Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 13:17:28 GMT 10
I am leaving next week for Eldorado,the other side of Wangaratta,to do a bit of panning for gold, for five days with my wife.And being a pensioner,I was wondering how do I save on fuel for the 400 kl.I need to travel,so I came up with the idea to make a fuel saver for the car,I went to my local sheet metal worker and have him make up a sheet of Gal 1.1. mtr by 1/2 a mtr.and got a roof rack off EBay,and set to work and building it. Below is the result and I am happy so far, just have find out how much fuel I will save for the round trip of 800 kl.     Regards Peter |
|
|
|
Post by kiwijim on Sept 18, 2009 15:14:20 GMT 10
G'day Peter, That Fuel saver looks pretty effective, I think you may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of fuel you will save, I have used a similar deflector on our car in the past with good results, especially good for deflecting the wind from big trucks roaring past in the opposite direction. Going Gold Panning "Ah", I hope we hear all about that on your return, ( with pic's of the mother load ) ;D ;D ;D that's the sort of thing the Cheese & Spice and myself like to do, also Metal detecting, although we haven't had any luck as yet. Have a great time , hope the weather holds for you. Cheers and Beers kiwijim  |
|
|
|
Post by bobt on Sept 18, 2009 20:19:58 GMT 10
Hi Peter Nice one. Yep it will make a difference.  Did you ever think of putting your car on LPG??? Bobt |
|
|
|
Post by mike on Sept 18, 2009 21:13:37 GMT 10
Greetings Peter, ;D ;D ;D I would be very interested in the results of any test of fuel savings of this deflector. Both kiwijim and Bobt have declared that it will make a difference..... as I'm sure it will: i just don't know how much!!  I was going to get a tinny (boat) and invert it on a roofrack for a similar fuel saving effect as other vanners had told me that the boat up top was a good fuel saver.  But a boat is heavier, and otherwise useless weight if you don't use it, ... as well as more expensive, I think. What would your deflector cost to have made up?   Have a good holiday!!! Cheers Mike ;D ;D ;D |
|
|
|
Post by kiwijim on Sept 19, 2009 21:03:00 GMT 10
G'day Peter, Thanks for the P.M., I will follow up on those sites very shortly........very interesting May the Gods of Gold Strike you lucky, ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D At over $1000.00 an oz one shovel full should see you right. All the best, kiwijim |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2009 8:27:07 GMT 10
 , On the subject of fuel savers, would a home designed and built roof boot do the job of reducing fuel consumption as well as providing extra luggage space in (or on) the car. Obviously this would be more suited to lighter luggage, suit cases, clothes etc, things like car fridges etc would still go in the boot or cargo area of a wagon. To my eyes this would give an even more aerodynamic effect than just a sheet metal fuel saver (not that I'm knocking these). Wagon roof boots would obviously hold more than a sedan one. Can any of our experts give an opinion on this idea? I reckon I could make one for a fair bit less than the $300 odd dollars I've seen them for in the car accessory shops. My reason for wanting to go down this track is I don't like anything unneccessary floating around inside the cabin of a car. Cheers, Ross. |
|
|
|
Post by boblor on Sept 23, 2009 10:07:22 GMT 10
Hi All
We have used a wind deflector for many years now, and find it assists in three areas. We are not effected by passing semi- trailers, the front of the van remaims insect free, our fuel comsumpion is 14.5 ltr/100 towing 1.5 tonne with our Gen.2 H6 Subaru Outback. One disadvantage, when travelling without the van on it creates a drag and therefore more fuel, but this is minimal travel generally.
Cheers boblor
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2009 16:00:23 GMT 10
Hi all, I don't know if it's all in my head but I reckon the Xtrail tows a little easier with the luggage pod on the roof also with the pod I usually get about 12.5 to 13 litres per 100km, last time we went away I left the pod at home and used 15 litres per 100km but it may not be a fair comparison as i usually go to the South Coast and this time we went to the North (it's a little more hilly). I do know one thing for sure and that is it keeps off some of the bugs!  Cheers, Chris |
|
|
|
Post by kiwijim on Sept 23, 2009 21:24:21 GMT 10
Hey Chris, Your Missis did a great job on the lawn, There's plenty of work for her, here in the West. ;D ;D ;D ;D kiwijim |
|
|
|
Post by atouchofglass on Sept 24, 2009 5:31:11 GMT 10
I've been following his thread with interest Along with the one on air conditioners The idea of using a deflector to save fuel is great and once I've settled on a tow car there will be something like this on it. Thanks for the ideas guys and keep them coming Atog |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2009 14:11:33 GMT 10
Well ATOG and other members, just let me give you one bit of advice on buying a luggage pod - DON"T BUY A CHEAP ONE!!! The one in the picture on the Xtrail is a Thule but befor this I had a cheap 'no name' one from Kmart (cost about $180) and the story goes a little along the lines of: luggage pod + WRX + overtaking = broken latch and clothing, pillows and even the kids tommy turtle potty being strewn across the highway  Get the picture, so anyway if you've stopped laughing, learn by my mistake and get a good one. PS - The Thule is speed rated to 140km/hour |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2009 20:20:17 GMT 10
If I build my own design it'll be rated at Mach 2 at sea level. Or roughly 2500 km/h ;D  Cheers, Ross. |
|
|
|
Post by bobt on Sept 25, 2009 20:11:21 GMT 10
Hi Guys Folks Use to have one of them....  It sure made a significant difference when trucks passed. Without it they use to blow the caravan off the road. It kept the bugs off most of the front of the van. As for fuel economy............well when ya travelled at warp speed you didn't get to drive past a service station ;D ;D ;D Speed Rating..................Censored.................... |
|
|
|
Post by greedy53 on Feb 19, 2012 19:25:28 GMT 10
i use to drive interstate trailer and mine had a roof wing one day it needed a few repairs so i left it home talk about differance just head way in a small wind i nearly got out to see why i was not moving they work
|
|
|
|
Post by Caprinut on Feb 20, 2012 22:28:30 GMT 10
Interesting discussion with more anecdotal evidence than factual. Look up Nosecone web site and Caravan & Motorhome did a series of tests to establish what would be effective. Apparently by putting a deflector on the roof you increase your frontal area which means you have to punch a bigger hole in the air thus increasing your consumption. Since most towing is done at a fairly modest speed the bow wave created swirls behind the deflector and creates turbulance and instability. Sort of the thing that Mythbusters tackled with utes and opening the windows and lowering the tailgate. It is kind of counter intuitive and thus seems illogical but aerodynamics is not a logical process. Hence golf balls have indentations. The conclusion of Caravan mag was that unless you have a gap of less than half a meter the streamlining effect is dissappated. I put a Nosecone on the front of my Capricorn, (see pics under Capricorn Vogue) mainly because the front was dead square but some vans have added one where they have a sloped front. Nosecone claims a 12% fuel saving plus far better stability with passing trucks. Caravan Mag did a before and after drive test with similar results. I like the benefit of a large compartment within which I mounted the spare wheel and all my cords and hoses. Hinge the thing at the top and it becomes a roof for a expanding washing line and sunshield, although I removed my front window to mount the spare wheel  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 23:34:22 GMT 10
, Putting a caravan on behind your car will make more of a difference to your fuel economy than a fuel saver or roof luggage pod will without a caravan on behind the car. I can see an advantage of fitting a nose cone with a roof pod, especially on a wagon. The roof pod can be designed to run the entire length of the wagon and if a nose cone is also fitted to the front of the van I can see an even greater advantage. Cheers, Ross.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 7, 2015 10:35:12 GMT 10
When we went down to tassie a few years back .... I built "The Black Turd" to carry extra luggage and crap in (towing was out of the question due to the costs of the ferry). I came up with this:  The turd sure did work well. It's just four universal cross braces with a home made pod made out of two Citroen DS aluminium bonnets I had seeya, Shane L. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2015 10:42:38 GMT 10
Now that's a good idea Shane and a good use of something that was probably just lying around corroding. Good work there mate. I'd have to build mine from plywood as I don't have any old bonnets just lying around.
Cheers,
Ross.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mustang on Sept 7, 2015 17:02:19 GMT 10
HMMM a sneeky little turbo on the Citroen, a bit of a sleeper?
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 7, 2015 17:51:26 GMT 10
HMMM a sneeky little turbo on the Citroen, a bit of a sleeper? My parents did a job exchange to the UK back in 1996. They bought back with them a Citroen 2cv for mum and the CX turbo was dads. I purchased it from him about 12years ago .... No it's not for sale .... ever They were never sold out here, it's a 1985 Citroen CX2500 GTi Turbo 1 Series II. I've retired her from tow duties a couple of years back and found an old Range Rover to take over the heavy work. The old rangie is a brilliant hunk of junk too seeya, Shane L. |
|
, On the subject of fuel savers, would a home designed and built roof boot do the job of reducing fuel consumption as well as providing extra luggage space in (or on) the car. Obviously this would be more suited to lighter luggage, suit cases, clothes etc, things like car fridges etc would still go in the boot or cargo area of a wagon. To my eyes this would give an even more aerodynamic effect than just a sheet metal fuel saver (not that I'm knocking these). Wagon roof boots would obviously hold more than a sedan one. Can any of our experts give an opinion on this idea? I reckon I could make one for a fair bit less than the $300 odd dollars I've seen them for in the car accessory shops. My reason for wanting to go down this track is I don't like anything unneccessary floating around inside the cabin of a car.
