skirts on the Beast....
 

Am getting ready for my semi-annual "DTD" (drive to Dallas) from Sacramento CA. It's about 1700 miles.
The Infiniti Q45 Sport w/ full IMPUL body kit is a joy to drive and with some help from Ecomodder, gets decent mpg. currently 230,000miles on it.
To recapthe following mods have been preformed w/ ecomodding/mpg in mind:
1. Impul Body Kit is 2 inches lower than factory. (reduced drag) Car is on stock suspension
2. 255/45/18 Kuhmos (not 245/45/18) on factory rims (decrease rpms at hgwy speed it increase mpg)
EDIT Now running 245/5018 (27.7 in diameter) tallest tire that fits
3. Nitro instead of air. 44 psi(no fluctuation when road gets hot or cold) increases mpg)
4. Front Grill blocked from back side with clear lexan 5. front underpan sealed to midengine.
6. rear underpan sealed from rear axle
7. Factory rear and rear-side window shades.
8. additonal rear and side tints over factory
8a. blackout tint on sunroof
8b. tinted window visors
9. factory MPG screen
10. Scangauge & Garmin Nuvi on dash.
11.Highly focused 'nut behind the wheel'
12. last edition: REAR SKIRTS - CLEAR, Polycorbonate Rear skirts
New larger rear shirts see page 513. Lowered front end 1.25 inches.
14. 2" rubber garage door trim on front lip.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1637.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1635.jpg

grille block:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1636.jpg

I will post how I made them after I get to Dallas

My goal is 30 mpg on the one way to Dallas.
epa is 22 mpg hwy

I like the clear skirts! They look really nice and professional. If I didn't live someplace where it snows, I would probably give them a try myself (cleaning out the slush on the backside sounds like a pain).

Let us know how it works out for you, I'd be interested to hear your FE improvements over such a long trip.

just filledup in medera,california i-5 south mileemarker 150.
reset car mpg gauge and trip on scangauge
4pm
72 degrees
195 fwt
1700 rpm
55 mph by garmin gps
94 fia
32 load

32 avg mpg scangauge
30.1 avg mpg factory screen

139 miles filledup took 4.1gal

pretty flat 309 ft elevation
using cruise control, no p&g, no drafgting, some coastng when possible

Those wheel skirts look nice and stealthy. I didn't notice them at first.

Yea good job!!!!

wow, nice. thanks for posting!

Coolness!

I like that grille block. Look forward to hearing about it.

Very nice workmanship :thumbup:

Good job, now you will want to keep them on :) I never figured you for the wheel skirt kind of guy :D

Nice job. I had told my brother to do just that same thing to his muscle car that we use for road-rally competition. Would provide much needed aero help without taking away from the car's good looks and hiding the expensive wheels.

I cant make out exactly what you used to secure it.

sat 230pm az mm 275 i-40 east joesph city az brutal crosswids

will post how to sunday night:thumbup:

btw thanks for the kind words all

33.90 mpg
 

Close to 34 mpg hwy.Lookin' good!:thumbup:

am tracking scangauge and gps numbers 3-4 times aday will have a spredsheet to show documentation

ps car is packed!!! me 237 300+ luggage will weight all tomorrow

Can't wait to see how the whole trip goes and see the how to on those clear skirts.

mcrews -

Your skirt reminds me of this one :

Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F 700 revealed

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...-side-view.jpg

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...heel-skirt.jpg

CarloSW2

what did you use to attach the plastic to the wheel housing? I've been held up on adding one to my vehicles, but i dont want to drill or add anything clamping metal to paint. Salty winters are a fast track to rust if the paint rubs...

edit:
did you just mold some polycarb from home depot?

Very clean job :thumbup:

Show us how they become irl. When I untape/tape mine (at least twice a year before tape is too deteriorated by sun) they are full of dirt :eek: , but it can't be seen through chloroplast :cool: .

Denis.

Notice the pressure relief slots on these wheel wells.

Blue and white cars, certainly ;)

Great job on this project, mcrews, very clean and inconspicuous.

Ok.....
I got to Abilene at 3 am in the morning. Drove more that 1000 miles...........

My buddy lives on the outskirts so internet w/ my sprint card is to weak to downloasd pics.
I will be in dallas tomorrow and will get them up by tuesday.
Also, Had to get to Abilene in one day.
Had to drive 75mph most of the day.


GREAT NEWS!
I still beat 30mpg over the 1100 miles that have been recorded w/ fillups. Even though the scangaiuge is pretty close, I want to report actual fillups. I've got a fill up scheduled for tomorrow. With 93 octane.
I will also say that new mexico had 86,88 & 90 octane. I got hte 90 but the car runs best on 91. THe car can tell the difference. My last 3 hours were torture because the scangauge was showing the ign at 29 instead of 31-35. And the mpg was barely 29 at 55mph. Also the drive was all 'downhill' from the high plains.

How to make Polycarbanite Clear Wheel Skirts/Kilts:
I used 1/16 thick polycarb.
It tended to vibrate when trucks whent by so on the second set I added a small aluminuum flat bar the distance of the bottom edge and achored at the fender wells.
1. The biggest concern I had was connecting the skirt to the fender wheel arce. I was not going to tape it, nor drill it, nor alter or damage the paint. THe key was the connecting part.
I had just installed a 9 inch and a 7 inch aftermarket cooling fans. The fans come with a "L shaped" part that I didn't use. on examining the part, I saw it had a 'catch' that could hook on to the lip of the fender well:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1587.jpg
if you look close you can see the notch.
here is the part hooked into the lip. no screws, no drilling.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...lsplats007.jpg
2. Now that I found a satisfactory meth to attch to the car, I bought nylon nuts and bolts to attch the skirt to the L part:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1612.jpg

I epoxied the nut onto the L part so I don't have to stick my hand up under the sskirt tio trighten or lossen. One of my smarter moves in the last 3 months!!!

2. Next step is to get a templet of the opening. depending on the space, you may not have to remove the tire. you want to trace the lip of the wheel well from the inside, onto a sturdy surface.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1614.jpg

3. Polycarbonite is flexible and strong. I don't think that the matreial at the home depot is polycarb. PC is not brittle so it wont crack.

4. I cut the skirt/kilt a little oversize so it would press against the car fender. The 3 L parts don't come out flush so the nylon bolt is pulling the l part to hang on to the fender lip AND pressing the skirt against the fender.

5. I had some other clips the I used at the bottoms.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...lsplats009.jpg

THe trick at the to bottom corners is to create a curve in the PC that keeps the PC curved away from the tire and still sealed along the body.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1615.jpg

The metal L brackets a at about 110 degrees. Not at 90 dregrees. this forces the PC to curve.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...042611_009.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...042611_008.jpg


RTHe hole is a little father uot than if the PC was laying flat. This forces the curve. You don't want TOO much arch or curve. You are just barely trying to clear the tire.

IF you don't have an arch, then the PC will 'flap' in the center when a large truck goes by, becaUSE of the air turbulance.
(TRUST ME ON THIS!!!!) That is the reason you see the second hole in the picture.
this is the driverside rear of skirt:

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1630.jpg

here is the front of the driver's side skirt:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...042611_009.jpg

To keep the PC from scratching the paint, I got this product at the auto parts store:

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1626.jpg

I am going to cover the nylon bolt heads w/ licence plate bolt covers:

Initially, I thought I needed a rigid bottom piece to frame the PC and cover the distance. I had made a bottom usung a channel piece of acrilyc. Didn't need it. It wasn't flexible eough.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1625.jpg

This was the first version (no curve):
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1627.jpg

there was too much 'finish work' needed to close the skirt to the fender.

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1628.jpg

Polycarbonite comes with a protective film on both sides. i used a power jig saw to cut the shape. leaving the protective film on eleminated schratches.
you can see the protective film on the inside of the skirt/kilt in this picture.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1630.jpg

Because the PC is more flexible than I first thought it woud be, I was able to eleminate the need for the bottom chanel.
I will probably make another set that sactually go down lower.
I will get the thickness of the polycarbonite. It comes in acouple of thicknesses that would be suitable.
Again, the issue is the flapping or popping back and forth of the center when there is excessive wind or turbulance.
a thin piece of flat steel or alluminuum could be mounted between the two bottom attaching points to dramaticly reduce the popping.
THe popping has not happened below 50 mph

Just spoke to Tod at phone number: 585-216-1210
www.nthcoast.com.
(this is an aftermarket company for the Ford Mustang)
This is where I bought the electric cooling fans that came with the brakets I didn't use on the fans.
todd said that the FAN MOUNTING BRACKETS come in a pack of 4 and cost $4.99. He has 10-11 packets sitting around.
the packets are not listed seperately on the web site so he said you can call.
For the international crowd, I would think they have a "contact" link on their web site and reach thenm that way.
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_1587.jpg

I like the clips that you are using that is one of the reasons I have not tried making skirts is that I do not want to drill or scratch the paint.

I had sent todd a link to this post.
He is going to list the brackets seperately so you can order from the web site!

How are the clips holding up. Have any started to loosen? Did you use any adhesive to keep them attached to the car?

Definatly one of the best mounting systems I've seen for fender skirts! Great Job!!! I've been looking and looking for some plastic clips like you found. I gave up and just drilled into my fenders :)

The clips are all still intact because there is presure pulling them toward the skirt. The trick is to tighten the nylon bolts just enough to put presure on the top lip on the skirt so it is pressed against the fender.

I will tell you that there were a couple of times when the popping forced me to slow down and take a look. Everthing was still intact.
I am VERY pleased at how well this has all come together.

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v..._page001-1.jpg
Here is a spreadsheet of the 1700 mile trip to dallas from sacramento

yellow pad 101.3455483727845

tee hee hee

I would randomly grab my yellow pad and quickly write down the numbers, then when I got home I opened excell......

and well the rest is history!!!

But thank you, I try to make it understandable...

Bottom line 1700 miles across 1/2 of the US. From 300 ft to 7000 feet and back down. with an Avg speed of 59+ I achieved 30.4 mpg. And did nothing that was really uotdise of normal conservative, thoughtful driving and a vehichle rated at 22mpg EPA

Had forgot to post pic with the little black covers on the nylon bolts. THey are at the auto store where all the licience plate stuff is. They also come in chrome!!! :thumbup:

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...050411_003.jpg


http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...050411_004.jpg


http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...042611_003.jpg

So your driving down the road looking cool with your VERY cool clear skirts...:turtle:


And some show-off sob ;) drives by with these.......... :eek:

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...nderskirts.jpg


sometimes......life isn't fair!!!!:(

honestly, though, these were very cool looking. I think the PT cruiser have some aftermarket skirts also.

Nice project, don't know how you plan to keep them clean, but they look very cool new.

I like that VW posted too.

Thanks.
I don't use them around town. Since the come on and off relatively easy.

On the trip to Texas I used the hand wand self service care wash. I sprayed up under them just like any other part of the car. When I sprayed on the 'wax' I also sprayed the inside of the skirt.

When I towel dried the last of the water, I just reached under and wiped.

lord,:rolleyes:

here we go again!!!!;)

update:
Skirts II will be the new upgrade for the fall season. Look for longer skirt lengths (with polycarb being so flexible, I can put more curve)
Also tint will be in this fall. I really liked how the mercedes looked with the tinted skirt.

Using the same clips except at the rear. The lip is almost 3" deep so the back clip is home made.
I'm running a brace this time. when I would pass big rigs the moveemnt of the air between the vehicles caused the skirts to 'vibrate' up against hte tire
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_2094.jpg

this is a mock-up. I'll use bolts to anchor the piecec together
front
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_2095.jpg

rear:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_2096.jpg
here is the frabricated rear bracket:
http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_2097.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...G/IMG_2100.jpg

Thanks so much for posting this thread.

I've been planning rear skirts for a while but was gong to leave them flat. Now I understand they definitely need some stiffener at the bottom, very important!

Nice & stealthy.

I bet most folks never even notice them.

They gotta come off when the snow hits the frozen steppes.

Thanks BIG Dave!
Not much snow here in Sacramento!!

exactly Brucepick.....

Somethings I have learned since kindergarden......
The polycarb product can REALLY bend and not shatter or weaken. On my first set, I used 1" squaring metal(it comes w/ the 90degree angle), that I hammered on to make about 120degrees. I had one at each end. When I bolted the end of the skirt to the metal the skirt was forced to curve at the end.

Since then I got new tires that are slightly larger in diameter.
Now I REALLY need that curve if I want to drop down all the way to where the body panel states to curve back in.

So I bought a 1.5 inch piece for the front and a 2" for the back.

I probably could have gotten the curve out of the skirt withuot a problem.
BUT
1. a wanted to aviod the 'flapping' at the center that i refered to.
2. with the metal strip, I can get the arch at the ends and keep it flat along the tire.


ps: I found out the arch in the fender, the opening for the tire is a perfect 1/2 circle (I know.....duh) I was able to layout the skirt with a string and a pen.
My first ones were not cut in a perfent curve and looked "homemade". My goal is to have these look more 'factory'.

I am going to paint all the parts the factory silver color.