PhotoChopping some mods for my Fit... Thoughts?

[Dunkler]

Hey guys, I am by no means a Photoshop wiz, but in the pic below I am kinda sketching out some planned aero mods for the Fit. I have a friend who has his own auto shop that fabricates parts and restores old cars, so the main goal here is to make sure and retain the stylishness of the Fit as well as the original color on all addon mods. Tell me what you guys think?



Main things here are:

1. Side mirror deletes
2. Rear fender skirts
3. Moon discs
4. Front air dam

[cleanspeed1]

Looks good! Are you going to drop the ride height some also, along with doing a full belly pan?

[Dunkler]

Thanks man. I am definitely planning a belly pan. Not sure about ride height as that would require some adjustable coilovers to do it right (which may be out of my price range atm...)

[euromodder]

Are you sure you want to block the lower grille ?
Most modders usually start with the top grille, as it adds less to the cooling.

[Dunkler]

Good point Euro. Since I am new to all this hypermiling business im relying on info like that. You think it'd definetly over heat with the bottom one dammed?

[Bill in Houston]

I like it. I second the belly pan.

[vskid3]

If your Fit is like my Civic, the radiator is on one side (passenger side) and the the AC condenser on the other. I have a little more than half covered, with the AC condenser being completely covered (I rarely use it here) and I haven't had any problems. I would just watch the coolant temp with your Ultragauge, I have an alarm set for 210* and if it gets above 220* I can just blast the heater. But the temperature barely reaches 70F on a hot day here, so I don't have any problems. You'll never know till you try it yourself.
(I have a coroplast one now that is the same size, but its painted black and difficult to see.)

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Dunkler

You think it'd definetly over heat with the bottom one dammed?

The bottom grille is usually the most effective and the largest cooling air scoop.
So the top grille is a safer place to start.
The 1990 generations of Honda's often didn't even have an upper grille.

If that works without overheating, block part of the lower grille.
See where the AC condensor is - keep that side open if you use the AC.
You could do a lower grille block in say 3 parts, so you can add or remove parts of the blockage depending on weather and driving conditions.

[NeilBlanchard]

I agree that blocking the upper grill is the best place to start, and then I'd block part of the lower grill, too. The plenum in front of the radiator might need sealing up, so all the air that does come through the lower opening goes through the radiator -- typically too much air comes through the grill opening(s) so they vent air away before it goes through the radiator.

And a louver in the middle of the hood (behind the radiator and behind the point the air flow starts to "lift" off of the hood) would help pull air through the radiator; making it possible to reduce the intake opening even a bit more.

I would ideally add some partial front skirts, too; ti end up close to the original Insight's front wheel openings. I have these on my xA and they help.

[Dunkler]

So conservatively speaking I would reduce drag somewhat and therefore be looking at a small percentage in MPG gains from these mods? I just wonder if I would be looking at a 3%-4% gain or something more substantial based on my driving habits?