This post is part of a series on basic ecodriving techniques, intended to expound upon a more basic description in order to make them more accessible as well as put them in the context of safety and practicality. 

Reducing your speed is one of the simplest things you can do to increase fuel economy.  Keep in mind I did not say it is the easiest thing to do.  I’ll admit it, most drivers like speed.  But, it is a very simple thing to do.  You just have to let off the pedal a little bit.

On average, a 5 mph reduction at highway speeds (ex. From 70 to 65 mph) will net you an 8% increase in fuel economy.  Of course this differs from vehicle to vehicle.  The larger your vehicle the larger you gain is likely to be.  Fueleconomy.gov says that you can see between 7 to 23 percent increase in mileage simply by slowing down to the speed limit.  What about even a little bit under the speed limit?

Here is a some testing done by MetroMPG.com comparing speed to mileage.

There is also the fact that the speed limit is also a much safer speed should speak volumes to the car buyers who buy large vehicles because they are safer.  If you really want to be safe, slow down to recommended speeds.  Road engineers design roads with these kinds of things in mind.

A little more on the technical side is the fact that aerodynamic drag increase exponentially with speed.  So, if you double your speed you have quadrupled your aerodynamic drag.  So, you can see small increases in speed can drastically increase drag.  Aerodynamic drag is also the main force your engine must overcome while traveling at highway speeds.

So, since your going slower your going to be late all the time now, right?  I sure hope not.  Slowing down from 60 mph to 55 mph on an hour trip takes you roughly 5 more minutes.  Anything less than an hour trip is going to be less and for that 8% fuel savings you are sure getting a good deal.

The last thing I will mention is stress.  How many times have you come up on a car going slower than you, and gotten all flustered as you try to find a way to zip past it?  Stress is a serious issue with people these days.  Your daily drive can be a great time to unwind after a stressful day at work.  Its a lot easier to unwind while just cruising along at the speed limit where you don’t have to worry about that slow poke who won’t get out of your way as you rush home.  Take a few minutes longer to get home and feel better at the same time.

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Image: yr0gerg @ flickr, under CC

This week, one of EcoModder’s very own got the chance to check out an EV1 live and in person. Sure, there are tons of images of the EV1 floating around on the internet, so at face value, this doesn’t seem that important. However, this pictures were taking from the perspective of an ecomodder, someone concerned about things like aerodynamics and vehicle design.

That means that our friend took quite a few pictures many of us seasoned ecomodder had never seen before. For the full shoot check out this thread. It’s definitely worth the click through, but I’ll leave some teaser shots here for you nonetheless:

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Every so often, we at EcoModder get asked if we’re ever going to get into the business of making production, bolt on ecomods. Even though it makes sense, we’re much more interested in sharing information and encouraging crowd-sourcing within the EcoModder community. A prime example of that can be seen with the MPGuino, a piece of open-source instrumentation that has been developed and supported by some great forum members.

Well, now it seems like ecomodding has trickled down as far as the aftermarket gas mileage nuts in Japan. These days, for as little as 171 bucks you can buy an undertray for your Honda Fit. Undertrays improve aerodynamics and therefore gas mileage, and are a common addition for many ecomodders. However, it’s rare to see a part with such polish coming out on the aftermarket.

As the original forum poster notes, it’s not a direct fit, but it definitely can fit and looks good when installed:

This of course brings up that age-old question: how much money will you spend to save on gas? Is it really worth $171 bucks for a little bump in fuel economy? Over the life of the car, it’s likely that you’ll come out ahead, which is why many manufacturers have been adding larger and more complete undertrays to their cars. However, you’ve got to consider that this is the aftermarket ecomodding, and the cool factor definitely kicks in. Don’t you want to be the first on the block with a professionally made undertray?

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Remind you of anything familiar? If you guessed VW’s classic Karmann Ghia, you were correct. This isn’t a real car, but rather a nicely done aerodynamic concept made with photoshop in EcoModder’s aerodynamics forum.

However, don’t let the fact that it’s not a real car get you down. The point behind this photoshop is a sort of “proof of concept.” By taking one of the coolest old cars around and making it very aerodynamic, the original poster proved that aerodynamics doesn’t have to mean Prius-like or uncool, but can also make you think of an old mobster movie or perhaps a top speed run down the Autobahn.

Do any of our readers ever try their hand at a little photoshop/design magic? Let us know in the comments what you’ve come up with.

You may have been impressed back in 1999 by the Honda Insight’s low .25 CD. You may again have been impressed by the new Toyota Prius’s matching CD when the new model came out this year. If that’s the case, you should be even more impressed that Mercedes managed to pull off a .24 CD for its E-Class coupe.

Granted, the total drag of a vehicles is the coefficient of drag multiplied by the frontal area, so it’s likely that both vehicles have higher overall drag than the Honda Insight, but this efficient design from a vehicle marked by its attention to power and not efficiency represents what I think is a crucial shift in vehicle design.

The car is part of Mercedes’ new BlueEFFICIENCY line, which over the last few years has consistently brought smaller engines, better aerodynamics, and thriftier design without comprising what Mercedes considers the be the essence of its luxury brand, so I look forward to seeing even more improvement from the company.

Source: EM Forum

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1dwPQ37FlA

Thanks to holypaulie on our fuel economy forums for posting this video of his own aeromods!

Every year, the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan adds a few influential people to their archives. The Automotive Hall of Fame has the task of preserving the most important ideas and moments in automotive history, so it’s quite an honor to be inducted.

That’s why I was happy to hear at the New York International Auto Show that Wunibald Kamm, designer of the Kammback, will be inducted in 2009. In 1938, he helped BMW design the first Kamm-Coupe, a 328 with a .25 drag coefficient, matching the first generation Honda Insight.

Clearly, his ideas were ahead of his time and never widely adopted, but with fuel economy coming back to the forefront of automotive design, Kamm is finally getting some attention.

This is of special import to us ecomodders, since the Kammback is one of the most effective and possibly coolest looking aeromods around. For some more reading on actual Kammbacks (including the one in the picture above), check out these threads:

• Geo Metro Kammback Design and Construction: Step by step.
• Better Minivan Gas Mileage with a Kammback: 3.7% better, to be exact.
• Civic VX Kammback: Clean looking install on a Civic VX.
• Building a Del Sol Kammback: The Del Sol is a perfect Kammback candidate.
• Another Civic Hatch Kammback: Another clean-looking Kammback

When was the last time you heard of a full-size work van getting better fuel economy than your average sedan? If you don’t remember, that’s okay, neither do I. Like their other ecoNetic cars, Ford has ecomodded their standard Transit work van with a high-efficiency diesel engine, aerodynamic wheels, and low-rolling resistance tires.

However, because the 32.6 MPG rating is adjusted from the EU test cycle, you should take it with a grain of salt. This is because the EU cycle tends to give better ratings than EPA testing, so 32.6 MPG in Europe might actually be a bit less on this side of the pond. But again, as ABG notes, the EPA cycle has notoriously underwhelming diesel ratings, and it might be that the European ratings are a bit closer to reality.

Perhaps this is a prelude to a Ford Transit Connect ecoNetic model, which would combine the same ecomods with the smaller model of the van. This opens up the possibility of getting such a vehicle in the United States, where the Transit Connect will soon be on sale.

Seems like the European automakers are going all out on fuel economy these days. Opel has created an ecoFLEX version of their popular Insignia sedan, which due to some clever ecomodding has a low drag coefficient of 0.26 and scores a solid 45.2 MPG (US) in the European driving cycle.

ecoFLEX modifications include:

• additional panelling under the fuel tank;
• lowering the body 10 mm;
• adding a flexible front spoiler lip;
• reducing upper cooling openings;
• optimized gearing and final drive ratio on this six-gear manual transmission;
• specially-designed Michelin Primacy HP tires;
• shift recommendation dashboard display.

Definitely a solid sedan, but when will we see it on this side of the pond?

Source: TheAutoChannel from our forums

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNSon0kKsmY

There used to be a time when economy cars didn’t always have a passenger side mirror. For example, depending on the market, the CRX HF, which had a remarkable drag coefficient of 0.29, didn’t always come with one. Twenty-one years past the first production of the 2nd-generation CRX, we can’t speculate on Honda’s motivations, but judging by the fact that the low coefficient of drag is prominent in sales pamphlets, we can assume that aerodynamics had something to do with it.

Yesterday, I decided it would be a good time to take a high-tech approach to an old problem. It cost about $90 and took a few hours of my time, but now have a rear view camera in place of the mirror that once graced the side of my car. I hope you enjoy the video.

What does a Ford Motor Company fuel economy technical expert do for fun at the end of the day?

He heads home to his own shop and custom builds an aerodynamically efficient, two-passenger, 3-wheel motorcycle capable of 125 mpg (US) at 65 mph (1.9 L/100 km @ 105 km/h) and a top speed of over 100 mph (161 km/h).  And then after using it for 3,200 miles (5,150 km), he puts it on eBay to make room in his garage for the next version which will be a plug-in hybrid.

“After working [on] improving conventional production car/truck fuel economy I wanted to try something with fewer constraints,” says EcoModder member John (HyperRocket).  Now there’s an understatement.

(It kind of makes you wonder how many house painters go home at the end of the day, budding Picassos, to toil on masterwork canvases…)

His street legal, 2-seat, tandem vehicle is registered as a motorcycle and was engineered for both high efficiency and fun:

• the drivetrain is from a Kawasaki Ninja: a 250cc liquid cooled, four stroke, DOHC 2 cylinder tuned with an exhaust gas analyzer for best efficiency & driveability

• six speed manual transmission

• weight: 505 lbs

• excellent 0.16 coefficient of drag, calculated through GPS-based coast down tests

• HID projector headlight up front, and LED’s elsewhere (front turn signals are integrated into the side mirrors for aerodynamics)

• safety features include 4 point seat belts, roll bar and front mounted IMPAXX crash foam as now used in NASCAR sides

John claims fuel efficiency of 105 mpg (US) (2.2 L/100 km) cruising on the highway at 65mph when equipped with the bling wheels and sporty gearing, and even better numbers with a couple of additional mods: “When equipped with the pictured motorcycle tires (not included) and a smaller rear sprocket it achieved 125 mpg @ 65mph.”  (1.9 L/100 km @ 105 km/h)

If you think a vehicle like this might draw attention, John confirms that with a good anecdote:  After being stopped by police and explaining the project to the curious officer, ‘back up’ was called in.  “Four squad cars showed up, several houses of neighbors came out and the whole thing turned into a spectacle. No ticket, everyone was genuinely interested in ecomodding!”

The trike’s eBay auction has a starting bid of $15,600 USD. While not questioning the design or workmanship that went into the machine, we wonder if that price will draw efficiency-minded bidders in these days of $2 per gallon gasoline.   Undoubtedly his work would have grabbed a lot of attention last summer, when fuel prices were driving people into a frenzy, paying utterly ridiculous prices for used Geo Metros to save money at the pumps.

Best of luck, John.   We’re looking forward to seeing what rolls out of your shop next!

—

Follow the discussion about the HyperRocket in the EcoModder forum

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After Mercedes released it’s E Class sedan with an industry leading drag coefficient of .24 (above) it was no big secret that the luxury car maker was going to push the envelope of aerodynamic efficiency. Despite the association between the word “aerodynamic” and the mental image of a bug-mobile, Mercedes has proven that they can do efficiency in a classy, almost invisible way.

Now the company is saying that they want cars with drag coefficients of 0.20 and less within 5 years. This would put Mercedes in the company of vehicles like the GM EV1 (0.19 coefficient of drag) and any number of concept cars that have never made it to production.

Coefficient of drag might not have the shock value of gas mileage figures, but consider this: 50 mpg may sound good but it only goes as far as fossil fuels. A vehicle with a low coefficient of drag will be efficient no matter what is powering it. These slippery Mercedes will get better gas mileage now and better electric range in the future.

And they still look pretty freaking sweet.

EcoModder member bondo is well known for his aerodynamic pickup bed cap, which he designed, builds, and sells himself. Recently he hit us over the head with another great aero design, this time a scale vehicle model he donated to the Ford Motor Company to help them pull through their current rough patch.

As you can see in the original thread, bondo built the model himself in his garage and chose Ford as the recipient because of their insistence to go it alone without federal bailout money and because he believes the company is under good stewardship. Personally, I think this this is a great design and Ford is lucky to have it. Congrats to bondo for putting it together.

Dutch efficiency enthusiast Allert Jacobs has converted his new Honda motorbike into a streamliner capable of getting over 200 mpg (US) cruising at 55 mph.

The Honda ANF125i Innova was pretty efficient right out of the box, since it followed the basic formula for low fuel consumption: small size + light weight + modest engine power.

The bike tips the scales at just 231 lbs (105 kg) and features an efficient, fuel injected, four stroke 125cc single, producing 9 hp (6.85 kW).

With those specs, the Honda already offered great fuel economy:  Allert’s first five fill-ups delivered 133 mpg (US) (1.8 L/100 km) over 638 miles (1027 km).

(With a disclaimer: he figures that’s better than “normal” because he was babying the bike while breaking it in.  He says a more realistic figure for his driving is 114 mpg (US) – that’s what he got from the last two fill-ups before he started modifying it.)

Q: How do you get from 114 mpg to over 200 mpg?
A: aerodynamics first (and gearing second)

Being a long time cyclist, motorcyclist and velomobile enthusiast, Allert intuitively understands what many people either don’t know or greatly underestimate: the enormous impact of aerodynamics on fuel consumption.

Unlike the average person, he is not surprised by the fact that a typical car burns 50% of its fuel overcoming air resistance at just 40 mph (64 km/h).  Or that the higher drag of a typical motorbike means half of its fuel is used to overcome air drag at just 15 – 20 mph (24 – 32 km/h)!

Custom aerodynamic fairing:  velomobile influence (version 1)

Allert knew he could significantly reduce the amount of power required to go down the road by lowering the rider’s position (reducing exposure to the oncoming air) and then reducing turbulence by adding smooth fairings.

His extensive experience designing and producing recumbent bicycles and fully enclosed recumbent velomobiles obviously prepared him for this project.  (Above photo: Allert’s commercially produced Quest velomobile, a pedal-powered trike)

Diving in feet first

Reducing frontal area showed immediate results.  To get a feet-forward position on the Honda, a new seat was mounted in the bike’s step-through area, and the foot pegs and controls were moved to just above the front wheel.  The front wheel itself was enclosed, and another fairing was added ahead of the rider.

(Most motorcycle owners have probably experienced the benefit of reducing frontal area and drag, simply by tucking down at higher speeds and feeling the bike speed up without moving the throttle.  It’s a good demonstration that shows  aerodynamics isn’t only about fuel economy!)

On his first test drive, the drag reduction was obvious.  Even lacking critical bodywork needed to smooth airflow at the rear of the bike, the little Honda’s top speed went up from 90 km/h (56mph) to 110 km/h (69mph).

Taller gearing

Because the modifed bike now required less energy to go down the road than the stock version, its gear ratios could be optimized: engine RPM could be lowered for a given speed that would have lugged the engine before the aero mods.  Reducing engine speed normally improves fuel economy.

With the new sprockets in place, fuel economy was now up to 152 mpg (1.55 L/100 km) over 1901 miles of riding (3059 km).

But Allert wasn’t happy!  He wanted more…

Lessons learned from version 1

• Stability issues with the front wheel fairing: side winds were affecting stability, because steering force was being transmitted to the forks.  “It turned out to be very scary to ride even with as little as 3 Beaufort (about 10mph) side wind.  I did not dare to go over 35mph.”  That would have to change.

• Manual clutch conversion: with the taller gearing, Allert wasn’t happy with the Honda’s stock semi-automatic shifting.  He added a clutch lever & cable and converted to a full manual transmission so he could control the amount of slip needed for a smooth start, since “the first gear is now almost as long as the second gear used to be”.

• Revised aerodynamic fairings: to reach his efficiency goals, the aerodynamics of version 2 would have to be better.

Version 2: best tank = 214 mpg (US); average = 199 mpg

The photos below speak for themselves (click to zoom).  Allart spent months crafting full length bodywork, divided in two sections.  The front half slides forward in a clever setup that allows the rider to get “in” and “out” of the bike fairly easily.

The windshield is less for forward vision than a place to locate the LED turn signals to keep them out of the wind.  Allert added signals on the side mirrors as well.

He’s happy with the stability of the full length fairing compared to the first version: “A 40mph (65 km/h) side wind is no problem,” though more than that he hasn’t experienced yet.

And it works: in cool, windy weather, he managed 214 mpg (US) or 1.1 L / 100 km on a 160 mile (km) round trip.   His goal is 235 mpg on a trip cruising at 55 mph (90 km/h).  Why 235 mpg?  Because its metric equivalent (as is used in the Netherlands) would be a very impressive 1 liter per 100 kilometers.

He expects that’s possible in ideal conditions (warm & calm), though he’s not simply waiting for better weather to accomplish this feat.  He notes that the fairing isn’t entirely optimized from an aerodynamic perspective, and is also investigating potential improvements in rolling resistance (by methodologically testing different brands of tires on a custom made test rig).

When spring & summer roll around this year, I have little doubt that 1L / 100 km is in the cards for Allert Jacobs.

We’re looking forward to seeing more from this man!

(Photos: Allert Jacobs. Used with permission.)

.

For more information:

• For the latest information & photos, visit Allert Jacob’s web site documenting this project

• Follow the discussion about Allert’s work in the EcoModder forum

• Craig Vetter is one of the godfathers of motorcycle efficiency enthusiasts.  Read about his own on-going high mileage motorbike project, the Freedom Machine.

• EcoModder member Janvos has been working on similar aero & gearing mods to his Suzuki Burgman.  Follow his progress in this project thread.

More projects featuring aerodynamic modifications:

The Phil Knox fleet – 34 years of aeromodding	Aeromodded 1989 Geo Metro XFi Gets 75 mpg
Aero mods – 1930′s style – rebodied Ford Model T	Commercially produced aerodynamic pickup bed cap
5th generation Civic hatchback – improving aerodynamics	Project: making a permanent Metro Kammback extension
Daihatsu Mira aerodynamic modifications	Crazy aeromodded Metro – chopped & teardropped

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Infrequently do we find a homebuilt car that is well-designed, aesthetically appealing, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive. In Dave Cloud’s Dolphin — originally discussed (with many more photos) in the EcoModder forum — we find that all our expectations for a homebuilt EV are surpassed. That’s probably because Dave has had his fair share putting together electric cars, having done over 45 conversions.

While the Dolphin may look like nothing you’ve ever seen before, the base vehicle is a 1997 Geo Metro, one of the classical examples of frugal driving. There are plenty of examples of Geo Metros being converted, but none are quite as unique as the Dolphin (if you need more examples, check out our very own ForkenSwift).

The Dolphin was put together for a miserly $3,000, but can do impressive things for the meager amount of money that was used to create it. Running on used batteries, the car managed a 70mph top speed and overall range of upwards of 80 miles, despite the fact that curb weight is well over 3000 pounds. The Dolphin is designed for highway cruising, lacking a transmission and geared to top out at 71 miles an hour. While this does allow for efficient highway cruising, it makes low speed operation and acceleration inefficient, dragging down the vehicle’s overall impressive numbers.

[singlepic id=138 w=560]

Here’s a quote direct from Dave Cloud on the comprises that were made to keep the project under budget:

Another thing I would like to clarify is that my goal was to build a vehicle that can go 200 miles on a single charge with a speed of 60-65 mph for 85% of the miles, for under $3,000. I accomplished this goal. Because of my $3,000 limitation I made a lot of compromises in the chassis design hoping that the aerodynamics of the vehicle would make up for those inefficiencies. Inefficiencies such as front wheel bearings that rumble, back tires that are 10 years old and misshapen, single speed dual series motors (that were $100), no re-gen and inexpensive Curtis controllers.

Using the conversion factor listed on Wikipedia (33.4 kWh/gal) and Dave Cloud’s own estimates of power usage, the Dolphin clocks in at an amazing 214MPGe, beating everything on the road (and everything likely to be on the road in the near future). While this is an amazing vehicle, it’s unfortunate it was built for a specific EV distance challenge and will probably not be explored in depth in the future.

Here are the Dolphin’s in depth stats (found on EValbum):

Basic Vehicle: 1997 Geo Metro

Motor: Advanced DC 203-09-4001 Series Wound DC 2X “Shorty’ version of typical 8″ ADC motor

Drivetrain: 8″ ADC motor on each rear wheel, with independent battery packs and controllers

Controller: Curtis 1209B-6402 72 Volt, 400A

Batteries: 60 Interstate Various, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Group 56 BLEM batteries, 33 lbs ea.

Voltage: 72V

Top Speed: 72 mph

Range: 200 miles

Watt Hours/mi: 162 wh/mi

Weight: 3,200 lbs

—

More information:

• Check out the EcoModder forum discussion about this car, with much more information & photos, including several posts by the builder.
• For more on Dave Cloud, check out the below videos:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhIhdLKKTI

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yravv7jT-jE&feature=player_embedded

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTqcb0bLv1I&feature=player_embedded

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For the last several months, Ecomodder forum member t vago has been working on a custom aeroshell for his 2000 Dakota Quad Cab pickup truck. While many fuel conscious people will look down on pickup trucks as eminently wasteful, truck owners are a group that has uniquely embraced the spirit of ecomodding. After all, they represent one of the biggest opportunities for improvement in modern motor vehicles.

It’s true: trucks are by in large not built with fuel economy in mind. While this is lamentable, it does give ambitious ecomodders a great place to start. The most glaring deficiency of the pick up truck’s design (from a fuel economy point of view, of course), is the aerodynamics. This is where t vago’s recent efforts come in to play.

If you want the nitty gritty, you can take a look at the original thread, where t vago and others go over their plans in detail. Here we will take a brief look at the origins and progress of the project – a sneak peek into the large amount of time and effort that goes into designing and building an aeroshell from scratch.

In the next two pictures you can see t vago’s humble beginnings:

This original design was built with foam insulation and designed in Microsoft Excel (of all programs) using calculations from this paper.

Unfortunately, this original design was too weak and eventually failed, though not before t vago could quantify a 1 mpg gain.

Here are t vago’s mockups of his first, unsuccessful design, as well as his second design:

First

Second

From there, in true EcoModder fashion, many other users chimed in with design advice as well as some of their own mockups. Here is just one example of the efforts put in on this project by user NeilBlanchard:

Though it took some time to get back on track, t vago was eventually able to produce a mockup of his next aeroshell:

Initial tests with the new aeroshell demonstrated significant gains over his truck’s previous configuration:

Eventually, the cap made it from foam to a more stable, stronger version as we can see here:

The cap is still in progress as just recently t vago has noticed some possible design problems:

A couple of nights ago, I was able to view the wake of my truck with the cap installed, in the rain. I noticed what appeared to be a couple of visible counter-rotating vortices right on either side of the back of the truck. From reading Hucho and looking at the pictures that Piwoslaw has in his album, it would appear the the inward-moving air stream at the sides of my aerocap are interacting with the air stream moving rearward on the sides of the truck. I think this is forming the vortices I’m seeing.

Hopefully we will be able to see a final version of this exciting project soon. In the future we will be talking more about these unique pickup-based modifications here on the EcoModder blog, so look forward to an update on t vago’s project in our next edition!

Originally posted by low & slow on the EcoModder forum.

There has been quite a bit of interest in Alan Smith, an accomplished motorcycle hypermiler and Vetter Challenge competitor, so I drafted some questions for him to answer. Following are the questions and his responses.

Alan, please tell us about yourself, your work history, and your interest in motorcycle hypermiling.

I retired after working 33-years in the electronic industry. I started riding motorcycles right after high school. My interest in what is now called hypermiling started after the first gas crisis in 1973.

Please let us know about your progress in becoming one of the premier motorcycle hypermilers.

I started with a motorcycle that was noted for good fuel economy and just kept going from there.

Why did you select the Ninja 250 for your Vetter Challenge ride?

My fist serious attempt was with a Honda CRF230. It had great potential but being air cooled it would overheat with a streamliner shell. Used Ninja 250s are plentiful, water cooled, and cheap. And they are fun to ride.

What have you done to your Ninja 250 and what are its capabilities?

The engine is still stock but the sprockets have been changed to lower engine RPMs. The aerodynamics made the biggest difference. I don’t know its full capabilities yet.

How about future modifications for the Ninja 250?

Currently, I am doing major aerodynamic upgrades for the 2012 summer competition season. An all new tail and nose is being built.

In 2011 you went on a cross country ride of the USA, please give us some highlights of that epic trip.

That trip was 10,200-miles in 6-weeks. The Ninja 250 actually performed very well. My Ninja 250 had no problems cruising above freeway speeds. Crosswinds blew the light weight bike around some.

What kind of fuel economy do you get with your Ninja 250 outside of competitions?

When not in competition I generally get 88-90 MPG and that is not riding the bike gently.

You’ve gotten as high as 116 mpg in 2011, can you go higher?

I would say yes. In last year’s aerodynamic body my arms and legs were out in the wind. The new aerodynamic nose will cure this. Also tweaking the engine might improve the fuel economy.

How did you become friends with Craig Vetter?

Competing against him. With the streamliner competitors we are all friends trying to improve our fuel economy.

What are you proudest of in the arena of motorcycle hypermiling?

Getting accepted by people who ride large motorcycles. Most people think a 250cc motorcycle is only good for running around town. My streamlined Ninja 250 can keep up on the freeways and is a blast to ride on the back roads. The large trunk comes in handy to haul my buddies riding gear.

What advice would you give to motorcyclist wanting to get better fuel economy?

I guess it depends on what level of improvement in fuel economy you want. I have a Suzuki Bandit 1200 that was partially streamlined and I got some good results. I could only go so far with a 1200cc motorcycle. I finally decided to get serious and started looking for a much more fuel efficient motorcycle.

For more info on Alan and Craig’s work you can check out Craig’s website here.

EcoModder forum user CigaR007 has been working on grill blocks for his Toyota Echo for a while now. He started with some simple pipe insulation stuffed between the grill slats as shown above. This version worked well for him and didn’t look bad either as it matched the car’s grill color fairly well. It was also easy to adjust for winter/summer by just pulling some insulation out or adding some insulation back in.

However, he wanted to improve on things. So, his second version was made of coroplast wrapped in some carbon fiber vinyl wrap. This looked better than the last version and seemed to work a bit better at blocking the grill off.

A bit later on, he also did the lower grill block in a similar fashion. This time he used rigid extruded polystyrene foam (the pink/blue foam they use to insulate houses) and again wrapped it in carbon fiber vinyl wrap to make it look nice.

In the mean time he also played around with some ducting behind the grill block to ensure that the air that does go through the grill goes through the radiator instead of going around it. As a side note, the Toyota Prius also does this to improve cooling.

Still not satisfied with what he had, he set upon the next step in improving the grill block. He removed the front pumper cover, lined the grilled area with foil and newspaper, and then poured two part foam into the cavity. It then expanded and formed itself perfectly to the grill opening. With a little sanding, the foam takes its shape.

He also made a foamed grill block for the top as well.

The final step with the foamed grill blocks involved some body work. He filled the air pockets that the foam left with some body filler (bondo), and then put some epoxy resin over it. Then he primed and painted the blocks to the matching colors of his car. As you can see, if you didn’t look closely you wouldn’t even be able to tell that the grill blocks aren’t an OEM part of the vehicle.

For more information on the evolution of CigaR007′s grill blocks, you can check out his forum thread that details out every step of the process.

When people think about fuel economy, they usually think about small cars, perhaps a mid-size hybrid.  If they think about trucks, its usually to contrast them with a more efficient vehicle (and perhaps chastise truck owners for their wasteful choice).
But while cars are great if you need to get yourself and maybe a few other people from one place to another, they don’t excel in moving large amounts of stuff, and can’t tow very much.
If you regularly need to move lots of big, bulky, or heavy stuff, or tow something large and heavy, but rarely need to move more than a couple people, a truck makes a lot of sense.

Of course there is a reason that trucks are seen as inefficient: they are.  They are heavy, overpowered (although cars are even more so these days), and not at all aerodynamic.

Then again, because trucks get such low mileage to begin with, improvements in their mileage have a relatively bigger impact.  For example, an increase of 15mpg for a 45mpg car is a 33% increase and will save 55 gallons of fuel over 10,000 miles.  Not bad, but that same 15mpg improvement to a 15mpg truck is a 100% increase, saving 333 gallons over the same distance.

So what is a mpg-conscious person who needs to move a lot of stuff to do?

The classic question was whether its better to drive with the tailgate up or down – the reasoning being that the tailgate might be catching the air coming off the roof like a parachute, being a flat vertical surface and all.  It turns out though that (at least for most trucks) that at speeds an air bubble naturally forms in the truck bed of an open bed pick-up with the tailgate up, and that creates a virtual tonneau which deflects the air current over the gate.  With the tailgate open, that bubble can’t form, and aerodynamics is actually decreased overall, reducing MPGs along with it.

(image from: http://johnversteeg.com/projects/2 )

(image from: http://www.symscape.com/blog/tailgate-up-or-down )

It’s important to note that this does not seem to be universally true; while the MythBusters and some (better controlled) studies have found better fuel economy with the gate up, other studies have found the opposite: reduced air drag with the gate down.

Which actually shouldn’t be too surprising, given the complexity of fluid dynamics, and the plethora of shapes and sizes and other variables that go into the design of a truck bed, cab, and tailgate, from length of bed and height of cab, to whether edges are sharp or rounded.  In any case, neither shape of truck bed is optimal for aerodynamics, and the potential improvement gained by tailgate position is relatively minimal.

The next step in truck aero evolution is the tonneau.  When installed, it makes the truck bed a solid flat surface at the height of the bed rails and tailgate.

Now instead of a virtual surface closing the truck bed, consisting of a bubble of air, there is an actual surface there, to do the same thing.

Unfortunately, this is still far from the ideal tear-drop shape, and (again, unsurprisingly) while it is frequently seen to improve fuel mileage, it isn’t by terribly much, and it doesn’t consistently show any improvement at all.

The goal is aero-mods is to make a vehicle as close to a teardrop shape as possible.

And while many car designs typically match this shape better than an open bed pick-up truck,

the large bed area (with no particular requirements for headroom) leave a lot of room for modding a cap to make it fit the shape even better:

 

The result is referred to as an “aerocap” or “aeroshell”, and it can potentially give a truck lower air drag than some cars, while providing a covered and secure space to store cargo.

Of course none of this is news to serious ecomodders, and a large number of varying designs have been built, with different solutions to balance the trade-offs of maximum aerodynamics, interior space and accessibility, rear visibility, being securely attached but easily removable (in case on needing to use the truck bed for large items), and looking seamless and integrated.

Here are some of the designs that have been showcased in the ecomodder forums:

AeroHead / ITworks / Phil Knox’s T-100

One of the very first.  Phil has been aeromodding since the oil embargo of the 1970′s.  This particular truck was in the form in the picture in 2005.

Measured coefficient of drag on the stock truck, plus aeroshell: 0.325

For reference, an open bed pick up has a cd around 0.40 to 0.45, a typical car 0.30 to 0.35, and the original Honda Insight had a Cd of 0.25, the lowest of any standard production car.
The lower the number, the less air resistance.

With all of the mods shown in the picture, coefficient of drag dropped all the way to: 0.25

The shell alone caused a 13% highway mileage improvement compared to the same truck at the same speed without it, 27.5 miles per gallon (EPA 25), and with all aeromods it got 32mpg at 70mph.

For more on this truck, see: http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=870

AeroHead / ITworks / Phil Knox’s T-100: V2

The original aeroshell was partially eaten by goats (or something like that…)
So he started over, and built another, goat-proof shell, and, as heavily aero-moddified as the first version was, he took the new one even further.
The new shell is made from the hull of a sailboat – you can tell in the first picture, the others are the same, just painted, and later with a window which removes the passenger side blind spot.

Aerohead takes this to Bonneville for racing and setting records and such, so the priority is maximizing aerodynamics over cargo carrying utility (the shell is removable though, so the truck could be used like a truck).

Theoretical Cd of 0.156
almost 80% mpg improvement compared to an original unmodified T-100, at 36mpg highway!

And yet still this was not enough – he has also built a trailer that attaches to the back of the truck just to extend the aerodynamic taper even further!

Wow.  Just wow.
A labor of love with years and years of labor put into it.
For more on this absolutely magnificent monstrosity, see:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/pickup-truck-streamlining-14884.html
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/basjoosing-toyota-t-100-articulated-front-wheel-skirts-22971.html
and
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/full-boat-tail-trailer-gap-fillers-toyota-t-7839.html

Bondo / Brett Herndon’s Aerolid

Ok, so the ITworks T-100 may be a little too extreme for the average pick-up truck owner.
On the other end of the spectrum of customization and labor required by the end user is the very polished and professional looking “Aerolid”.

These are available for purchase.
The long term goal is funding for large scale commercial availability (patent pending), but even without corporate sponsorship, he has already produced several on his own, and has a website up for their sale.

Highway mileage increase (on this truck) of over 20% 18mpg to 22.

For times the truck needs to be used for serious truck stuff, the center section can be removed without removing the entire shell

If a load is just a little too big to fit under the shell, but not so big it has to be removed entirely, it is hinged and can swing up partially; also making it a potential place to hang out while camping.

For more interior space and even better aerodynamics, there is an optional extender kit that is deployed with the tailgate down, which can fold away when not in use

For more on the Aerolid, see his website:  http://www.aerolid.com/
or the ecomodder thread http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/commercially-produced-aerodynamic-pickup-bed-cap-583.html

In between those two extremes the DIYers at Ecomodder have come up with plenty of unique designs:

SkyKing’s aeroshell/boat tail for the Dodge truck “Woody”

Made from laminated plywood sheets on a plywood frame, this design goes further and lower than any other.

26mpg highway from an otherwise unmoddified (except those beautiful wood side boxes) 1-ton.

For more on Woody’s shell, see:  http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/testing-aeroshell-boat-tail-dodge-22354.html

T Vago’s compound curve foam board pickup aeroshell

10% improvement, from 19mpg to 21mpg with no other mods.
Its made of foam, so its very light; which is good, sense adding weight reduces fuel economy, which would be counter-productive.  Also, it makes it easier to take off when the bed space is needed for big bulky stuff.

You can read much about its design process on a previous blog post:  http://ecomodder.com/blog/makings-pickup-aerocap-vagos-dakota/
as well as the forum thread http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/t_vagos-compound-curve-foam-board-pickup-aeroshell-15862.html

BamZipPow’s T-100 Aerocap

Made from coroplast (plastic sheets) over wood and metal frame.
Up to 27mpg highway.

Long thread covering everything from concept to construction to V2 trials:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/another-truck-aero-cap-idea-15137.html

JRMichler’s Nameless’ Canyon topper

Along with other mods, improved mileage from 21mpg to 30mpg in winter, and 27 to 35 in summer, with around 2mpg of that increase specifically upon replacement of the original non topper with this one.
Believe it or not, it is constructed of plain old plywood, waterproofed and strengthened with epoxy, and prettied up with some hardware store paint.

Details at http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/modding-06-gmc-canyon-17070.html

JRMichler’s brother’s Ford F-250

Mileage of 23.5mpg, up from 19.5
Not a lot of information on it is public, but what there is is here:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/modding-02-ford-f250-16798.html

Bajascoob’s Lightweight Aerocap on BigWhiteWhale

In addition to being relatively light, this design neatly solves the issue of reduced visibility created by every single other aerocap design.  The entire thing is completely translucent.
Unfortunately, plastic film isn’t 100% clear, so while he can see headlights behind at night, it isn’t clear enough to allow eliminating outside side mirrors.

Went from 16 to 19mpg.
Made of 1/2″ metal conduit frame wrapped in 4mm film, for a total of roughly $20 material cost.

More here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/f-250-7-3-4wd-light-aerocap-12573.html

Swede’s Aerolid

Coroplast over a welded 1/2″ conduit metal frame.

13% improvement, from 20mpg to 23.

Read more:  http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/swedes-aerolid-build-thread-13092.html

Kevlar’s aero “Toyota truck” (Apparently in 1992 Toyota didn’t give its trucks model names or numbers?)

Made of fiber-reinforced plastic board panels, the stuff public restroom stalls are made from.
31mpg actual, with an EPA estimate of only 24mpg highway

Since sold – and the new owner is reporting even better mileage, 32-36mpg.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/aero-truck-project-begins-2269.html

Ccrider’s Tacoma Aerocap

1/2″ Plywood on a wood frame.
$45 worth of material, including the paint.
30+ mpg in a truck rated for 20.

Simple, inexpensive, yet the numbers speak for themselves.

Build thread at: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/aerocap-tacoma-pickup-11271.html

Jacob Aziza’s Big Orange Work Truck’s tilted tonneau
(That’s me, the author)

Mine represents the opposite extreme from the first truck in this list, the ITworks T-100 in the trade-off between aerodynamics and the ability to use the truck bed.
Unlike every other design, the cover does not actually start at the roofline.  From an aerodynamic perspective this is a pretty major design flaw – it means that the air flowing off the back of the roof will not continue on smoothly to the cover, but will actually separate, leaving an air space of slower moving and potentially turbulent air right behind the rear window.
I was aware of this when I built it, but I decided it was more important to have a fully unobstructed view to the rear.  I regularly drive this truck in dense city traffic, at lower than normal speeds on major highways, and have to back up down driveways so narrow that I have to fold both side mirrors in.  In other words, I use my rear-view mirror a lot.  And even without a cover, I managed to back-up into a parked motor scooter once.  So I decided to sacrifice optimum aerodynamics and have the bed cover start about midway between the top of the bed and the roof.  I have a rearview mirror mounted just below the ceiling inside, and being higher than the top of the cover means I can see over it right to the edge of the tailgate.  I actually have a better view to the rear than with the stock mirror set up.

My other consideration that required a major trade off in maximum efficiency for maximum utility is that I regularly use the truck to haul things which would not fit under any of the above aerocaps, even the hinged ones if they were at maximum tilt angle.

Some of the aerocap designs have removable tops, or remove relatively easily for those times, but those times are so frequent for me that it would be extremely inconvenient to have to be constantly removing and replacing a cover. Besides for which, living in an RV, I have nowhere to store a large aeroshell when not in use.
Most of the time my trip goes something like: travel to location with bed empty, pick up bulky stuff, transport it to somewhere else, travel home with bed empty.  So if I was going to do anything to make the truck bed more aerodynamic, it had to be something I could remove completely within seconds while in the field, store it out of the way on the truck, and then deploy it again just as quickly for the trip home.
My solution was to take a standard, commercially available roll-up vinyl tonneau cover, and mount it on triangular plywood sheets.  When I need to access the bed, I just roll it up.  If the bed is empty (or carrying little enough) I roll it down, and the built-in rails keep it locked down.  While not the ideal angle, it still lets the air coming off the roof travel down to the tailgate level more gradually.

Vinyl tonneau with metal stabilizers on metal rails attached to plywood sides.
I already owned the tonneau (originally cost about $180), and used some old plywood and bolts I had lying around, for an additional cost of $0
My overall average mileage (on an already heavily modded truck) increased from 26mpg to 28, and test-run highway mileage from 28mpg to 30.
A lower improvement than many of the other designs – no doubt due to not starting at the top of the roofline – but an improvement none the less, and not too far behind most of the other numbers when reporting an actual before and after (as opposed to comparing with the EPA numbers – after all, the expected mileage for my truck is around 15mpg)

There are surely more that I have missed.  Hopefully there will be plenty more to come.
Its always best to buy the smallest vehicle that will fit your daily needs, (and rent a truck if you only need one every now and then).

But for those few people who legitimately do need a big truck, there is no reason to resign yourself to terrible fuel mileage.  If ecomodders can get hybrid like mileage out of ordinary cars, we should be able to get at least ordinary-car-like mileage out of big trucks.
If you’ve been inspired to improve your own truck, post on the forum with your thoughts and questions.  There are a lot of helpful knowledgeable people who will be more than happy to give you any advice you may need to do a similar project of your own.

Update: Oct. 25, 2012 …
For even more examples of aerocaps in the EcoModder forum, see: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/comprehensive-list-aerodynamic-pickup-caps-aeroshells-ecomodder-elsewhere-23775.html

EcoModder presents another streamlined, high efficiency blast from the past.

Beneath these extensive modifications lies a 1960 Austin Healey “Bug Eye” Sprite.  It was built by EcoModder member Tom Shrimplin as a high-efficiency commuter to take him to work at the Institute for Environmental Research at Kansas State U in the 1970′s.

Tom explains, “I was driving 110 miles per day so I began modifying the Sprite and doubled its mileage over a period of years to a consistent 65 MPG (unheard of in those days).  This was a 1960 “Bug Eye” with an 850cc engine. It turned close to 3000 at 60 mph and gave 33 mpg on average, originally.”

Here’s the same Sprite in “33 mpg” form:

Mechanical modificiations were extensive:

• Engine: the original engine was replaced with a 1600cc engine from a Ford Pinto
• Engine modifications: the camshaft was retarded 2 notches (making a poor man’s Atkinson cycle); electronic ignition was substituted for the original system (in combination with a wider spark plug gap this permitted running a slightly leaner air/fuel ratio); adjustable on-the-fly carburetor from a Briggs & Stratton lawnmower; belt driven cooling fan removed.  Tom says it never overheated, even in summer.  He could run cabin heater fan if the coolant temperature started to climb.
• Tires: new for the time radial tires with lower rolling resistance

• Transmission(s):  a big portion of the mpg improvement came from adding a manual 3-speed Buick transmission inline (but reversed) with the Pinto 4-speed manual, providing 12 forward gears and up to a 2.5 overdrive.  The engine ticked over at just 1100 rpm @ 55 MPH (Nixon speed limit days). Excellent for economy, but requiring more from the driver: “a slight incline required downshifting.”

Here’s the car part-way through its transformation:

Of course, the most obvious mods were of the aerodynamic variety.

Tom checked all the important boxes:

• Frontal area reduction courtesy of a raked windshield
• “Boat-tailing” at the rear
• Re-sizing the cooling opening to suit the reduced engine load
• A set of four fender skirts
• Smooth(ish) hubcaps.

Tom doesn’t apologize for the function-over-form aesthetics: “It was made of junk yard body pieces, pop rivets and bondo.” He painted it bright yellow for safety, because somehow drivers failed to notice the low-slung car streamliner on the road.

Ultimately (after 250,000 miles), the modified car was taken off the road & dismantled. A student got the chassis in exchange for destroying the body. He had a Midget and could use the parts.

Today at 87 years old, Tom is still ecomodding.

A few months ago he added a short aerodynamic extension to his recently acquired 2000 Honda Insight that improved its fuel economy by 5% on a familiar route.  He says he prefers driving the Insight to the old Sprite.

For more information and discussion about Tom’s projects, check out the forum thread on his AeroSprite, or the thread about his Honda Insight.