a Metro down an unpaved, rocky driveway?

Plus with this truck I have the option of carrying more than 10, it just happens that most deliveries are for 2-3 clients, meaning usually 2-3 batteries. But I service a few dealers, so there are times I may need to carry more. 10 max is not an absolute limit, but is 90% of my deliveries.

Trust me I had considered the econobox route, looked at some del sols and civics, but everyone out here has trucks. Its not a matter of me wanting a truck, its a matter of my business needing one. Out here nothing says professional like a good ol' Ford Ranger

(uploaded pics in prior post)

[jakobnev]

Keeping the toolbox and just adding a wing to rear of the cab might give you almost the full benefit of a full aero-shell with much less work:

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by b23

I live in Arizona and my business needs to have a nice image. I know personally of a few companies that fell flat on their face for neglecting their image. I show up in a Geo Metro and people point and laugh and think this business must not be doing well!

If it were a personal car, or a situation in which image didnt matter, I would be in a Metro in a heartbeat. But here in AZ everyone has trucks, I see at least 10 Ford Rangers everytime I go out (honestly, usually closer to 50, with 9/10 of them being other work trucks). I dont mind a few mpg tradeoff in exchange for having something that makes me seem a little more official, maybe even more relevant? Mind you its not a 2013 Ranger or anything, but these trucks are par for the course for deliveries out here. Plus with the occasional delivery on unpaved roads, a truck is in many ways a must.

Not to mention that while a Metro may haul 10 batteries, I would expect its mpg to suffer a bit, and I may be back at the mpg figure I have with this truck if I put 10 batteries in one of those things. Ive driven a few, and the batteries I have are not just Honda small batteries. I am talking huge RV batteries, 1000+ cranking amps, and over 40 pounds each. 400-500 pounds in a Metro down an unpaved, rocky driveway?

Plus with this truck I have the option of carrying more than 10, it just happens that most deliveries are for 2-3 clients, meaning usually 2-3 batteries. But I service a few dealers, so there are times I may need to carry more. 10 max is not an absolute limit, but is 90% of my deliveries.

Trust me I had considered the econobox route, looked at some del sols and civics, but everyone out here has trucks. Its not a matter of me wanting a truck, its a matter of my business needing one. Out here nothing says professional like a good ol' Ford Ranger

(uploaded pics in prior post)

For years I did construction with my CRX.I purchased and assembled a $136 utility trailer kit,decked it,and carried construction materials and equipment to jobs.
Later,I constructed a welded EMT skeleton,skinned it with 1/8" plywood,and glassed over it to create an enclosed trailer body.
I drove it from Denton,Texas to Los Angeles,California,loaded it with a 1/2-ton of NiCad batteries and returned to Denton,averaging 50 mpg for the trip.
Only you best knows your needs,but while the Ranger will certainly carry your load,you do have much higher mpg alternatives.
As far as 'image' goes,capitalists will certainly understand the fiduciary ramifications of a higher mpg delivery system.Invite them over to enjoy the caviar you buy with your fuel savings.

[b23]

jakobnev that picture really says a thousand words... I guess there may have been more than convenience that was considered when the toolbox was put in the rear of the bed. I will definitely be looking at getting a wing... should I look for something straight back, or something that tapers down at the end, perhaps at an angle that if continued would end up about 6"-1 foot above the tool box?

Also do want to note that the wing/rear box may not come "close" to the aerocap - the fine print above the diagram states that the figure for the aero cap should extend to the right of the chart. Still will be worth doing for a bit I imagine, something to help MPG without having to build the whole aerocap right off the bat.

Originally Posted by aerohead

For years I did construction with my CRX.I purchased and assembled a $136 utility trailer kit,decked it,and carried construction materials and equipment to jobs.
Later,I constructed a welded EMT skeleton,skinned it with 1/8" plywood,and glassed over it to create an enclosed trailer body.
I drove it from Denton,Texas to Los Angeles,California,loaded it with a 1/2-ton of NiCad batteries and returned to Denton,averaging 50 mpg for the trip.
Only you best knows your needs,but while the Ranger will certainly carry your load,you do have much higher mpg alternatives.
As far as 'image' goes,capitalists will certainly understand the fiduciary ramifications of a higher mpg delivery system.Invite them over to enjoy the caviar you buy with your fuel savings.

Unforunately, selling discounted (not new and not expensive, priced reasonably for people who cant afford Autozone/Walmart batteries) batteries I dont deal with a lot "capitalists" per se... its quite a specific demographic I sell to, one that I know responds well to the truck I use. Construction is a little different, because they are paying you to do the construction job. I am being paid to deliver and install the battery - delivery is part of my job, it seems you were more driving to job sites, if that differentiation makes sense. Plus I would never trust a CRX or really any car, especially with a trailer, going down some of the "driveways" I go down. Some of them are basically mild offroad courses.

At the end of the day, a CRX or something similar wouldnt cut it for all my jobs, and its not something I would want to use anyways. A few mpg difference isnt worth it to me. I may look at something CRX or delsol-esque for in-town deliveries, but when I am in the boonies I need the truck, and it gets decent enough MPG that I dont mind using it. Im coming from a 10-14mpg Tahoe, mind you. Plus people pay delivery fees, and the fees they pay now are covering my gas (couldnt say the same with the Tahoe) so its not really affecting my bottom line in any way, and if I had better MPG I would just charge less delivery. Evens out in the end

[MetroMPG]

What type of driving are you mainly doing? Got digital MPG instrumentation yet? Going tank to tank isn't ideal feedback for adjusting the nut behind the wheel.

Also: with access to lots of batteries, you could investigate an alternator-optional approach. There's a lot to be saved by not using gasoline to generate electricity. (Lots of threads around on that topic.)

Regardless: hope you create a garage entry and start a fuel log so we can watch your progress.

Welcome to the forum.

[Saskwatchian]

I think a B2300 (re-badged Ford Ranger) is a great choice for your purpose. They are tough little trucks and easy/cheep to fix when something does go wrong. The decision to leave the spare at home baffles me though if you work in rural areas.


Have you considered building a drawer system to allow easier access to the batteries? They could allow you to have the batteries kept low and at the front of the box during transport without having to get to the front of the box for loading/unloading. If done right it could look very neat and professional with room for your tools etc. Here is an example



You could build an aero-cap as well without worrying so much about side entry.