Wheel disk mod, any MPG gains? before/after? - Page 6 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

NeilBlanchard · 03-01-2009, 11:15 PM

Hi,

My guesstimate was I got a ~6% improvement in MPG with smooth wheel covers. Which is second only to the front grill blocks (~10%) in the magnitude of the improvement...

PaleMelanesian · 03-02-2009, 11:49 AM

I'm seeing approximately 3% gain with my coroplast discs. I'm still in the initial testing at this point, but it's a measurable improvement.

Christ · 03-02-2009, 01:14 PM

I don't have smooth wheels yet, for reasons not discussed here, but I did notice that on one of the pave roads I often travel, there is a family who has a blue GM HHR parked in the driveway... and instead of the hideous chrome so-bright-they-make-you-want-to-scratch-your-eyes-out wheels, they just have simple moon caps... Old school, brushed steel, moon caps.

I'm not sure if they did this for a renaissance movement back to a simpler time in automotive history, or if they even know they could be getting an MPG improvement from it, but I do intend to see them in public sometime and find out what's up w/ the moons...

MetroMPG · 03-02-2009, 09:44 PM

Andrew, how are you gathering data? I know you keep extensive commuting records - along those lines?

cfg83 · 03-02-2009, 10:09 PM

Christ -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christ

I don't have smooth wheels yet, for reasons not discussed here, but I did notice that on one of the pave roads I often travel, there is a family who has a blue GM HHR parked in the driveway... and instead of the hideous chrome so-bright-they-make-you-want-to-scratch-your-eyes-out wheels, they just have simple moon caps... Old school, brushed steel, moon caps.

I'm not sure if they did this for a renaissance movement back to a simpler time in automotive history, or if they even know they could be getting an MPG improvement from it, but I do intend to see them in public sometime and find out what's up w/ the moons...

Since the HHR is kind of like Chevy's answer to the PT Cruiser, I think the racing disks are "appropriate" for that car.

One of the reasons I got a Saturn SC2 back in 1997 was that I "saw" that the design lent itself to racing disks, which I used to call Baby Moons :

This was in my pre-ecomodding years. I just did it for looks (I got a ton of moon-eyed looks). But, because they were snap-on to my steel rim, the front driver's wheel had the nasty habit of popping off when it hit potholes. Very expen$ive vanity mod that I de-implemented after a time. The real solution would have been to install the real thing, screw-in racing disks like these :

Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Mooneyes - Online Store for Speed and Custom Parts, Accessories, and More

CarloSW2

.

cfg83 · 03-02-2009, 10:13 PM

i_am_socket -

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

I like 'em, something old school Knight Rider about the blackout disks.

Me too. I saw a totally dull-black lowered 1990's Honda Civic the other day and it looked really good. All it was missing were the disks.

CarloSW2

PaleMelanesian · 03-02-2009, 10:40 PM

Just daily commute data. I have a pretty long list by now, so I can compare against expected results in similar conditions. For example (from memory right now), 55 degrees, 7 mph headwind, X route = an expected 62 mpg. However, now with these mods, I might record 65 mpg.

It's averaging several mpg better than the expected, and holding at that level for two weeks running. I will be continuing to study it.