Front wheel arch gap fillers
Introduction
This mod could be considered a partial wheel/fender skirt, which in combination with a smooth wheel cover may provide some of the benefits of a full skirt.
For modders that don't want wheel skirts on the front or rear wheels this mod can give some benefit.
Manufacturers of high efficiency cars that do not use wheel skirts typically try to minimize the tire/wheel arch gap to assist airflow, in addition to using a wheel offset which has the outside wheel/tire surface close to the side plane of the vehicle. Examples are the 2nd generation Prius, GM Volt, Audi A2.
Contents
Instructions for mod
Cut some coroplast to the dimensions of the wheel arch gap. Screw the coroplast onto the car. Ensure there is enough room for the wheels to turn and allow a little gap to allow the car to bounce a bit.
A possible method to mount coroplast to improve the wheel well aerodynamics is
- Drill holes around the wheel wells around 7 appears to work well
- Cut metal tabs about 35 mm long and 15 mm wide with 2 holes at either end
- For every hole drilled in the wheel well, pop rivet one side of previously cut metal tab to the wheel well
- Bend the metal tabs 90 degrees so that the face of the tab is a thickness of coroplast below the face of the wheel well
See image to the right for an example
- Cut coroplast to the desired shape
- Drill holes in coroplast which lines up with the holes in the tabs
- Cut metal squares 15 mm width and height and drill a hole in them, enough metal squares should be made to match the amount of tabs
- Use the cut metal squares to mount the coroplast so that the coroplast is sandwitched between the metal tab and the metal square using pop rivets
- For a nicer finish cloth tape can be used to hide gaps between the coroplast and wheel well
See image to the right for an example
Note: This mod maybe best done after any weight reducing mods as the arch gap may change slightly with changed weight
Note: Fiber-glass may provide a more professional finish however coroplast has an advantage that if not enough clearance is given for the wheel the coroplast will be quickly cut to the right shape by the wheel.
User experiences
Please enter your user name and any relevant data in the table<br>
| User Name | Car Make, Model, Year | Cost of Mod | Time to Perform Mod | MPG Before Mod | MPG After Mod | MPG improvement guess | Instruction Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cons | 04 Ranger | $3 USD | 1 Hour | 30 | 31 | 3.23% (1 MPG) tank to tank data approximations, big arches covered on truck | |
| Saand | Mazda 626 91 | $5 | 2 Hours per wheel well |
Problems / Consequences of mod
- Depending on installation method the wheels may scrape the arch gap material if the car bounces or if many people are in the car
- If a material other than coroplast is used such as metal any scraping on the wheels may cut and puncture the wheels.
