Prius aero mods (undertrays, grille block, mirror delete...)

[krousdb]

Finally got to wash my car now that the water restrictions have been relaxed.

Yesterday, on the way home from work (37 miles on I-95), with a 12 MPH tailwind, 72.1 MPG at 59 MPH, 86F. A new record for me.

For the entire 67 mile trip, 73.5 MPG, also a new record.

[Dradus]

Nicely done.


For the mirror delete, did you use bondo to fill in the hole left over from the original mounting? Can you recommend a good place to look for interior mirrors?

I'm looking to do a mirror delete on my Golf, and I'm having a hard time finding appropriate mirrors to go on the inside, and panels for the mounting plates.

The lower grille cover looks awesome.

[krousdb]

Originally Posted by Dradus

Nicely done.


For the mirror delete, did you use bondo to fill in the hole left over from the original mounting? Can you recommend a good place to look for interior mirrors?

I'm looking to do a mirror delete on my Golf, and I'm having a hard time finding appropriate mirrors to go on the inside, and panels for the mounting plates.

Yes,
I used bondo. My inside mirror came from Walmart.

[Keen]

I met with Frank with Hybrideffects.com last Saturday. We used my car to make a mold of a lower grille block. Frank will be making me a fiberglass panel that will fit over the lower opening and hopefully I will have it installed soon. I will post pictures when I get them.

Any additional details on how he did this? I'm looking for some direction on how to do something similar to my civic.

[Hybrid Effects]

I have around 25 years of custom corvette painting experiece and mold making it helps. You will need to make your front bumper flush and then make a mold of the front bumper. I used fiberglass to make mold and bondo to make the bumper a plug.

[JimL10]

Originally Posted by krousdb

Note: see also Autospeed article: adding a chin undertray to a 1st gen Prius


This is the 1st gen Prius tray.


I did this about a month ago....


Compare to the Prius undertray in this article: Autospeed article: adding a chin undertray to a 1st gen Prius

At least we are on the same page.

Yesterday I kicked it up a notch.....


Prius Rear Undertray Rear View. The drivers side does come with a tray (diffuser) but the passenger side is open due to the complication of the muffler and exhaust. I used a screw thru the coroplast about 1" long that rests on the muffler to keep a gap between the coroplast and the muffler. From the rear, the white coroplast was quite visible. The green paint was all I had. I also ran out of coroplast. Once I get more I will do something less piecemeal and paint it black. I have yet to go for a drive. Hopefully nothing falls off.

Which thickness of coroplast do you use. The choices available to me are 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8". With 4x8 sheet prices of $18, $45, and $60 respectively. Should I use the same thickness for both the underside and the wheel skirts. I have found no references to coroplast thickness in any of the articles.

[JimL10]

Originally Posted by krousdb

Update:
I met with Frank with Hybrideffects.com last Saturday. We used my car to make a mold of a lower grille block. Frank will be making me a fiberglass panel that will fit over the lower opening and hopefully I will have it installed soon. I will post pictures when I get them.

The grille block will have no openings to begin with. If I need more than the upper grille for cooling, then I will use a hole saw to cut a few openings. I will use a rubber plug to close them when I don't need the extra airflow.

I was able to get a 4x8 sheet of black coroplast. It is getting quite pricey now. The first time I bought coroplast, I paid $15. Now it is up to $30. I guess we can blame the ecomodding craze for that.

This weekend I hope to do a complete underbody pan. I also plan on working on a RH mirror delete cover panel and a windshield wiper shield.

A few weeks ago I installed new tires, ContiPremierContact in the OEM 185/65/15 size. These were highly rated by CR for low rolling resistance but they have fallen far short of my expectations. At first, my FE dropped by 10%. After 2000 miles, I still see a 5% reduction. When I put the Integrity's back on, the FE goes back up to the previous levels. When I finally do some tests to determine the effectiveness of all of these mods, I am hoping that the Conti's break in fully and get me back to where the Integrity's were. What would be really great is if I can find someone local with a Prius who could do a few highway runs so that we could do some comparisons. PM me you are willing to participate.

Which thickness of coroplast do you use. The choices available to me are 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8". With 4x8 sheet prices of $18, $45, and $60 respectively. Should I use the same thickness for both the underside and the wheel skirts. I have found no references to coroplast thickness in any of the articles.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

I'm curious where you got your flush wheel covers, and how they are working for you?

[JimL10]

I am confused. My post asked how thick the coroplast was that was used to make grill shields and belly covers. I still need an answer to that question. Coroplast is available here in 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8".

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Most Coroplast used around here is the 4mm, which is 0.157" so, roughly 1/8".