What are your 2008 mod goals / wish list?

[MD2000]

I want to mount some solar cells to the front hood and roof of my Insight, so my hybrid HV and booster batteries can be topped off whenever the car sits in the sun.
http://www.99mpg.com/resources/artic...ingintothesun/

[cfg83]

MetroMPG -

Oh man, there are too many to think of. Here's a list that I may edit :

1 - Test "pulse plug" spark plugs
2 - Kamm-back
3 - Momentary fuel cutoff switch
4 - Front Aero nose treatments : Active grill block, Below/front engine pan using coropolast, Remove/angle/improve front license plate.
5 - Side view mirror downsize
6 - cheap wheel disk covers
7 - Hot Air Intake improvement
8 - Get my ElmScan 322 from www.scantools.net online so I can see my EFIE in action, which leads to ...
9 - ... Hydrogen Generator + EFIE, which leads to ...
10 - ... My hopeless quest for a reasonably priced NOx sensor

11 - The time to actually DO some of this stuff.

CarloSW2

[igo]

Well, since all my short/stop + go trips are mpg killers. I planning doing more trips by bike. Once the weather gets a bit warmer (and the sun starts coming up earlier) I really want to get into the habit of riding my bike to work.

Also, I would like to go at least 1 week with no trips by car (just for the challenge).

[wumpus]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

My goal is to use my bicycle to displace as many vehicle miles as I possibly can.

Crikey! I try to stay away from the cars when on my bike.

[NoCO2]

Goals - Camry:
Rear Wheel Skirts
VGs
Front Airdam
Lose some unneeded weight
Partial front bellypan
Momentary interrupt switch
Buy Scangauge II
Smaller, non-retracting antenna

Wishlist:
E-bike
Re-tune to run on E85
More efficient car
LED headlights and taillights for Camry

[RH77]

1. Change the Auto-Trans Fluid to Synthetic ATF (have it, need the time)
2. Find Cool Air:
__a) To source ambient air for the Vent setting in the Summer (engine heat is currently being drawn)
__b) A cool air source to regulate IATs to a target of 100F (difficult thus far -- need to plumb tubes around engine components)
3. LED indicator of Fuel Injector Activity
4. Engine cut and restart on the shifter stalk
5. Get on that Bike instead
6. Remove the radio antenna and mount an array internally
7. Whatever the latest and greatest is from EcoModder.com! (OK, cheesy -- but true).

RH77

[Big Dave]

It does break down to both readily achievable goals and a wish list.

F350 Goals
1. Improved front bumper/air dam
2. Side skirts
3. Mooneyes
4. Fender skirts
5. Improved “canopy� and tail gate “cone�
6. Gap seals
7. Overdrive unit (target: 1350 RPM @ 70 MPH)

I think these will get me to 30 MPG.


F350 Wish List
1. Rear view cameras to replace side mirrors
2. Cab-operable radiator block dampers
3. Sloped hood
4. A MPG smackdown road trip against the “Diesel Power� Dodge Cummins fakes.

Vindication is priceless.


F350 Really Out there
1. A Miller-cycle cam and control for the engine.

If I could do all this, I think I could realize 34 MPG and that would be about all I think I can get from a pickup that I intend to use as a pickup.

[bennelson]

Build an electric car.

[s2man]

I've taken a couple of days off this week for a four-day weekend, to work on cars with my son. So this weekend the plans include:

1. install flat windshield wipers and cowling.
2. install Taurus chin tray on my Cavalier.
3. not indexing the plugs. the race shop didn't get the indexing washers in time for my long weekend.
4. test alternator disable. If the engine runs okay without the alternator, I've got the switch, wire, ammeter and A-pillar pod ready to install. (I'm good at buying parts before I need them)

So this summer's plans include
3. spark plug indexing
4. (maybe) alternator disable switch w/ ammeter
5. flat wheel covers. I priced aluminum pizza pans online for $5-7. This week I found pans at Walmart that fit my rims perfectly fo $3 ea. I grabbed them. Steel pans. I returned them Target has aluminum pans online, but I checked the store today and they don't carry them.
6. air separation lip around the entire, rounded read end. Not VG's. Yes, Metro, I'll do ABA testing.
7. lower the suspension
8. water vapor injection
9. WAI. I wish I had done that last fall
10. EFIE. homebuilt from online plans. I want to learn electronics anyway



What's not gonna happen: Better gearing. This Cavalier has a 3-speed auto w/ lockup. It really needs better gearing. The options I see are:
A. swap in a manual. Too much work and no garage. I'd be better off finding a manual tranny, 2 door with a blown engine and swap in my engine.
B. swap in a 4 speed OD automatic and ECU. I stopped at the tranny shop today and picked their brains. They don't want to be involved in this. I don't have a garage or spare car to drive during the swap.
C. swap the sprockets on the final chain drive. Yes, chain drive. This would put my final drive = OD, in all gears. Unfortunately, the sprockets are the last thing you reach on a complete teardown. So $800 to pay the shop to swap sprockets.

I guess the smartest thing would be to replace the dented fenders, sell the Cavalier, and buy something to play with that has a better baseline than the Cav's 25mpg combined.

[NoCO2]

^^ where can you get flat windshield wipers? I didn't even know they made such a thing, that would be awesome! Hey man, you're starting around where I am and I get about 30MPG around town, you should be able to get that if not better.