Where to find statement allowing 48in extension of your car for fuel economy?

[RobertSmalls]

You'll need to start at the roof to have a shot at the kind of benefits skylark mentioned. I think your photoshop is a slight improvement over stock, especially if you can make the new rear end narrower than the old one.

[aerohead]

I was looking at late 90s Dodge Ram vans.They have an extended version which adds another row of seats inside,adds a couple feet to overall length,and with a receiver-hitch mounted cargo carrier,would be 48-inches longer than a conventional Ram Van.All perfectly legal in the U.S..

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

I did a scan of the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code and found some interesting info:257.678 Coasting prohibited; violation as civil infraction.
Sec. 678. (1) The driver of a motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the gears of the vehicle in neutral.
(2) The driver of a commercial motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the clutch disengaged.
(3) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.

How in the world would anyone enforce or prove such a nonsense section, unless said vehicle had an inoperable motor? Somehow I suspect there are few who enforce this section. How can anyone tell that I am coasting in neutral without sitting in the car with me?

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by sl2eggplant

What do you guys think of the attached picture. I know it looks horrible ... I used MS paint. Basically, I would attach my spare bumper and extend the rear end.

I think that is a SICK looking car! You going for the stealth look?

ideally the bottom part of the tail woul be flat, ie the bumper in your image would be level with the OEM bumper.

[gascort]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

257.678 Coasting prohibited; violation as civil infraction.
Sec. 678. (1) The driver of a motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the gears of the vehicle in neutral.
(2) The driver of a commercial motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the clutch disengaged.
(3) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.

AHA! nothing said about coasting where it's flat or uphill!

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

I wonder if Europe has anything similar?

Supposedly in Poland a rear extension can be no longer than 30% of the length of the car. In my case this is 150cm, or 59 inches! Wow! But this is just something I heard recently, I haven't found any written laws to (dis)prove it.

[euromodder]

In Belgium we're restricted to 1m extensions, to carry bikes or wheelchairs exclusively.
Long, indivisible loads can stick out by up to 3m.

So by putting a small bike or wheelchair in a streamlined extension I can add 1m.

Carrying a streamlined extension as a long load (thereby removing the rear hatch) I can go up to 3m. That would be very hardcore ecomodding

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by euromodder

So by putting a small bike or wheelchair in a streamlined extension I can add 1m.

Why put a bike in there? The carrier is all you need. You can always say you're on your way to pick up a bike, that's why the carrier is empty. Check out Jabb's thread for my idea with a cargo carrier.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Why put a bike in there? The carrier is all you need.

Yes, but by putting a bike in there, it becomes impossible to deny the fact that it's actually a bike carrier.