Wow, that's some serious mpg
Did you know that the '92-'96 Caprice is one of very few cars actually becomes less aerodynamic with the side view mirrors removed?
pretty interesting.
Holy crap, that's impressive!
With a 5.7L?? 
I did a complete Amsoil change on my KJ. Improved mpg 1.5-2.
SVreX wrote: Holy crap, that's impressive! With a 5.7L??
Yeah, but its hypermiling. Those guys are insane. There is a guy with a stock 6spd 2500 Ram Quad Cab averaging 38mpg.
Now I have another website to destroy time with.
I enjoy this cheap engineering stuff
That was impressive. I wonder how the grill block off works when it's hot outside in city driving.
In reply to TIGMOTORSPORTS:
That's what drew me in, that and the DIY nature of all of the mods. I have the upper grille of the Vic blocked off and the gaps around the headlights taped up. That alone netted a consistent 2mpg increase in my average, per tank, fuel economy.
Another thing I like, even though I don't utilize any of the pulse-and-glide driving techniques, is that once you decide to try driving in an ecomodder-like fashion, you are driving with 100% consciousness regarding your actions. It takes you from being on autopilot on your way to work to saying, "Okay, if I stay at 25mph through this string of stop lights, instead of the posted limit of 30, I can time them so they're all green."
Also you're acutely aware of braking distances and smoothness. My schedule prohibits racing 99% of the time so I make do with this sort of thing. 
Aspen wrote: That was impressive. I wonder how the grill block off works when it's hot outside in city driving.
The fan probably still manages to get enough air through to cool it fine. The time where it can become a penalty is climbing long hills on the highway. The reduced airflow can lead to the fan running to keep things cool, killing most of the gains of the grille block (and in some cases, causing cooling problems if the fan isn't enough to keep up without ram airflow).
I do tend to drive relatively efficiently in city driving, although I'm not afraid of the throttle when getting moving. But I do try to time traffic lights and avoid slowing down / stopping when it's avoidable.
Hmmm... That makes me wonder why we haven't seen active grills coming from OEMs. With all the computer sensors, it seems pretty easy to create an operable shutter that triggers off the thermostat or fan circuit.
Close the shutter for aero and fuel economy, open it when needed for cooling.
I liked a lot of the ideas but "quick disconnect couplings" on brake lines is where I start to question how smart some of this is. Probably a smarter thing would have been to keep the stock axle and not utilize overdrive during towing situations. Swapping an axle out of a car for towing situations and then putting it back seems sort of bonkers even without the brake line stuff.
I do like the five speed swap idea and pretty much everything else although I don't know that I'd want to do the Kamm-like extension.
Axle-wise, it would more sense to run a quick-change 9" or something to easily change gearing. The tall gearing does make towing basically impossible though. It's a manual trans, so you'd wreck the clutch trying to get moving on any kind of a hill with his gearing.
With the 29" tires, 2.14 axle and 4.01 first gear in an NV3500, you'd have to be doing 7 mph before getting the clutch fully engaged without getting below 700 rpm (compared to 4 mph for the same with the 3.73s for towing). That's a heck of a lot of clutch slip if you're loaded and pointed up-hill...
As far as active grille shutters, they are a factory thing on some newer cars. The current gen Focus has them, for example.
SVreX wrote: Hmmm... That makes me wonder why we haven't seen active grills coming from OEMs. With all the computer sensors, it seems pretty easy to create an operable shutter that triggers off the thermostat or fan circuit. Close the shutter for aero and fuel economy, open it when needed for cooling.
"Active grill shutters" were introduced by most of the car companies a few years ago in the more fuel economy oriented models/trims, I remember a Ford commercial about it.
Oh boy. Caprices now added to the CL search list.
SVreX wrote: Hmmm... That makes me wonder why we haven't seen active grills coming from OEMs. With all the computer sensors, it seems pretty easy to create an operable shutter that triggers off the thermostat or fan circuit. Close the shutter for aero and fuel economy, open it when needed for cooling.
They're on the newer Mustangs and Focii. Pretty sure the Fusion as well?
Active grille shutters have been around since the 30's 
BrokenYugo wrote:SVreX wrote: Hmmm... That makes me wonder why we haven't seen active grills coming from OEMs. With all the computer sensors, it seems pretty easy to create an operable shutter that triggers off the thermostat or fan circuit. Close the shutter for aero and fuel economy, open it when needed for cooling."Active grill shutters" were introduced by most of the car companies a few years ago in the more fuel economy oriented models/trims, I remember a Ford commercial about it.
iirc my 1.0 fiesta has this
I think, instead of swapping axles or dumping fluid and swapping gear around, I'd rent something that can tow out of the box anyway.
flatlander937 wrote:SVreX wrote: Hmmm... That makes me wonder why we haven't seen active grills coming from OEMs. With all the computer sensors, it seems pretty easy to create an operable shutter that triggers off the thermostat or fan circuit. Close the shutter for aero and fuel economy, open it when needed for cooling.They're on the newer Mustangs and Focii. Pretty sure the Fusion as well?
Cruze Eco as well.
Wonder if some home-made setup could be easily fabricated using pop-up headlight motors.
Trucks have it as well. Ram and F-series for sure, i am not sure about the GMs.
The_Jed wrote: Another thing I like, even though I don't utilize any of the pulse-and-glide driving techniques, is that once you decide to try driving in an ecomodder-like fashion, you are driving with 100% consciousness regarding your actions. It takes you from being on autopilot on your way to work to saying, "Okay, if I stay at 25mph through this string of stop lights, instead of the posted limit of 30, I can time them so they're all green." Also you're acutely aware of braking distances and smoothness. My schedule prohibits racing 99% of the time so I make do with this sort of thing.
Agreed.
I've tried the 100% economy driving thing before. Its difficult, uncomfortable and stressful. But you get like 70% of the benefit just by driving as you mentioned and you have a less stressful commute, still get your HVAC, radio, etc.
I really do respect the engineering these guys put into their cars. And a lot of it translates over to the GRM side of things with respect to low drag and low weight.
I just can't get behind hypermiling completely, especially when it obstructs traffic.
I do find it interesting that these guys will start with some of the worst cars for this type of thing. A Prius or Insight will knock down 46+mpg all day long driving it like you stole it, even with full HVAC control, etc. And they are probably no slower than a LT1 Caprice with that kind of gearing.
ProDarwin wrote: A Prius or Insight will knock down 46+mpg all day long driving it like you stole it, even with full HVAC control, etc. And they are probably no slower than a LT1 Caprice with that kind of gearing.
Off the line, no. But on a highway pull, the Caprice would eat the Prius 7 ways from Sunday (it wouldn't be any slower than stock, just in a lower gear to make up for the taller axle gears).
You'll need to log in to post.
