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Old 08-13-2008, 05:30 AM   #1 (permalink)
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are there any commercial aero mods that are effective?

well, are there?

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Old 08-13-2008, 06:30 AM   #2 (permalink)
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vortex generators when applied well might do something, but it will depend on the car, on certain sedans wing spoilers might work, but again, you'd need a wind tunnel or at least on road testing to be sure, and chances are it hurts rather than helps.

flatblade wipers for older cars are quite nice, they won't have a huge effect, measurable effect, but 'im quite happy with mine, they do wipe well and last quite long so next time you need new wipers you might look for them.

an interior antenna that sticks to the front window is another nice thing.
again, an exterior antenna is usually the last thing to go when tweaking aero, but an interior antenna has 0 aero drag, so form that perspective it's very effective. got mine as my prev car didn't have an antenna and i didn't want to drill the bodywork to screw up the aero.

for some high performance cars custom undertrays are available, although most of these cars originally come with a plastic equivalent.

diffusers are also available for some cars. but again it might be very impractical to install.
moon disc hubcaps also come to mind, although some 80's - 90's opel/vauxhall hubcaps where very smooth, with only some small cooling holes near the outer edge, you might get these for free from a scraped astra or whatever.

custom mirrors might also work but again, you can't be sure, exept if they're really smaller than the originals, but likely they won't be

lowering the car a bit seems to reduce drag, so i'd nominate lower springs as a functional "aero" device.

i doubt however there's a lot of bodykits developed with drag reduction on mind, the best of these will incorporate functional spoilers and ducts that aid engine and brake cooling and generate some downforce... none of this will help your FE though, and mostely will increase drag.

i've seen a few (very few) subtley tuned cars wich had custom bumpers and sideskirts that where very smooth and blended well with the stock car... no extra wide body kits and wings that made the car look like it was about to transfom into a japanese robot, just something that seemed smoother than the stock item.

again, no huge gains here i think but they would help a little depending on how well the original bumper was made.

so i don't think there's much out there that will really return the money you'll invest in it, but some things could be considdered if the stock item needs replaceing.
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:15 AM   #3 (permalink)
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http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...d-cap-583.html

Off the front page. This mod actually pays off since pickups use so much gas to start.
The only other aero mod I can think off is factory spoilers, some (not all) I'd think would help reattach air flow on some sedans. This would have to be tested to know for sure, but some spoilers would be pretty cheap at the wrecker.
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:21 AM   #4 (permalink)
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There was a company at hybridfest this year. Their name was something Effects (someone help me out here). They make some aerodynamic pieces for the Prius and maybe other vehicles. I haven't looked into them mainly because their stuff is a bit on the pricy side. On the other hand, it does look really nice.
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:40 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Depending on your car you can easily find lips and skirts to reduce under-car flow. I have seen a very common grill mod for my Protege that recuces the upper grill size and smothes it. Browse around some of the body kit websites looking for the really plain looking stuff that hangs low. The Kamakaze Samurai Bonzai Ninja Attack rice-mobile stuff is all show and no go (for FE or performance), but the more mild items could be useful.
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Old 08-19-2008, 06:41 AM   #6 (permalink)
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cheers guys. ive seen cars with lower fronts and i was wondering if the aero thing was for racing but would also help with FE.
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Old 08-19-2008, 09:10 AM   #7 (permalink)
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MM: Yes, the lower front is for both cases, however, when you optimize for one you'll hinder the other. Lowering the front reduces the amount of air under the car; less drag, less lift, better FE and high-speed performance. But if you get a bumper with Canards and venting ducts you'll generate more drag for the benefits of downforce and cooling, good for racing, bad for ecomodding.
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Old 08-19-2008, 12:12 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
There was a company at hybridfest this year. Their name was something Effects (someone help me out here).


Hybrid Effects?
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Old 08-19-2008, 12:34 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdprius858 View Post
Hybrid Effects?
Yup Hybrid Effects, of Madison Heights, Va. He was looking for vehicles to test stuff on too.

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