I've read, with great interest, the threads on highway mileage (all agree that speed above 60 MPH is detrimental), how removing roof racks will offer minimal FE improvement, etc. I drive about 60% city, 40% highway.

Does anybody know of underbody aero kits for this vehicle, possibly out of PVC (inherently flame retardant)?

I realize that aerodynamics are dominated by frontal area, but I am unwilling to lower the vehicle.

Thanks in advance!

 

Check out MetroMpg.com. They've got a forum and have played around with using plastic sheet to smooth out the underside of vehicles.

 

I do no mods to any of my FEH's except a heater core bypass because Ford had the big bucks for all those test during the design and wind tunnel test. There is no need to remove the roof racks and there is no magic other than smart driving to improve your mileage the most. Understanding how the FEH works is the key to driving smart and concentration on those techniques will bring home the bacon. Learning city, highway, cold and hot weather MPG techniques will do more than anything I know.

GaryG

 

At some point in time you folks are going to wake up and discover you are driving a SUV.

You want quiet, and you want aerodynamics, .....you want.....

......a Prius. (okay, okay, a Fusion)

 

No way...at that point hopefully they will want the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that is beating the pants off the Prius and Camry Hybrid in tests.

 

Wayne Gerdes (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showt...199#post190199) is going to get the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid for a 24 hour review. I'm betting he will pull a 90mpg segment out of it. I think even the new 2010 Honda Insight will have a hard time being compared to the FFH for mileage and everything else.

Stay tuned for Wayne's review because it should be very interesting coming from a top Hypermiler.

The '09 FEH does not ride like an SUV and is very quiet. As far as a need for an underbody areo kit, look at how it's competing in the CleanMPG Member's Fuel Economy Run IV
This is a three month comparison of all types of vehicles (Gas, Hybrid, and Diesel) to see how much above EPA ratings they can achieve.

GaryG