New belly pan

[puddleglum]

So I took the plunge and started building my belly pans over the last couple of weeks. They are not anywhere near the quality of 3wheeler's pans, but I don't have that kind of time. The front corner panels and the side panels I did by gluing foam to some aluminum paneling. I was quite happy with how they turned out. I used coroplast for the center and glued foam to it to stiffen it. I'm not convinced it was the right thing to do. I like the aluminum much better, but I am running out of time. I leave on vacation on Friday and was hoping to have them done. Doesn't look like it's going to happen. I already had to make some modifications. I didn't leave quite enough tire clearance or cat clearance and almost ruined my pan just driving across town. Hopefully this won't be another exercise in futility. I guess time will tell if they help. I don't know if there will be much improvement with just the front half of the pans done. Pictures of my progress are in my album if anyone is interested.

[3-Wheeler]

Hi Puddleglum,

Was going to check out your post, but so no link to your gallery.

Jim.

[MrMiata]

I couldn't open your link.

[puddleglum]

Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - puddleglum's Album: Rondo mods.

Here is the link, sorry. I hope this works and thanks for the interest. The evolution starts at the bottom and goes up.

I'm thinking I may need to add some flashing or maybe some fiberglass to protect the foam from the heat off the Cat.

[COcyclist]

The link worked for me. I love how clean the "after" pictures look compared to the "before" pics. I like the aluminum glued to foam construction. Nice. I hope you see some good results.

[puddleglum]

Well, I finished the pan back to the rear axle but didn't have time to do the rear pan before vacation. Pics. will have to wait till I get home. So far I am glad to say they are holding up and working great. 700 miles so far and I estimate a 4-6% improvement. I know there are lots of variables, but I have been driving a similar route for several years and this trip is definitely better.

[puddleglum]

So, the results are in from my 2557mi. test of my belly pan. I also removed the roof rails this spring so any improvement from that will factor in. I realize that there are far to many variables to be really accurate, but nevertheless, I saw significant improvement in my mileage numbers on this trip. Overall mileage was up 6.2% from my last 2 long trips. Tank mileage and SG mileage numbers were up consistently. I had no more heating issues from the exhaust, even climbing some very steep grades in 95*F temp., although I did have to remove my upper grill block for a little while to keep the engine cool. I was fine on all but the worst hills though. No problems with anything coming loose. We were loaded heavy, so the slope on the pan was down at the back 1-1.5 inches which didn't help I'm sure. Still, I think that it's safe to assume a 3-5% improvement from reduced drag. I don't see a lot of highway miles, most of the year so it will take a long time to pay for itself, but it was nice to see some improvement. I put the pics. of the completed pan in my album and the link above works now. I always value your feed back.

[aerohead]

With less energy lost to vorticity,the vehicle is in an even better position for aft-body modifications,which rely totally on a quality flow.So on top of what you get directly,you've also got the potential for more down the road.
Thanks for the grunt work and testing!

[redyaris]

Looks good, with respect to grill blockers and cooling; the smaller the opening for air too the radiator the more important proper ducting of the air is. With that in mind you should put ducting between the grill opening and the radiator so that the air gets to the radiator with minimal turbulance. the opening in the grill should be about 1/4 the area of the radiator cooling surface. When I did this with my Yaris the temp stayed much more consistant, even though I never had over heating without the ducting.
Redyaris

[bike4miles]

Wow, that is very smooth! Very nice work!