by "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
Published 04/17/2017 at 00:02
by "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
Published 04/17/2017 at 00:02
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So I’m sure all of us have seen the claims by spring manufactures that lowered cars get better gas mileage, because of reduced drag. Does this hold up in the real world? I’m sure there’s tons of Oppos who have put lowering springs on; have any of you noticed any positive mileage gains afterwards?
"MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
04/17/2017 at 00:07, STARS: 3
swagger per mile is def up!
i suspect that if you did a lot of highway driving there MIGHT be a dofference, but I suspect aero on most driving would have negligible differene
"CRider" (crider)
04/17/2017 at 00:15, STARS: 4
A set of springs costs far more than you’ll ever save on gas using them.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
04/17/2017 at 00:16, STARS: 1
I lost some mpg with a lift...So there’s that
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
04/17/2017 at 00:17, STARS: 3
This is true, but if your doing it for the handling benefits it would just be icing on the cake :p
"XJDano" (xjdano)
04/17/2017 at 00:18, STARS: 6
I think a flat under belly would be an easier quicker solution.
http://jalopnik.com/5400254/under-body-aerodynamics-aint-just-for-looking-awesome
From the ecomoders at geometro.com or whatever that forum was, a quick and cheap grill block, air dam, wheel skirts, and seam tape would net pretty much instant results.
I blocked the grill, and added an air dam, I got 48.5 mpg as best.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
04/17/2017 at 00:18, STARS: 3
Its always highway miles for any performance increases that claim fuel efficiency increases. That includes sport suspensions, filters, turbos, tires, and so on. Highway is the cheat.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
04/17/2017 at 00:20, STARS: 2
Try flipping the springs upside down. It should lower gas mileage.
Oh yeah.... /s
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
04/17/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 0
lol true that, all though that does bring up the fact whatever type of car it is will make a huge difference. I’m sure lowering a truck would get more improvement than my Integra. My Integra might loose MPG if it was lowered, from the friction of scraping the subframe on rocks. I have enough low life problems at stock height :(
"InFierority Complex" (lanciere)
04/17/2017 at 00:23, STARS: 1
Too soon to tell I guess, but I put 1" lower springs in the front of the Lancia over the winter. It’s only been back on the road a month or so and I don’t think there’s been any change in MPG. Not that increased fuel economy was a reason why I did it anyways, though.
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
04/17/2017 at 00:33, STARS: 1
My Miata is lowere about 2.5in and i get better MPG now. But i did exhaust at the same time so thats really the reason why lol
"TFen" (tfen)
04/17/2017 at 01:05, STARS: 0
What’s with all those hashtags in the comments?
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
04/17/2017 at 01:09, STARS: 1
I worked with a guy who had a lowered F150 that got 2 or 3 mpg better than stock. It was dropped very low. It was a lower than this truck.
Compared to stock height.
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
04/17/2017 at 01:30, STARS: 1
Well, it should in theory. If you look at the MPG figures of the XV Crosstrek vs the Impreza, it loses a ton of mpg from that 3 inch lift.
I’d be willing to bet you see a noticeable difference from a 2 inch drop.
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 06:37, STARS: 0
Yes, of course it does. Science, bitches! But how much, that is the question. The answer will typically be “negligible”.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
04/17/2017 at 07:07, STARS: 0
It was the way they did it back then. Back in the olden days before kinja.
"Levitas" (levitas)
04/17/2017 at 08:21, STARS: 4
Aero engineer here: in short, yes, reducing the ride height will reduce drag and therefore increase fuel economy. As someone else suggested, a flat floor pan for the entire vehicle is also very good for reducing drag; however, be warned, with something like that (or if you include a small diffuser) you can upset the balance of the vehicle aerodynamically and it can become a handful to handle.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
04/17/2017 at 09:02, STARS: 1
I haven’t, but I have been wondering about this lately... I got some pretty good mileage last summer on a road trip that I haven’t been able to come close to since. In part that’s because it’s never had another run just like it, but I have had long runs with nobody but me in the truck rather the loaded vehicle I had then.
I’ve started to wonder if perhaps sitting a bit lower while heavily loaded had made a noticable difference despite the extra weight.
"just-a-scratch" (just-a-scratch)
04/17/2017 at 14:14, STARS: 2
Unless you’re running an undertray and/or skirts on a car, the effects of drag for a bit of lowering are probably small.
The frontal area of a car is changed very little by height adjustment, so without other aerodynamic devices, pressure drag (pressure integrated across front- pressure integrated across rear) is not likely to be much different. Frictional drag is really messy under the car, that could go down with less air passing underneath, but I have my doubts. However, I have no data to support this.
If anyone has data to back up this claim, I’ll be curious. HammerheadFistpunch says there was an MPG penalty with a lift. So there’s that.
"briannutter1" (briannutter1)
04/17/2017 at 18:28, STARS: 0
Yes.