Chin Spolier - fast/easy/cheap/effective

[Racerbvd]

Cool idea!!! I might try it on my Suburban

[azasadny]

George,
You missed your calling, you should be an engineer!

[billyboy]

That looks like it was made just for that. Looks good. It's great that it doesn't interfere with the tow hooks either since you have a Chevy! I am going to see if it is adaptable to my F350. I drive a country highway about 25 miles everyday to work and I have found that by coasting the steep downhill part(still about 60 mph) and keeping my speed on the flat and uphill to less than 60, I can save a days worth of fuel in a weeks time..

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by masraum

Won't a torque converter "slip" some (unless it's a lock-up model) based on load. As far as I know, a torque converter's lock up is not based on anything rigidly mechanical like gears. It's based on fluid and viscosity and load, so if you take a 3000 stall torque converter and hook it up to a car with 150 lbft of torque and 3000#s and then to another with 600 lbft of torque and weighing 4000#s, the stall speed will be higher on the heavier higher hp/tq vehicle.

I don't know if that lip is enough to make a big enough difference in drag to make a 200 rpm difference at speed, but theoretically, it is possible.

Like I said, I did not take note of the rpm prior to installation, I forget that I have a tack most of the time (automatic). No going back now I like the chin spoiler too much. I'm not sure I understand how going faster and using more power/energy does not mean the engine will be forced to turn faster when in top gear. I'm sure that if I tried to go 100 mph that the engine would be working harder and the tack would go up, way up.

I spent all day yesterday doing city driving (many short trips), so this might throw off my first tank full. Even if I get what I usually do, it will be an improvement.

I had to go to a job site yesterday, traveled on terrible road in the woods. I'm just glad I didn't go any lower with the spoiler.

[kach22i]

UPDATE: 04/02/2009

Not a typical week, apples to oranges to compare to my normal driving routine. On Monday I had eight 2 to 6 mile in town runs. My normal daily drive is a 100 mile round trip on about 1/4 of a tank. I consumed that much fuel Monday at a fraction of the miles. Tuesday saw valet parking, they could not find my keys, it smelled like food and the seat was very warm when I got it back. I think the jerks used my truck to get lunch in, and I saw them drive a nice sporty Mercedes very lead footed while there.

I said before that if I got the same mileage this week, it would indicate an unknown amount of improvement. I was getting 18.5 mpg (mostly highway), got 19 mpg this time (mixed driving).

I will need another week/tankful to obtain better data, but I'm still hoping to get that 1.5 mpg increase without altering my already conservative driving style. I also need to complete the comparison before the switch to summer gas or some other variable enters the equation.

Will keep you all posted.

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by kach22i

I know you used garden edging but that doesn't mean you have to pack it with mud.

[kach22i]

So there I was well on my way to 20 mpg. At half a tank 20 mpg, at 3/4's of a tank still 20 mpg..........then the weekend came and a dozen short trips took me down to 19 mpg in the end. I think it's safe to say the chin spoiler has given me the 1.5 mpg increase I expected and 20 MPG highway. The chin spoiler however does nothing for under 45 mph stop and go city driving.

PHASE II:
I have a roll of black 4 inch vinyl cove base material which I may attach to the bottom of the chin spolier. I would install this parallel to the road surface, and zip tied perpendicular to the chin spolier. My intention would be to redirect any air tumbling downward, off to the sides. I've been looking at a lot of chin spoliers lately and think this could be good for another 1/2 MPG without lowering my obstacle clearance.

[Heel n Toe]

Seal up those grille openings with something... sheet lexan, maybe. You don't need tons of airflow to the radiator during a Michigan winter.

You could cut some 1/2" wide slits in it for when it warms up a little.

Or, don't even go to that much trouble... duct tape 'em shut.

Do you really need those tow hooks or whatever they are? Tie down hooks for shipping overseas? Get rid of 'em and seal those holes up too.

You'll be a 23 MPG before you know it. Just think what you can do with all that dough.

[kach22i]

PHASE II

This did not come off as easy or clean looking as PHASE-1, but it works for me.

Some of the securing screws could be seen and there was some uneveness, so covered it up with black silicone. I hated doing that, and the final look is not great, but it's not the end of the world either.

I was able to test it alone and determined it yields an extra 1/2 mpg, now at 20.6 mpg (was 17.6 at one time before any mods).

Material: Vinyl base with cove, it really needs a pressure bar of some sort and not the point to point system of self tapping stainless steel screws. However, this would take away from it's flexibility and impact survivability.

Photo Gallery
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x295/kach22i/S10%204x4%20Pick%20Up/?start=20



The cuts and holes did not help much, some ideas are not as well thought out as others. It's an experiment and a learning process.



xxx


I covered this up.

Not the best, but it gets by.

xxx

xxx

xxx

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

Seal up those grille openings with something... sheet lexan, maybe. You don't need tons of airflow to the radiator during a Michigan winter.

You could cut some 1/2" wide slits in it for when it warms up a little.

Or, don't even go to that much trouble... duct tape 'em shut.

Do you really need those tow hooks or whatever they are? Tie down hooks for shipping overseas? Get rid of 'em and seal those holes up too.

You'll be a 23 MPG before you know it. Just think what you can do with all that dough.

It's been on 3-1/2 years and I really should have replaced the chin spoiler in the fall because the plastic was cracking at the top and bottom seems. It's not from me hitting anything, it's from the plastic aging, plus cars/trucks backing into it while I'm parked on the street.

I tried "water resistant" Gaffer's tape as a temporary repair, wasted half a large roll only to find it invited more idiots backing into it, and a heavy rain proving that resistant does not equal water proof. I power washed off what was left after only a few days.

I went to Lowe's and found some 3M waterproof gutter tape for about $9.00 a roll, I used two rolls on a warm January day and spent another hour on installation.

I used left over lawn edge material and black silicone to block off some opening in the lower front valance.

I still need to test drive this new treatment, I back sealed a lot of joints which should work to my advantage..

I need to put air in my tires too, now that I look at the photos.

I hope this spoiler patch gets me to spring time. Then I'll try some heavy duty conveyor belt material from Tractor Supply. I will not be able to attach that material to the light weight plastic factory valance, and I think it would look ugly to do all the way up to the underside of the metal bumper.

I have a few months to think about, suggestions are welcomed.

S10 4x4 Pick Up Photos by kach22i | Photobucket








The latest scrapes on my bumper are from a a large extra cab pick up truck, a dirty contractor truck which tried to back into a parking spot but gave up. I saw them pulling away when I was about 75 feet away, they left dirt all over my front bumper, not to mention taking some paint off my truck.

The world is full of jerks.

My truck is all Disco now, wondering if I can paint over the aluminum tape?

[Geoz1]

Cool story bro......

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Cool work!

[ckelly78z]

I may try this on my 99 superduty diesel 4x4 F250, basically a 7100 lb brick on wheels, but I do average 19 MPG on trips unloaded. If I could get 1.5 mpg better, I would save $5 a week so well worth it over time.

[john70t]

I'd have thought allowing more airflow but smoothing it underneath the chassis (especially at bumpers) would work.
What about wheel well covers?

[kach22i]

UPDATE 12/09/2013
I got the truck ready for winter by repairing the front chin spoiler.

I actually kept the old one in place, reusing the tube like top structure of the lawn edging as the screw in point for attaching the 7" conveyor belt material.

It was a very simple installation, except for the costs for upgrading materials, $80 at Tractor supply for 7" x 15-feet of conveyor belt, lots of extra left over , which I'm sure I will use in a project one day.

S10 4x4 Pick Up Photos by kach22i | Photobucket





I silicone sealed up some joints, not sure if the stuff is ever going to dry, may have frozen while in storage in my basement. I'll just power wash it off if it does not cure.

I did a 80 mph test, the front spoiler concaved on me at the middle, needed additional support.



I attached aluminum channels to the ABS rock guard, and notched the channels with a grinder, and then bent into an arch and attached with bailing wire a steel wall standard (shelving type) to form the bow reinforcement.

Ready for winter.......................



Rock steady at 70 mph, it feels more like 55 mph. And 80 mph feels like 65 mph going by seat of the pants resistance feeling.

Peaked for a moment at 90 mph while passing a semi, felt like it was meant to cruise at that speed all day long. No more chin spoiler deflection at highway speeds, a beautiful thing.