Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Aerodynamics
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 01-26-2010, 01:02 AM   #1 (permalink)
Eco Amateur
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia USA
Posts: 45

AeroCav - '03 Chevrolet Cavalier
Thanks: 2
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Turtle Other mods (Will this list of aero mods get me 5% more MPG?)

I've read the 65+ list and found a few mods that would apply and benefit my car

So if say I went through and did the following

1. Passenger Mirror Deletion
2. Antenna Deletion
3. Mudflap deletion
4. Grill/Bumper block
5. Air dam
6. Wheel Skirts
7. Moon Discs

I'm litterally starting from scratch with stock body, and a whip antena, and factory rims with no rimcover. So all improvements would be better than nothing.

Do you think with those alone I could expect atleast 5% increase.


I was also wondering what your opinions were on air turblators on a sedan. Also if anybody knows anything about benefits of Windshield wiper cowls, I didnt see anything about them on the list.

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 01-26-2010, 03:56 AM   #2 (permalink)
aero guerrilla
 
Piwoslaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 3,745

Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
90 day: 58.1 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,324
Thanked 749 Times in 476 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by spydyr View Post
Do you think with those alone I could expect atleast 5% increase.
I think you might even get more than 5%, but this depends on the vehicle. The real gains are less direct, though. With better aerodynamics your coast will be longer, so P&G (or EOC) will give even greater savings.

BTW Did you miss higher tire pressure on your list?
__________________
e·co·mod·ding: the art of turning vehicles into what they should be

What matters is where you're going, not how fast.

"... we humans tend to screw up everything that's good enough as it is...or everything that we're attracted to, we love to go and defile it." - Chris Cornell


[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2010, 07:59 PM   #3 (permalink)
epic stock master
 
luvit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: US
Posts: 377

86 Accord LX (carb) - '86 Honda Accord LX
90 day: 35.57 mpg (US)
Thanks: 19
Thanked 17 Times in 15 Posts
get a vac gauge.
ebay $cheap, retail, $45
__________________
.
single person car thread
.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 02:59 PM   #4 (permalink)
Eco Amateur
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia USA
Posts: 45

AeroCav - '03 Chevrolet Cavalier
Thanks: 2
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Pressures in use already. The rims, though, are aero nightmares. Bare bolts stuck out like cannons, and plenty of holes for air to get stuck in. I just wonder if MoonDiscs/race flats, would cause my brakes to overheat.

As for seam sealing, does anybody have an idea that would work as well as tape, and that wouldnt lose its stickyness when it rains?

Bad news for me, a wiper cowl would block the va inspection sticker ... maybe some low profile blades instead.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 03:25 PM   #5 (permalink)
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 11,203

CM400E - '81 Honda CM400E
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Daox's Grey Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
Team Toyota
90 day: 49.53 mpg (US)

Daox's Insight - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 64.33 mpg (US)

Swarthy - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage DE
Mitsubishi
90 day: 56.69 mpg (US)

Daox's Volt - '13 Chevrolet Volt
Thanks: 2,501
Thanked 2,587 Times in 1,554 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by spydyr View Post
I just wonder if MoonDiscs/race flats, would cause my brakes to overheat.
Only if you are on a race track or going down a mountain.
__________________
Current project: A better alternator delete
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 04:27 PM   #6 (permalink)
aero guerrilla
 
Piwoslaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 3,745

Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
90 day: 58.1 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,324
Thanked 749 Times in 476 Posts
Remember that ecodrivers try to not use their brakes. Instead, timing lights, coasting and engine braking help to greatly reduce your use of brakes. To the point of their degradation:
Hypermiling ruined my brakes!
__________________
e·co·mod·ding: the art of turning vehicles into what they should be

What matters is where you're going, not how fast.

"... we humans tend to screw up everything that's good enough as it is...or everything that we're attracted to, we love to go and defile it." - Chris Cornell


[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 04:45 PM   #7 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,527

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,078
Thanked 6,976 Times in 3,612 Posts
I'd say a 5% gain is a reasonable expectation from those mods at highway speeds.

Regarding VG's, I'm not aware of anyone who has documented an improvement with them. EG: see http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...olla-2390.html

I'd save your hard earned money for other mods.
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 05:23 PM   #8 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Leadville, CO
Posts: 509

Maroon Ballon - '98 Chrysler Town & Country LXI
90 day: 26.42 mpg (US)

MaEsTRO - '95 Geo Metro 5spd hatch, 3 cyl
Thanks: 47
Thanked 54 Times in 38 Posts
You haven't talked about where you are starting from, what your daily drive is like, or your driving habits.

The Cavalier has the look of a next generation Metro, I don't know if that's the case. The 2.2 might be bigger than that car needs. My niece has the Pontiac Sunfire with what appears to be the same 2.2 and she gets really good mileage in that car.

Depending on your current driving habits, you might gain much more than 5% by just modifying the way you drive i.e., "adjusting the nut behind the wheel".

I bought my minivan 3 1/2 months ago from a guy who said his average mileage was about 17, which was just under the EPA combined estimate of 18. When I started driving it and really paying attention to the feedback of the current eco mode on the trip computer, my mileage shot way up, and has been creeping up from there slowly but surely to the point that I'm always disappointed when it dips below 25 mpg, which is above the EPA high highway rating of 24.

The only aero mod in place right now is the grill block, and though I don't know how much effect that has overall, I'm sure it's not nearly as much as having altered my driving habits.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 05:29 PM   #9 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
aerohead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A.
Posts: 16,228
Thanks: 24,375
Thanked 7,357 Times in 4,757 Posts
sticky#4

the 4th sticky down from the top of the page has many mods and the difference they have demonstrated.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2010, 09:58 PM   #10 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 65

Serenity - '93 Nissan Sentra SE-R
90 day: 20.55 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
Only if you are on a race track or going down a mountain.
Agreed. It takes a lot of HARD braking (comparable to the kind people do in panic stops) to make most brakes fade to the point of non-usability, and it takes this happening in quick repetitions. In other words, you should be okay for daily driving and even stop-and-go traffic, especially if, like most hyper-milers, you stay off the brakes.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
List of aero mods you can do to your vehicle MetroMPG Aerodynamics 148 08-12-2021 11:53 PM
Pulse&Glide, and aero mods, big mpg increase. Sulfuric Success Stories 3 01-15-2009 12:57 PM
Radical Metro Aero Mods? Coyote X Aerodynamics 8 01-01-2008 05:05 PM
2006 in review: mods vs. technique. And the winner is... MetroMPG Hypermiling / EcoDriver's Ed 16 12-10-2007 08:46 AM



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com