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I am trying to maximize my fuel economy, so I decided to try taping my wheel wells to see if it will make a difference........Sorry about the size of the pics.....I dont know how to make them smaller!
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Duct tape? Ouch, It's going to leave a lot of residue.91 Festiva BP Autocross/Track/Rallycross hopeful
14 C7 Z51
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Not Duct tape.....Aluminum tape (look at the prices! $75/roll! I am glad I get it for free, lol) http://www.shop3m.com/3m-aluminum-fo...MSpec6_Prod425Last edited by Darlo; 10-02-2010, 04:27 PM.
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drool Thats good use of $75 a roll tape.91 Festiva BP Autocross/Track/Rallycross hopeful
14 C7 Z51
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I didnt pay $75 for it, and I didnt use a whole roll, lol..........Comment
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Would you like to reveal your secret on how you came across the tape? I'm guessing a job hook up.91 Festiva BP Autocross/Track/Rallycross hopeful
14 C7 Z51
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Aluminum tape will leave a worse residue, it won't come off! Very difficult to remove the thin foil plus it has a very strong adhesive. So did it help your gas mileage? It looks terrible so I hope you are getting about 10 mpg better than before
OscarComment
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HAHA......yup, my dad actually works in the aircraft maintenance industry and they go through the stuff like crazy!
As for the residue, my dad also has anything I could ever want for taking anything off, including the paint, if I wanted to, lol.
I just applied the tape yesterday, so wont know for a couple weeks or so.Comment
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Darlo... great initiative, brother. There's a lot of potential for aerodynamic growth here.
Another thing you might consider is picking up some medium thickness painter's plastic rolls. You can wrap the front end of the car in it - open up a decent size hole in the grill and or bumper for the radiator, and keep everything else smooth and protected. I'm going to do this for Westiva next year... on top of maybe improving fuel economy by a couple kilometers, it'll also keep the bugs off my car!
Have you looked at all at my gearing thread for the F-swap? You may find some interesting insight and options for lower highway RPMs there. Link in my sig.
Another really good way to do it is to help your engine breathe aka to maximize every drop of fuel that your engine goes through. Think about all of the modifications you can do to a car in terms of power that don't add gasoline. New intake manifolds, throttle bodies, intake designs, maf/map setups, exhaust systems, manifolds, tune-up equipment, pullies, ignition materials, etc.
These can also really put a dent in the fuel bill. If an engine only has to work 90-95% as hard to get the same output, you can see the potential for fuel economy improvement. Sure... your car might be a little louder, harder to find parts for, or whatnot... but it could work! Concentrate on maximizing the engine with radical parts and components - phenolic intake and throttle body spacers come to mind.
Combine a few hundred bucks in intake/exhaust/porting work with some basic aerodynamics, and you'll have yourself a 55MPG car all day. Definitely have a good chat with Sasquatch Racing... you guys could do some good business together.Last edited by Aaronbrook37; 10-02-2010, 07:10 PM.1988 Chevy Sprint Turbo 997ccComment
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I looked at your thread about the swap, and not that I am dumb..........but I am really dumb when it comes to the mechanics of a car. I am more into body mods to reduce drag, but if there is a step-by-step "lego instruction type" set of instructions for anything, I should be able to do it, lol.
Let me know if there is anything that is more amature-ish that I could do to the mechanics (air filter maybe? does the car have one......HAHA jk)
I LOVE your idea about the painters plastic.......I will get some!Comment
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Don't ya just hate those quarter panel dents? I have the same dent in the same spot lmao!89L build thread http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=36422
1996 subaru impreza AWD 5 speed, EJ18
Post your festiva pics and vids here: www.movingviolationz.com
My site: 20tessa.sytes.netComment
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Not a problem... that was the reason for using Sasquatch Racing. Some food for intake thought... fire away with any questions you've got. The intake is the best place to start in my opinion.Originally posted by Darlo View Post
1988 Chevy Sprint Turbo 997ccComment
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Thanks!
just took it out for the first time since taping it, and it scraped a bit on the front (despite my attempt at making it perfect), so I will have to cut the tape a bit, but the back works great!
I am excited to see an increase in mpg!
So what is the point of the intake's design the way it sits, and what am I doing to make it better? Am I increasing the airflow? If so, can I just remove the filter altogether, or is that really bad? Sorry about the dumb questions, lol......Comment
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You need the air filter to prevent contaminants and large things from entering the motor and potentially harming or killing your engine. It obviously can't filter out everything, but you definitely need it. You can of course change air filters as well... lots of info in those links. Read through the threads from start to finish and write down questions as you go... easiest way to learn.Originally posted by Darlo View Post
With respect to optimizing the intake, you're trying to do a variety of things:
The OEM intake is designed to be cheap, easy to produce, and quiet. In so doing, it sacrifices some important characteristics - namely flow of air and performance/economy. Its material and shape do create some restriction, especially with resonators and sharp bends.
Think about a straw when you're enjoying your favourite beverage of choice. The bigger/straighter/cleaner the straw, the easier it is for you to enjoy your beverage.
That straw might be made aesthetically pleasing for example... that could be a plus and a minus.
By doing anything to the intake, you are improving the straw for your engine to get air. This could be providing a ram air feed pipe, modifying the air box, switching to a high flow and or cone filter, modifying the air flow meter, switching to hard-piping, optimizing flow and transition, or almost anything.
You can probably guess how this helps with fuel economy. Look into this sort of thing too if you want to get extreme/radical:
1988 Chevy Sprint Turbo 997ccComment
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Are you related to Red Green? You are in Canada...This is secret we like to keep quiet down here but if you really want gas mileage take that radio antenna off and watch the mileage increase, and have you put any thought into cardboard on the underside of the car to smooth it out? Aerodynamic machine....The H.A.M.B.
http://www.jalopyjournal.comComment
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