Prius C Goodies coming soon! :-) (Drag-reducing aerodynamic items)

[todayican]

Ive been head down working on Prius c stuff in an effort to get my fledgling aero car parts business off the ground.

(Well that and being 100% maniacal about hypermiling! (Working on a 70mpg tank with little more then mirror deletes and smooth hubcaps, mostly driving REALLY slow. Last tank was 68.25

I expect to have 2 kits for sale as soon as I get my design on the road and proven, then get molds done.

The "Kit" will have some of the expected goodies, Aero grill block, rear wheel skirts, front wheelwell gap seal, mirror to camera conversion. but the "showstopper" is something ive never seen done, so, unless someone shows me otherwise, its an actual invention!

I wanted to do a boat tail, but it would have to be like 80" to come to a full point, I had the idea to make it collapsible! something like one of those old fashioned "travel cups" that telescope out from the base.

Like this: Prius Tv with Tom Bell

The tag and "alternate directionals / reverse light / brake lights will go in the tip section which will be clear, the "stock color" will be faux carbon fiber.

It will add about 15" to the car in total length retracted, so it will be easy to get around town and park etc, and once on the highway, flip a switch and a combination of air venting in from a movable vent and a telescopic mast (like an old power antennae) will deploy it to its full length.

Flip the switch the other way and it gets "reeled in" shouldn't take more then 15 seconds either direction.

I am seriously shooting for a kit that can take the Prius C to 100mpg at 65mph, with no mechanical mods, re-chipping or lowering.

What do y'all think?
Tom

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by todayican

I wanted to do a boat tail, but it would have to be like 80" to come to a full point, I had the idea to make it collapsible! something like one of those old fashioned "travel cups" that telescope out from the base.

Like this: Prius Tv with Tom Bell

The tag and "alternate directionals / reverse light / brake lights will go in the tip section which will be clear, the "stock color" will be faux carbon fiber.

It will add about 15" to the car in total length retracted, so it will be easy to get around town and park etc, and once on the highway, flip a switch and a combination of air venting in from a movable vent and a telescopic mast (like an old power antennae) will deploy it to its full length.

Flip the switch the other way and it gets "reeled in" shouldn't take more then 15 seconds either direction.

I am seriously shooting for a kit that can take the Prius C to 100mpg at 65mph, with no mechanical mods, re-chipping or lowering.

I proposed something like that a while back, and I'd still like to see it done!

[MetroMPG]

todayican: you should add your car to the garage so it appears with your posts under your username.

Your Garage: Add new vehicle

I wish you the best of luck. Marketing an efficiency-improving add-on will be a fun challenge (since buyers will be price sensitive).

[basjoos]

Looks like a great idea for Prius C drivers who need to mix urban and highway driving (I'd assume it would be mounted on the tailgate so the tailgate could be opened to load/unload cargo while the boattail is in the retracted position). The drawback to a retracting boattail is the mechanical complexity and likely inability to use it as a cargo carrier when extended. It would also be nice to have some clear sections in the top of the telescoping segments so you don't lose total use of your rear view window.

You could also build a non-telescoping, cargo holding (presumably less expensive) version of your boattail for those who rarely drive in urban areas and so don't need the telescoping function, but who could use the additional cargo space while in long road trips.

Another possibility is a non-telescoping version that replaces and permanently mounts in the same location as the stock tailgate so the added cargo space in the boattail is an extension of the interior with a hatch built into the top of the boattail for cargo loading/unloading. That's the way my boattail is built and I've found the ability to carry 10 foot long 2x4's completely inside the car to be very convenient at times.

When I first saw the Prius C, I thought its shape made it an ideal candidate for aeromodding, since that would improve its highway mileage and increase its limited rear cargo space, which were two complaints about the car that some have made. I posted a message to that effect with a list of suggested aeromods over at Cleanmpg (which was promptly deleted by the Cleanmpg administrators since it didn't fit into "the auto manufacturers know best and you couldn't possibly improve on whatever they are currently selling" meme they push over there).

[MetroMPG]

I posted a message to that effect with a list of suggested aeromods over at Cleanmpg (which was promptly deleted

Wow, really?

I guess we'll have to start deleting those occasional "the automakers would have already done this if it would save fuel" messages we see around here!

[Xringer]

It seems like the C does real well, if you keep the MPH <= the speed limit.

I've been looking at getting a Rio with ISG to replace the old Corolla.
But today, I saw some bad price news..
Official: 2013 Kia Rio Will Come With Optional Stop-Start System

So, my interest in the C has jumped up a few notches..
Sure looks like just the machine for running around town..
(Which is what my wife does everyday)..

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by Xringer

It seems like the C does real well, if you keep the MPH <= the speed limit.

Installing aeromods should allow it to do real well even with the MPH > the speed limit. Someone driving a Prius C needs to do the drafting aeromod potential test on it (the mpg you get while drafting is the mpg you would be getting from that car without drafting if you installed effective aeromods).

[Piwoslaw]

Along the lines of what Basjoos mentioned, but without actually extending the car (which most consumers aren't willing to do), how about a replacement cargo-expanding rear hatch with Kammback dimensions:
Aftermarket rear hatch with roof extension

Make rear hatches for the most popular models, make them a simple drop in replacement, and add to that a hitch-mounted cargobox tailored to the rear hatch and you've got the better part of a boattail.

[todayican]

I think the very first iteration may just be "un telescopic"...

I have set a goal for myself to go to Carlisle kit car nationals weekend after next , and do it on one tank of gas. :-)

Its 906 miles from here where I live in Palm Coast FL so its a pretty tall order, but I think with the skirts, grill block, mirror to camera conversion and a "static" prototype tail, its possible, but at what speed? :-)

We are learning all sorts of new tech this month, including 3d structured light scanning, cnc routers, aluminium cast molds for vacuum forming, etc, etc,

[basjoos]

An ambitious goal. That would be 95mpg unless the Prius C tank will allow you to pack more than stated 9.5 gallons into it.