03-18-2010, 04:17 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Puerto Rico
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Mirage - '93 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 90 day: 41.92 mpg (US)
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New Project - 1993 Mirage - Need assistance.
Hello,
I'm new to the forum and to ecomodder. I have a new project and need some assistance with the math side of things (don't we all?).
The car is a 1993 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 1.5L automatic. Currently get a calculated real world 28 MPG with me driving normally (up to 70 MPH). I do a lot of city driving, and my commute is less than 50 miles a week.
My goal is to beat a Toyota Prius. Will modify anything to reach the goal. I'm a licensed mechanic, so mods are not a problem for me.
I have a picture with what I want to do, bit it won't let me upload it.
I specifically need assistance with calculating the .cd and all of that technical stuff.
Thank you for your interest.
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03-18-2010, 04:30 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Administrator
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Welcome to the site.
Beating a Prius is definitely possible. I've done it by a fair amount in my Paseo. however, you're going to need either a ton of modification or lots of changes to your driving style to achieve it.
As for the rest, according to our wiki page:
Vehicle Coefficient of Drag List - EcoModder
Your Cd is .32.
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03-18-2010, 07:48 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Wannabe greenie
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
Beating a Prius is definitely possible. I've done it by a fair amount in my Paseo. however, you're going to need either a ton of modification or lots of changes to your driving style to achieve it.
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Can you beat it driving-style for driving-style? It would be unfair to compare to a poorly-driven Prius.
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03-18-2010, 08:41 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 64
Mirage - '93 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 90 day: 41.92 mpg (US)
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Thanks for the link with the information for the car.
If I drive very carefully, I can get to around 40 mpg on HWY. driving. That is in the current condition of the car with 28 psi of air in the tires, and a 250 lbs. pound monkey driving (me).
I'm shooting for the Prius, because for me that's seems like a reachable goal. I don't know if comparing a gasoline only powered car versus a hybrid under the same driving conditions is fair for either.
My ultimate goal would be to get the most out of it.
Can anyone post the pictures for me?
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03-18-2010, 09:07 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 64
Mirage - '93 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 90 day: 41.92 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2
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Here is a picture with some of my plans.
Last edited by nayeliesuncle; 04-15-2010 at 02:59 AM..
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03-18-2010, 09:32 PM
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#6 (permalink)
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Wannabe greenie
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Don't forget to delete the antenna or relocate it to inside the car. Also, a manual swap would help.
Since your commute is less than 50 miles a week, you might even consider a Forkenswift-type EV conversion. 10 miles per day is quite easy.
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03-18-2010, 11:33 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Puerto Rico
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Mirage - '93 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 90 day: 41.92 mpg (US)
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Thanks for the input.
The sound system is going to be removed. The antenna will be shaved.
I thought about swapping to a manual, but it would double the cost of the project (same with an EV conversion). Those are great alternatives, but out of the budget for this project.
I don't commute that much, since my wife and I share the drive to work. She drops me off at my office (pictured in the photo), and picks me up later.
This is a project for fun. I'm tired of modifying cars to run faster, I want a new challenge. I'm also into robotics (I'll build the MPGuino with an arduino I have laying around), so this would let me combine both skills.
I want some help with calculating the front air dam/splitter, and the rear extension. Such as calculating the angles, length of parts, etc.
If a link is available, please post it.
Thanks guys. I'm a long time reader of the forum, all the way back to the basjoos civic.
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03-19-2010, 09:03 AM
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#8 (permalink)
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Administrator
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clev
Can you beat it driving-style for driving-style? It would be unfair to compare to a poorly-driven Prius.
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Good point. On the highway I can beat the Prius by using P&G in the Paseo. In the Prius I just use cruise control on the highway normally. I wouldn't call this poorly driven as I've tried all other known techniques and they just don't give me measurably better mileage due to the terrain I drive in (lots of small hills). In the city, the Prius will likely overtake the Paseo simply because of the regenerative braking.
I also missed that your car is automatic. That is going to be a pretty big hangup.
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03-19-2010, 10:18 PM
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#9 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Puerto Rico
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Mirage - '93 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 90 day: 41.92 mpg (US)
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I don't see the automatic transmission as a hang-up. It's not optimal, but the car is very light, and should be lighter when I get done with it.
So, I'm building the front air dam/splitter this weekend. Any math/calculations that I need to use?
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03-19-2010, 10:34 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Left Lane Ecodriver
Join Date: Aug 2008
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The automatic tranny is definately a weak point. It has higher losses than a manual transmission, and it makes it really hard to turn off the engine when it's not needed (engine-off coasting).
As for the maths on the front splitter, the idea is to send air over the car instead of under it. A grille block does this, and so does a splitter or air dam. You should check out this thread, which explains front-end aerodynamics.
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