Shave badges
Introduction
Yes, this falls into the "splitting hairs" category.
Shaving your door handles and smoothing out all the lines on your car isn't likely to boost your fuel economy a whole ton. However, if you're really motivated to create a the lowest drag form possible, this is what you'll need to do.
Contents
Instructions for mod
Information required: How do people perform this modification, pictures, problems, what to look out for
Information required: A listing for different ways to do this if its different on different types of cars
User experiences
Please enter your user name and any relevant data in the table
| User Name | Car Make, Model, Year | Cost of Mod | Time to Perform Mod | MPG Before Mod | MPG After Mod | MPG improvement guess | Instruction Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example Data Saand | Example Data Mazda, 626, 1991 | Example Data $5 USD | Example Data 1 Hour | Example Data 27.2 | Example Data 29.8 | User mod detail or measurement detailed data |
Problems / Consequences of mod
Deleting the door handles comes with an inheirent set of problems, namely that the vehicle now requires a new, ingenious way for the driver and any passengers to get into it. There's no shortage of options, but few are so simple, intuitive and effective as a handle.
Many new vehicles are being outfitted with sensors that detect the drivers proximity and then unlock the doors or perform similar tasks. The technology is anything but new. RFID tags and readers are and have been a common security measure in passenger vehicles. The same technology could be outfitted to the vehicle so as to actuate the door by a hydraulic system when the tag was in close enough proximity.
There is an article somewhere in the depths of the internet about using a piezo microphone and an audrino controller to read a secret knock on the window of a car, authenticate it against the prerecorded knock, and then actuate the door locks. The same could be done for your enthusiastic hydraulic doors.
References
Forum thread links
Pontiac Vibe door handle removal
