toxshox

Those that don't know me, I am from Portland, OR and I drive an '06 xA. I have been working on getting my mpg up from the stock rating of 27 city/ 34 hwy. Currently I am at 42 city/ 38 hwy. I increased my fuel mileage that far by using a Scangauge II to accurately measure fuel usage among other things. I added frame braces to the front and rear to stiffen the chassis so I can take turns at higher speeds therefor decreasing the amount of fuel used to accelerate after the turn. I replaced the crappy stock Potenza RE92's with Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires that are slated to be on the new Chevy Volt and pumped them up to 42 psi.

So far using those few mods and retraining my brain on when to shift and my foot to stay steady I've increased my mileage quite a bit above the EPA estimate.

I am on a quest to get to the ever evasive 50mpg mark. Wish me luck.

usc_ty

Good Luck!

toxshox

Thanks usc_ty!

I've been working on a few improvements today and I am ready to show you guys.

The front grills are way too big for our needs and if you don't have the fog light option then you have some fairly ugly and un-aerodynamic blanks in their place.


Both of these issues were glaring problems so I took care of them.


With a little inspiration from the work that Neil Blanchard has been doing to his xA on the Ecomodder forums http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mods-2969.html, I also got hold of some 5/16in automotive/marine quality rubber weather-seal and filled in the body panel gaps around the headlights and under the front of the hood. I used Black Gorilla tape to cover over the vents. The only opening I have for the radiator is just to the right of the license plate. I took a look and the left side(passenger) of our radiator is blocked on the rear so it doesn't even do anything on that side.

With my improvements I achieved 47.2mpg hwy and 55.0mpg hwy on the trip back. Keep in mind these were not very scientific results, just preliminary. Wind noise was much lower and I got an overall avg today of 44.4mpg with hwy, in-town driving and several stops.

I have determined a few other areas that need to be cleaned up aerodynamically. The rear bumper is essentially a parachute and wheel gap is creating a huge aero issue on the side of the car.





I am researching the best way to go about doing a underbody pan and cleaning up the aero on the side of the car. The obvious things to fix are the side mirrors and the wheel gap.

I was looking online at the Moon Eyes racing hubcaps to help clean up the wheel turbulance and found them to be out of my price range.

http://www.mooneyesusa.com/moon-disc...rom-p-474.html
I found a guy locally that will sell them to me for $25 each brand new and he even let me try one on my car to see if I like them.


With the testing today I noticed that my Scangauge was reporting a little higher intake temperature probably due to blocking off the grill quite a bit. Also the coolant temp was up on average 20 degrees higher than normal. (204 vs. 184) The fan ran a lot more often when I came to stops in traffic but I never saw the temp go over 204 so that is good. The temp today was 65F and overcast. I'm sure I will need to remove some tape if it gets warmer out.

-Landon

toxshox

I got to do a little testing in town today and my numbers were not inspiring. Traffic was bad and I kept hitting lights so I'd switch off my car and then the Scangauge would turn off and then have to start back up when I restarted the engine. Note to self, make and install an engine kill switch to save wear on the ignition switch and so the Scangauge will record properly.

Here are some pics of the weather seal around the headlamps.

Note, I had to remove the front bumper to install the weather seal on the bottom of the headlamps. There is a hidden screw attaching the bumper cover to the front quarter panels located under the plastic panel in the tire well.




I need to fix a missed spot yet. I am thinking about doing seals up the edges of the hood toward the windshield.

toxshox

Moving on to another mod I did today. I decided to investigate the intake system and find out if I can modify it to become a warm air intake with few if any new parts. The goal is to get warmer air into the engine and reduce the amount of restrictions allow the way for fuel efficiency reasons.

I found that there is a very inefficient looking plastic hose leading from the bottom of the air filter box to just behind the headlamp. My initial idea was to remove the hose to see if I had any gains and then perhaps modify the hose to draw from the radiator.

First up: Intake hose location & removal







Here is the hose. Those accordion style bends are not very bendy so why did they bother? All they seem to do is cause more intake turbulence which is the opposite of what I thought you wanted.


I'm not sure what this hole is for. First I thought it was for draining water, but it is an odd shape for just draining water and why would it need a drain at the top of the intake behind a headlamp? Then I thought perhaps it is for quieting the sound of the intake, but that was proven wrong when I test drove it. Removing this piece didn't make any difference in engine noise.


There is now quite a bit of extra room to work in the engine bay. I like simple looking engine bays myself.
Now as you can see the air is coming from behind the radiator fan and straight into the bottom of the air filter box without restrictions.


Anywho, more testing to follow when I get a chance. Have to head up to Seattle area for a family reunion in the morning, but I believe my wife wants to drive her new car since she hasn't been able to get it out on the road yet. My car is "old and ugly" according to the OWMBO. I think she is on crack...lol

toxshox

Forgot to mention. I am not afraid of water in my intake because the filter is between the bottom part and top part of the air filter box and the top part is the outlet to the engine. Any water that enters would have to defy gravity after entering and pass through the paper filter and then rise a few more inches up into the intake hose and get past the throttle body before it even gets to the engine. I don't think our little engines have enough suck to pull that off unless I drive it into a lake.

toxshox

I may get a K&N filter to free up some airflow on the cheap, but the Blitz SUS intake system looks to be a good "warm air" intake as well. It draws from a higher point right above the engine next to the battery where hot air from the radiator would get trapped and heated further by the close proximity to the engine block. Only problem is it is $219 and I don't have a job. Thinking the K&N panel filter will have to do. Anyone have one for sale?

This guy has some good pics of it installed:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=184028

RevolutionAutomotive

iTrader: (1)

Another good warm air.. If you can find one..Is the Perrin intake. It takes air from right above the intake manifold... What I've done is used a TRD or AEM cold air intake and mount the filter to the first pipe, and not bother installing the long tube down to the wheel well area. Sometimes you can find them used pretty cheap. Or just make one..

You can see the filter right next to the engine in this picture

RevolutionAutomotive

iTrader: (1)

Here is a guy on clubxb selling his.. $60.00 and it works even though its for an xB. http://www.clubxb.com/forums/f66/fs-...gen-36705.html

harshalsk

Well I am trying to follow footsteps (rather tire marks) of toxshox and on the bandwagon of Hypermiling.

I own a black 2006 Scion xA (auto) with 50K miles on it. I recently bought this vehicle and started adopting hypermiling techniques. I drive almost 30 miles one way to work (60 miles total) which has almost 90% of highway miles. Dallas highways are sloways but during off-peak hours I can drive with 60+ mph on it.

Today I have gone ahead and made some of the front grill blocking mods same as toxshox. Since my car is black, the black gorilla tape just blended in very well. Here are some pics.






I have gone ahead and used the tape on the gaps between the headlights and body. Still the upper gap is not filled and I will need to use the technique used by toxshox.

I also want to summarize the driving techniques I am using:
1. Engine-On coasting in neutral only when I am arriving to a light or stop light. (This will save my Auto transmission from having issues.)

2. Driving with 55 mph on highways. (It is very easy in Dallas he he!) I do get lot of looks and fingers from Pickup truck drivers but who cares
I am going to have a bumper sticker which says "Research Vehicle, Please pass" to save myself from gun carrying gentlemen.

3. Using the gas from top tier gas locations like Chevron, QickTrip or even Sams (supplied by chevron in my area)

My next mods will be to add a frame brace, struts bar and get a scan gauge II and get moon eyer hubcaps.

Hopefully down the line I will get good tires. But since I want money for above stuff I will leave with sucky Firestone FR971 tires.

Wish me luck!

harshalsk

Well here is a collection of all the pics. I could not insert them properly but clicking on those pictures pops up the larger one.

Click Here

I also have taken some of the picture of rear bumper which servers more as a parachute when it comes to aerodynamics. I am looking at some aluminium sheething to do the under body cover.

toxshox

Oh I like that design too. Hmm... $60 is a great deal but I only earn that each week right now and am saving for the hubcaps. I think I can make one after looking at those designs. I'm going to look for some inexpensive materials and do my best and if all else fails I'll have to look for a used one. Thanks for bringing that one to my attention though. The only issue I can see with doing a custom job is getting the MAP sensor to be happy.

toxshox

And I too am standing on the shoulders of other giants.

I looked at all of your pics. It looks good and the gorilla tape does indeed look like it matches well. I cleaned up the corners and what not by *VERY* carefully using a x-acto knife so as not to cut into the paint.

Have you seen any gains after your grill and gap mods? Keep an eye on your coolant temp on warm days. We have seen 65 to 75 degrees here with no issue but I don't know how it will fair in 80+.

I think you are correct that you won't see any damage by coasting to a stop in neutral as long as you don't switch back to drive while revving the engine. I don't think you will see damage if you switch back to drive at low speeds as long as you don't give it gas until it is engaged.

I too ordered a sticker from that company you posted about. I think I worded mine the same. "Research Vehicle, please pass with care" or something like that.

The biggest gain as far as bracing is probably in the rear frame then the front frame. The strut tower bar had very low perceivable gains for me in comparison. A rear sway bar will give large gains as well. I have yet to purchase one, but I have my eye on the Progress sway bar. The front sway bar is not necessary and some people remove the stock one for better handling on the track.

I'm anxiously waiting until I have the money to get the hubcaps and see what kind of gains I get.

Good luck on your mods!

harshalsk

Thank you toxshox

I will sure look for Tanabe bace and possibly rear sway bar. Also on eBay you can buy the mooneyes set of 4 for $80. shipped.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/15-ST...Q5fAccessories

I have not driven my car at all after I have done my grill and gap mods. Tomorrow when I will ride to work it will be real test. Also Tempratures in Dallas are above 100F whole this month. It will be a real test and I will have to look for the coolant temprature while coming back from work at 6PM. I do not have scangauge so I am really at the mercy of coolant temp light and sounds coming out of my car

I certainly did not take a lot of efforts on smoothing the corners anticipating I might need to get rid of some tape if overheating happens.

I have also seen some of the Neil Blanchard's mods and he has done a great job.

For kicks I searched Scion xA on photobucket and found some real interesting photos including Neil's. Here is the one with modified front headlights and gaps filled.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...ays/xahL1d.jpg Interesting stuff.

harshalsk

[QUOTE]@toxshox: Have you seen any gains after your grill and gap mods? Keep an eye on your coolant temp on warm days. We have seen 65 to 75 degrees here with no issue but I don't know how it will fair in 80+.[QUOTE]

Oh well! Today morning I drove to work and noticed radiator fan was running hot. It took almost 5 minutes for the fan to slow down after I turned off the car. And yes my AC was on all time.

I took out some more tape from the bottom grill so it will be open for at least 50%. Today is the hottest day in Dallas and temperatures will top 110F.
In the morning it was around 87 degrees so not much of the issue. But while going back home 6PM it will be scorching hot and it will be interesting to see the effect of heat. May be in the Summer I should leave the bottom central grill as is. In winter I may be able use that mod. I will leave the fog light cubbies taped and will not touch them.

I did feel less drag though and much smoother ride. Will keep the juggle on with trial and error.

harshalsk

Well it seems my car did survived the extreme Dallas heat today. It was 110+ while driving back home and did not see the coolant light show up the heat.

I did leave only one tape 2" on the bottom grill and I believe I will apply those back later in the fall.

I also found on eBay some more cheap moon caps

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-NEW...#ht_3718wt_951

Check the store of the ebay seller. I will probably go for it.

xA-llent

Awesome documentation and ideas!
I have a few questions about some of the things you're doing.
You are looking to get those hubcaps, but wouldn't it be better to get lighter alloys to decrease the weight?
Have you considered lowering the car? It'll decrease the wheel gaps and being generally lower improves aerodynamics.
Decreasing overall weight may help a tad as well, like removing the spare.
About that plastic air intake pipe: The accordion parts, I believe, are to decrease noise. I recall an old thread here about performance questions and whether it is better to keep it on or to remove it. I don't think that any real advantages were seen with it off. I'm sure that someone that took the time to work on an efficient way of doing this could come up with something better than stock.
I'm interested in that underbody pan. That could really help, I think.
Could you test your performance after each mod so we can see which mods are most effective?

harshalsk

xA-llent,

Thank you for your input. Yes getting lighter alloys like toxshox mentioned (SSR C-Type 9.9 lb each) would really help. But issue is if you cash strapped in this economy then going with moon caps is good choice. Cheapest Steel moonies can be found on eBay for $65 for a set of 4

Also reducing weight is a good idea especially taking out the spare and other junk.

I also cannot afford Scangauge II right now. Hence I have decided to go with ELM327 bluetooth OBD2 device for about $26 dollars and use my Nokia E71 to do exactly what ScanGauge can do. To think of I have a old Win Mobile Phone lying around somewhere which I may be able to use. It is not dead yet.

I use Automatic transmission xA so I will always be lower in MPGs compared to toxshox's manual transmission xA.

I am still debating the expense of frame braces and hence I will go with all the above small mods and see if I need real good handling abilities or not

Underbody pan can really make a huge difference. I still have to take measurements under the car and then I will head to Norton Metals in my area to get an aluminum sheet. Will see. This will take a couple of weeks for me any way.

Any thing else you have done on your xA?

thanks

toxshox

Sounds like your getting to know your car and what it will do in your weather situation.

I ran today with the intake hose that leads to the fender removed. It was about 90F the engine temp topped out at 204F which is exactly 20 degrees higher than without tape on the grills. The intake temp when from my normal, which is only a couple degrees warmer than ambient temp with the intake hose, to 150F today. So I gained at least 60 degrees on the intake temp. I didn't notice much of a loss in power except at take off from idle. The engine load was much higher than normal so I know I was using more of the full potential of the fuel which I believe should translate to higher mpg in the long run. I ran with the A/C on most of the day because it was hot but with the A/C off I was recording 50+ mpg in town. I couldn't get an exact number because I was trying to get to my mom's wedding.

Did you remove that hose yet?

toxshox

First off, welcome xA-llent to the discussion. I hope others will chip in as well.

Yeah the only issue I have is the cash flow. For now I am going to stick with the stock steelies with the 15" smooth racing discs or moon eyes. They go by so many names nowdays.


Yeah, it is on my list. I really want to drop it with the Tein S-tech springs but again, money issue. Hopefully I will have enough saved up by October to do it. Hubcaps are first and I am selling Plasma to get those...


That is a great point. I used to have my spare in the garage, but now I don't have a garage and my wife won't let me bring it in the apartment because the rubber smells. Do all women have terrible senses of smell. I personally like the smell of rubber and race fuel.

Great to know the accordian part is for silencing. I found that I may be able to get a lot better fuel mileage with that hose off because of the warmer less dense air flow forcing the engine to use less fuel to keep the mixture correct. I do loose a little power but I don't care.

I looked into aluminum sheeting today at Home Depot and they have rolls of 20" wide strips for $20 or so. I think one roll might work for the xA. I'm not sure how soon I will be able to do an underbody pan because I am not allowed to do ANY maintenance at my complex. I can't even change an air filter without getting in trouble.

I would do more scientific testing but a guy on ecomodder.com has already done most of the work for us with his xA. I'm basically trying it for myself and relaying the info on this forum. I like to learn from others mistakes rather than waste money on ideas that haven't been proven.

Neil Blanchard is the guy on ecomodder and the link to his thread is here.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mods-2969.html

-Landon