The Worst Aerodynamics : A Car Story
 

I was thinking about aero-ing it but as we know, aero is mainly useful on the hwy.

Most drives are around the neighborhood. (Maybe 1-2 hwy drives a week)
I average roughly 100 miles/week at 23/24mpg

So...
I might do a few aero mods but it will mostly be up to my driving skills.


Input please!


This is my car with a .45 cd :eek:
:turtle:
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member...2605349_21.jpg

doesn't look so bad, and you get reasonable mileage for such a "tank"
what the picture tells me is: grill block and airdams in front of the wheels. the nice part is that your wheels are inside the body, would allow for some nice wheels skirts aswell.

Thanks!

Heres more backstory:

Automatic, 2WD, 131k, I drive a steep hill to/from home
23/24 mpg is obtained by just my driving alone (no instrumentation)


I tried an upper grill block but was concerned about heat.
its 80-90F here during the day, maybe 70F night
And anyone who is familiar with trackers know they heat up FAST
(Water temp can go from 100F to 170F in a few minutes)


I was thinking about wheel skirts/covers and maybe... a front air dam
http://ecomodder.com/imgs/mods-list/45.jpg


And I took out my sub box to cut weight. ;)
.
.

You're doing well, but it sounds like your best investment would be instrumentation.

If it's not a 1996 or newer (ScanGauge compatible), you can use an MPGuino instead.

Sorry if you've been over this subject already.

alohaspirit:

I should have my air dam trimmed back this weekend. I wouldn't recommend it for you. Keep in mind I drive more in a month than ytou do in a year. And I routinely drive 60-70 MPH. A small aero improvement is big for me.

What island are you on? Oahu? Big Island? Maui?

Im on Oahu
"The Traffic State"


More info:
All mpg was done without a SG (but those times will soon be over)
Its a 1.6L 4cyl
My psi is always maxed at 44


Maybe an underbody tray?
As theres a ton of space under there.
(I can change oil without a jack)

I will try to start a log

this week pulled 22.5 mpg (166 miles driven)


But now I have a scanguage
*evil chuckle*

Glad to hear you've got the ScanGauge. You'll have fun now!

This is a common misconception.

With a .45 drag coefficient, half your fuel is being burned to overcome aero drag at just 25 mph. (Estimated, by plugging .45 into the estimate for my vehicle.)

So to aero or not aero?

What say everyone?

(Kinda stupid question, but Id like to hear what plan of action everyone thinks is best)


-
The hills in my area are tough
I can coast down great but going up...
its hard to even get 15 mpg registered

Aero! You have nothing to lose, and a world to gain.

Even the half-baked wheel skirts on my Buick are good for 1-2 mpg. Every bit counts.