Newbie from the States, living in Germany!

[GreenFiesta14]

Hi Everyone,

Stumbled upon this site and it was exactly the kind of group I wanted to be a part of. From Hanover, PA. I'm in the Air Force and currently stationed in Germany. Recently ordered a 2014 Ford Fiesta S Sedan. It comes with a 5 speed. The car is rather plain, especially for a 21 year old, so I'm really looking to jazz it up a little, but more so want some good looking, fuel efficient mods for it. Some of the things I'm looking to do are listed below. I'm open to a lot of ideas and really want to make this car not only fun to drive, but as eco and wallet friendly as possible. Let me know what you guys think!

- Shark Fin Antenna Cover
- Moon Disc Hubcaps
- Engine Block Heater
- Blocked Grille Conversion
- (slight) weight reduction
- Vacuum gauge installation

[UltArc]

Welcome!

65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com

I was in your same situation about two years ago, but I went a slightly different route...lol

EDIT:

Scangauge or Ultragauge

[jeff88]

Whatever they did to this car, you should match part for part.


It just doesn't show the speed holes on the rear bumper!

LOL JK

I think the SG/UG/Bluetooth gauge is the best thing and should be of highest priority. Not only will it help you determine best driving practices, but when you do mods, it will help determine how beneficial they will be.

Take a stroll through the Aerodynamic sub-forum and you'll find a ton of mods that you can pick and choose from based on what you think will look good. Some things to do without changing the 'look' (or only a little) will be belly pan, rear diffuser, air dam, internal grill block, etc.

[GreenFiesta14]

Appreciate the advice. I was actually looking into the internal air blocks. Are the majority of those custom made like i'm assuming they are, or are there actually part distributors for those? what kind of mods have you personally done?

[UltArc]

If you click on vehicles, under the user names, one will see an expanded view. Most people put their modifications in there, on the vehicles page, and one can see the fuel log from there. Some people put their modifications into the log, too, so people can see trends.

Some people would like to add flags/entries to their fuel log for modifications...(hint)

My modifications for the Mustang are :
Scanguage II-2012/06/18; 18" OEM 2013 Mustang GT wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires-2012/07/03; Axle Back Exhuast, Front Fascia, Front Air Splitter, Side Splitters, Grille Block-2012/07/18; Cold Air Induction, GT/CS Rear Valance-2012/10/05; Air dam & Upper Grille Block-2012/10/18; Antenna Delete-2013/01/06; UltraGuage Install-2013/02/23; Kill Switch Install-2013/03/17; Premium Fuel Only-2013/04/13; Lower grille block-2013/05/11; Swapping Single Piece Air Dam for New Two Piece-2013/06/01; Full Underbody-2013/06/05;

Insight:
Upper Grille Block & Carpeted hatch- 2013/09/16; Lower Grille Block & Temporary Seat Belt Fix- 2013/09/17; Passenger Mirror Delete- 2013/09/21; Rear Wing - 2013/10/02; Manual regen switch (when engine braking) - 2013/10/10; S2000 Radio, S2000 Steering Wheel, S2000 Shift knob - 2013/10/18;Clutch "Engage" Switch - 2013/11/08

The Insight also has knew RE92s and a boattail, but I have to check dates so the entry is dead on. Both of mine have build threads you can search for using the search function, to see how I did it. None of my projects are new, and I often focus on ROI- many others pay much more attention to cosmetic details.

[Jyden]

Originally Posted by GreenFiesta14

Hi Everyone,

Stumbled upon this site and it was exactly the kind of group I wanted to be a part of. From Hanover, PA. I'm in the Air Force and currently stationed in Germany. Recently ordered a 2014 Ford Fiesta S Sedan. It comes with a 5 speed. The car is rather plain, especially for a 21 year old, so I'm really looking to jazz it up a little, but more so want some good looking, fuel efficient mods for it. Some of the things I'm looking to do are listed below. I'm open to a lot of ideas and really want to make this car not only fun to drive, but as eco and wallet friendly as possible. Let me know what you guys think!

- Shark Fin Antenna Cover
- Moon Disc Hubcaps
- Engine Block Heater
- Blocked Grille Conversion
- (slight) weight reduction
- Vacuum gauge installation

Welcome here.
Not much use for a vaccum gauge. Get a Scangauge II or Ultra Gauge for it, end best before you start grill blocking, so you can keep an eye on coolant temps.

[nemo]

Welcome GreenFiesta14. An S model so no active grill shutters?

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by UltArc

Some people would like to add flags/entries to their fuel log for modifications...(hint)

Yes, yes, I know. Too many irons, too many fires.

It is a good idea.

[user removed]

Originally Posted by GreenFiesta14

Appreciate the advice. I was actually looking into the internal air blocks. Are the majority of those custom made like i'm assuming they are, or are there actually part distributors for those? what kind of mods have you personally done?

Plumbing pipe insulation, 92 cents a piece. I think the length is 6 feet. Probably something similar in Germany. Not sure if your lower grille is similar enough to mine but these worked perfectly. I slotted the back portion vertically to fit between the vertical supports on the lower grille of my 2011.

regards
Mech

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Yes, yes, I know. Too many irons, too many fires.

It is a good idea.

Lol, I won't let the idea die!

For the grille block, the general consensus (as in no solid reporting either way) is that an exterior block is more effective in improving MPG, either through drag reduction or speed in which the engine heats up, or both.

If you don't mind the work, one can make a quality product. One can be more frugal/lazy, and get polycarbonate board and create it for the shape and cleanly install, or make it out of fiberglass*. Surely it could be made other ways, on my Mustang GT front fascia and my Insight front fascia I used Great Foam to fill in the openings (they were/are recessed) and will be completing that project when 100% grille block it too much.

*The knowledge here helped teach me to fiberglass, and encourage me to learn. It's extremely easy by using solid sheets and pieces- I have never used the fluff.