UltArc

Hello all!

I am new to this forum, been on Mustang Evolution (ME) for two years. Mainly because they have a mobile application, but lots of good people there.

Ah, first off I should say I read the rules. I won't be referring to ME directly anymore, I just wanted people here to know this isn't my first forum, or first Mustang forum- it seems there are some familiar faces here. Also, I am very active on Ecomodder. Won't harp on it, but I do love the site. No affiliation other than active member. I should note, if people say things like "dooooode, hows do i getz MpGz!" Then I won't entertain it, and direct them to some pages there. It just helps me keep my sanity!

I started off with a base v6. Only option is the spoiler, stripes were deleted. Nothing against them if you have them, but it's one of those things that is often on for the people who just buy a Mustang because it matches their outfit or it was the first new car they walked past in a dealership. I am sure like people on other forums, if they do have stripes, they make it their own in other ways- because they like the stripes. Nothing wrong with that, just not for me.

So another thing...I was never a fan of the v6 front end. In April of 2012, when I was deciding between a black 12 and a gun metal 13, I thought- which do I like better, the 13 rear or the 12 front? Well, I decided this 5-life purchase should be- which do I dislike least, the 13 front or the 12 rear? Well, the front end on the 13 is just too much. The GT 12 front end is wicked to me. So I got the 12, and started planning my front fascia swap. Got it, was planning on this and that, well, me and Roush started talking.

Long story short, I made a friend. I now have the Roush front fascia, lower partial grille block, front splitter, fogs, cold air induction, axle backs and side skirts. They have done all of my installing other than my single piece drive shaft. I guess that leads into my mods.

Scanguage II-2012/06/18;
18" OEM 2013 Mustang GT wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires-2012/07/03;
Axle Back Exhaust, Front Fascia, Front Air Splitter, Side Splitters, Grille Block-2012/07/18;
Cold Air Induction, GT/CS Rear Valance-2012/10/05;
Air dam & Upper Grille Block-2012/10/18;
Antenna Delete-2013/01/06;
UltraGuage Install-2013/02/23;
Kill Switch Install-2013/03/17;
Premium Fuel Only-2013/04/13;
Lower grille block-2013/05/11;
Swapping Single Piece Air Dam for New Two Piece-2013/06/01;
Full Underbody-2013/06/05;
Single Piece Aluminum Driveshaft replacing two piece drive shaft. Front Passenger seat removed. - 2014/03/14;

I recently rebuilt my underbody, as it was severely damaged in an SCCA road rally through the appalachian mountains. This new design sucks. My connections were not strong enough, or my build is way too rigid. Either way my beater will be getting way more use until it is redone.

I guess I should hit the proof before I start talking about the pudding. Each year, there is a competition for fuel economy. It is the monitored Green Grand Prix. It is an SCCA event, consisting of the race around the Glen Watkins international Raceway, then the road rally. On the racetrack, we did 49.42 miles per gallon.

No, that is not a joke. That's how I went from an "internet troll" to respected. The nice thing about aerodynamics that many people don't understand, it the more easily you move through the air does two things. It uses less fuel to do a simple task, say 39 mph, and it makes one fight less through the air. AKA, you make more from the power you have. You get to use more of the power you gain. And when you're cruising at the speed limit with an officer behind you, you're saving fuel, too.

I don't get that daily. My tanks have been averaging around 42 the last few months, on the road. Yes, I still have fun, I still enjoy my Mustang- but when I see a red light- why not kill my engine? I can't get a speeding ticket, so when I'm doing 39 in a 35, what's the purpose of wasting fuel for no reason? I'd rather burn it at the track, or spend it on mods than burn it on my tank cruising.

Please note, there is no gimmick. There is no special product to buy, or a magical chip. Make your vehicle flow through the air better, and drive smart. That's it.

Anyway, glad to be joining another group, and look forward to learning and maybe sharing some knowledge. Going to post this now, and then find some images to post. With the vehicle under constant construction, it's hard to keep it up to date. Right now my other main project (other than the underbody in the works, and rear wheel covers in development for racing (they just can't be made to look good for 24/7 :/)) is purely looks (although it should reduce some engine load by using solely LEDs), which is 2013 tail lights.

UltArc

The safest way to park.

The way an underbody should look.

It's hard to keep my eyes off of her...

Gotta stick together.

The Stang in the corral, the rice in the sun.

The GGP was rough on us, but gave us some merit.

96t-bird

Welcome.

Carolina Man

Welcome, I have a couple of questions. What did you make the underbody of your car with? 2. Might want to start a thread and show what you did,how you did it, and proof.

vbstang13

Welcome also.

I'm with Carolina Man, show us what and how please. Very interested to see how what you did to the undercarriage of your car can make that huge of a difference in mpg; cause the rest of your car looks mostly stock.

Anything done under the hood?

UltArc

The original was polycarbonate- which I am actually going to be going back to. The current setup is aluminum sheet, which is the picture of my underbody...covered by an aluminum sheet. Whole build is listed on another forum over several pages. Haven't made build set ups on my website yet, just a comparison of how effective each modification has been. Proof can be found at the Green Grand Prix site, with my official results.

I showed the most recent image of the new design. And it is not the only factor. I went through my original post and bolded some missed points.

13V6coupe

So did you do each of these one at a time to see what each one individually did?

say the lower grill block

the underbody full pan

vbstang13

I didn't miss anything you listed, I just don't see it being possible with the things you did.

Unless you were cruising downhill,foot off the gas and in neutral. Then maybe,maybe you hit that mpg for about 3 seconds. I'm trying not to call BS but I guess I am.

BTW, your car is filthy...clean it. Less dirt on the car the less drag;therefore,better gas mileage. There I just gave you your next mod to list:washed car.You can list it right next to "Antenna Delete"

UltArc

Yepp, but I didn't take off the previous mods when I did a new one. Since they are all proven to be effective over and over again, I used year over year data to show the difference between comparable data from the past year.

I would do ABA testing for some serious things, or something controversial, but everything I've done works. For example, the antenna delete. Without a wind tunnel, I wouldn't be able to quantify the change- it's gotta be tiny, a fraction of a %. BUT, over the life of the car, and every single thing I can do adds up. On very sensitive high performing cars, the change from bulbs to LEDs shows a difference because of the engine load. Even running with headlights on vs off shows a measurable difference (FYI, I am not supporting headlights off when they are needed- but at noon on a sunny day, it's just a little extra engine load.

Say for example I had a tuner- I would do ABABA testing for it, to see the best info I could. Because someone claiming a difference, and the real world difference, can be opposite points. I would have done serious testing on the drive shaft, but for what the tune shop charges per hour, I am only doing the swap once.

UltArc

Wind tunnels have shown the dirt doesn't influence the air. And getting home from the GGP left it pretty dirty (noted it before the image, and that's the hose there, as I was actually starting to wash it and thought I should take a picture).

Since you don't believe me (or know much about how vehicles move through the air, or the influence of modifications like this), here is the awards list. Going to the GreenGrandPrix.com, and clicking awards, or doing a Google search would show you, but I'll make it extra easy.

http://www.greengrandprix.com/2014_awards.pdf

Here's the complete rally sheet. We basically hobbled along after the underbody center support beam was ripped off. 80+ down hills through the appalachian mountains is a bit more than it was designed for. Next year, the design will be completely stable through it, OR we're just going to power through.