Aeromod nissan leaf improved aerodynamics increased range

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DuncanCunningham said:
LeftieBiker said:
The slots in wheels are there not just for styling but also to help cool the rotors and calipers. It might or might not matter if there were no slots on a Leaf - it would depend on the climate and how hard the brakes were used.
I was wondering that since, they hardly get used compared to most cars, but it doesn't mean that the leaf doesn't need any kind of cooling of brakes.
This is like blocking the front grill. Does the Leaf need cooling there or not? Well it all depends on how and where you drive. I was making a weekly drive all summer that involved a total 10,000ft climb and drop in one day, so no I don't feel like blocking my grill would be a good idea. However, on the whole trip I hardly every use my brakes. So maybe pizza panning the rims would work just fine.
 
VitaminJ said:
Aeromods stage 2!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5wn-x3fFiY
Was this you who did this mod? If so, where did you get your shark fin antenna and what model was it?
I searched Amazon and saw hundreds of different Shark Fin antenna's and was wondering what one to get.
My OEM rod antenna broke in a car wash and have been limping by with a 3" screw, but it doesn't look so hot. Basically all new cars now come with a shark antenna so I was thinking that might be the way to go.
I'm assuming XM works OK with these shark fin antennas, and how does FM work? It still works with my 3" screw but it's not as good at getting some FM channels as well as I remember the OEM rod antenna.
 
DuncanCunningham said:
Im a subscriber and saw that one when you uploaded it. So do you think the wheels on the leaf having openings like they do are best covered up? I thought maybe they are like that for a reason other than to simply make them with less weight. I was going to get some corrugated plastic and cut them into circles and put them over my wheels and see if I notice a difference. Probably have to hold them on with zip ties.
Thanks for watching! Yes, I definitely want to do a back-to-back test with the moon disc wheel covers. I am genuinely curious to see what, if any, gains are there. That test should be easy to do. I should also probably test with and without my reverse mud guards as the wheel dam concept has a similar goal to smooth wheels; less turbulence around the wheels.

The underbody is pretty dang smooth on the Leaf, but there may be room for improvement with a little bit of coroplast.

Rear wheel arch covers I have a plan to make but I need to finalize the design. I have a halfway thought out kammback design but I keep running into fitment issues (trying to make it somewhat easily removable).

Today I drove to work and was at a pretty high efficiency of 4.9mi/kwh even though I had the heater on the entire drive and it was in the low 40s this morning. Usually, I don't get that type of efficiency unless it's in the 50s to 60s and I'm not using the heater at all.
 
IssacZachary said:
This is like blocking the front grill. Does the Leaf need cooling there or not? Well it all depends on how and where you drive. I was making a weekly drive all summer that involved a total 10,000ft climb and drop in one day, so no I don't feel like blocking my grill would be a good idea. However, on the whole trip I hardly every use my brakes. So maybe pizza panning the rims would work just fine.
You are 100% right, it's just a matter of what's needed for the conditions you're driving in. I think we all drive with very little brake use in our Leafs, also, so maximum cooling is not a big requirement.

NeilBlanchard said:
I tried those years ago, and they do not help, and seemed to harm efficiency somewhat.
Did you document your results at all? What type of vortex generator did you get? As I said in the video it's pretty much 100% theoretical and I have no good way to test except looking for extra dirt on my rear window. Placement in relation to the trailing edge of the car, size, pattern, etc all play a roll.

jjeff said:
Was this you who did this mod? If so, where did you get your shark fin antenna and what model was it?
I searched Amazon and saw hundreds of different Shark Fin antenna's and was wondering what one to get.
My OEM rod antenna broke in a car wash and have been limping by with a 3" screw, but it doesn't look so hot. Basically all new cars now come with a shark antenna so I was thinking that might be the way to go.
I'm assuming XM works OK with these shark fin antennas, and how does FM work? It still works with my 3" screw but it's not as good at getting some FM channels as well as I remember the OEM rod antenna.
Yes that's me :) I got the sharkfin off Amazon. I think I'm actually just going to remove it and leave the OEM antenna base all by itself with nothing screwed in. I pretty much only use Bluetooth audio anyway and the sharkfin is a) the wrong design for aero and b) larger frontal area than needed. I would offer to sell you my rubber ducky antenna but I am keeping all original parts for my Leaf so I can put to 100% stock to sell in the future.
 
VitaminJ said:
.
jjeff said:
Was this you who did this mod? If so, where did you get your shark fin antenna and what model was it?
I searched Amazon and saw hundreds of different Shark Fin antenna's and was wondering what one to get.
My OEM rod antenna broke in a car wash and have been limping by with a 3" screw, but it doesn't look so hot. Basically all new cars now come with a shark antenna so I was thinking that might be the way to go.
I'm assuming XM works OK with these shark fin antennas, and how does FM work? It still works with my 3" screw but it's not as good at getting some FM channels as well as I remember the OEM rod antenna.
Yes that's me :) I got the sharkfin off Amazon. I think I'm actually just going to remove it and leave the OEM antenna base all by itself with nothing screwed in. I pretty much only use Bluetooth audio anyway and the sharkfin is a) the wrong design for aero and b) larger frontal area than needed. I would offer to sell you my rubber ducky antenna but I am keeping all original parts for my Leaf so I can put to 100% stock to sell in the future.
What model/brand fin did you get? I seem them priced on Amazon anywhere from $7-$100+ but was thinking of a couple <$30. You may still get strong FM stations even without a screw, I did but basically no AM, I seem to remember I got XM too, when I had that service.
If your really not interested in your fin and you can get it off without breaking anything, I might be interested in it, I'd probably not be interested in another rod antenna, for both aero reasons and I'd rather not having something sticking that far up to get broke again.

https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-POSSBAY-Signal-Adhesive-Functional/dp/B071FG2BDV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513204896&sr=8-1&keywords=shark%2Bfin%2Bantenna%2Breplacement&th=1
This is one I was looking at, probably red(to match my car) only because the black is so much more, I mean $10+ more for black :x
I was also thinking of this one as it specifically mentions Leaf, although I'd think the other one might also work for a Leaf.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121KENXG/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2CJJ9SW0FITJL&colid=2FOFVDA67L13W&psc=1
 
Honestly I don't remember and don't want to bother looking it up, I bought it awhile ago. It wasn't the cheapest nor the most expensive.


It snowed last night and after the drive to work I took some pictures of the residual snow patterns left on the hatch. They are definitely generating vortices!

The left three are causing a vortex the opposite direction from the right two also which is interesting! I have no idea what this really means regarding drag or range but leave your comments if you have a theory.

Ycwj65j.jpg


fVjyNVV.jpg


nd0riWM.jpg


fTTHx2I.jpg
 
VitaminJ said:
NeilBlanchard said:
I tried those years ago, and they do not help, and seemed to harm efficiency somewhat.
Did you document your results at all? What type of vortex generator did you get? As I said in the video it's pretty much 100% theoretical and I have no good way to test except looking for extra dirt on my rear window. Placement in relation to the trailing edge of the car, size, pattern, etc all play a roll.

I was recording every fill up (it was a Scion xA) and my mileage dropped slightly (it dropped by about 3MPG), and I could feel that the car was no coasting as well. I had those exact ones, and I still have several. I took them off, and things got better.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-6.html#post53342
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-7.html#post54307

They won't let you have a clean rear window. That would take a full boattail. ;)
 
Thanks for the info. Did you place them in a similar fashion to how mine are? Distance from rear edge, horizontal spacing, etc? It's only been a couple days but today I had a lot better efficiency than I expected at 4.3mi/kwh even though it was low 20s, snow/wet roads, lots of heater and defroster use, etc. Usually I am 3.8 - 3.9. I will keep monitoring and trying to keep my driving consistent. One difference is the Scion xA has a more square blunt hatch compared to the Leaf.

Also, I said earlier that my rear window should become dirtier, the reason is because there should be a larger dead pocket of air now than before which would allow dust to settle on the windshield vs. being carried away. A kammback will move that dead pocket even further away so then the dust doesn't even come close to the window.
 
Cool picture! I think you placed those too far forward from the rear trailing edge for starters. Also you have too many and they are too close together from my research. Having them that close will cause the vortices to interfere with eachother and turn turbulent instead of growing the vortex. Lastly, you have staggered the vortex generators which is not recommended.

Based on the Airtab instructions the VGs should be placed as close as possible to the rear trailing edge and have a specific side spacing. Here's an excerpt from the instructions:

Airtabs™ are installed as close as possible to the rear (trailing) edges of the vehicle and with the wide
leading edge vertical. If the Airtabs must be moved forward to avoid rivet heads, obstacles, awning bars
etc., keep the wide ends of the Airtabs within 12-18 inches of the back for optimum performance.

Space Airtabs no closer than 4 inches
(10cm) on center. Increase spacing to avoid rivet heads, lights, grab bars etc. but do NOT decrease spacing as this will
decrease performance. Ensure that they are mounted in a straight vertical line. “Staggering” of the Airtabs to
accommodate body curvature is fine as long as the spacing remains consistent.

Airtabs™ can be spaced farther apart than the recommended 4 inches on center to avoid ribs, rivets, running lights, grab bars, back up lights etc. They should not be placed closer together because the adjacent vortices will interfere with each other and reduce performance. As much as we'd like to sell more, more in this case is not better, and 'shoulder to shoulder' mounting is counterproductive.

I could probably stand to move mine further rearward. In your case, I would recommend you try again if you still have the VGs and place them in a different pattern more inline with the instructions.

Lastly here is a test of vortex generators placed on a Honda Civic hatchback tested in a Lockheed Martin wind tunnel (spoiler: they work!)
http://www.airtab.com/Site/documents/HondaWTReportV6.pdf
 
No clue! For being the product of NASA and sold all over the world for decades there is surprisingly little documentation. Most of the photos on their website show the "shoulder to shoulder" mounting also.
 
VitaminJ said:
Cool picture! I think you placed those too far forward from the rear trailing edge for starters. Also you have too many and they are too close together from my research. Having them that close will cause the vortices to interfere with eachother and turn turbulent instead of growing the vortex. Lastly, you have staggered the vortex generators which is not recommended.

Based on the Airtab instructions the VGs should be placed as close as possible to the rear trailing edge and have a specific side spacing. Here's an excerpt from the instructions:

Airtabs™ are installed as close as possible to the rear (trailing) edges of the vehicle and with the wide
leading edge vertical. If the Airtabs must be moved forward to avoid rivet heads, obstacles, awning bars
etc., keep the wide ends of the Airtabs within 12-18 inches of the back for optimum performance.

Space Airtabs no closer than 4 inches
(10cm) on center. Increase spacing to avoid rivet heads, lights, grab bars etc. but do NOT decrease spacing as this will
decrease performance. Ensure that they are mounted in a straight vertical line. “Staggering” of the Airtabs to
accommodate body curvature is fine as long as the spacing remains consistent.

Airtabs™ can be spaced farther apart than the recommended 4 inches on center to avoid ribs, rivets, running lights, grab bars, back up lights etc. They should not be placed closer together because the adjacent vortices will interfere with each other and reduce performance. As much as we'd like to sell more, more in this case is not better, and 'shoulder to shoulder' mounting is counterproductive.

I could probably stand to move mine further rearward. In your case, I would recommend you try again if you still have the VGs and place them in a different pattern more inline with the instructions.

Lastly here is a test of vortex generators placed on a Honda Civic hatchback tested in a Lockheed Martin wind tunnel (spoiler: they work!)
http://www.airtab.com/Site/documents/HondaWTReportV6.pdf

They were much farther apart than 4", and they were less than 18" from the back. I did lots of mods to my xA, and most of them improved things. These did not.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
They were much farther apart than 4", and they were less than 18" from the back. I did lots of mods to my xA, and most of them improved things. These did not.
Well I don't think either one of us can come to such a firm conclusion as that :) From reading your old posts you attributed your loss in MPG to rain and carrying passengers. Your VGs are also clearly installed in a non-optimum way. I would say that my positive anecdotal experience should at least cancel out your negative anecdotal experience :mrgreen:
 
VitaminJ said:
NeilBlanchard said:
They were much farther apart than 4", and they were less than 18" from the back. I did lots of mods to my xA, and most of them improved things. These did not.
Well I don't think either one of us can come to such a firm conclusion as that :) From reading your old posts you attributed your loss in MPG to rain and carrying passengers. Your VGs are also clearly installed in a non-optimum way. I would say that my positive anecdotal experience should at least cancel out your negative anecdotal experience :mrgreen:

I have a record of every fillup for almost 10 years. And with all the aeromods I did (including side video mirrors for about 5 years), I averaged more the 50% above EPA Combined rating over that time. So, I have much more than an anecdotal account.

I don't think I had the VG's installed wrong, or sub-optimally. They are not doing things that are particularly helpful - and I don't think they can fix the drag at the back of a bluff body. A Kamm back or a boattail can fix this, though. I had a pretty large Kamm back, with wheel strakes at the end.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
I have a record of every fillup for almost 10 years. And with all the aeromods I did (including side video mirrors for about 5 years), I averaged more the 50% above EPA Combined rating over that time. So, I have much more than an anecdotal account.

I don't think I had the VG's installed wrong, or sub-optimally. They are not doing things that are particularly helpful - and I don't think they can fix the drag at the back of a bluff body. A Kamm back or a boattail can fix this, though. I had a pretty large Kamm back, with wheel strakes at the end.
Now you're just being stubborn :D

I have read your blog. I read it when I was still driving an ICE many years ago on ecomodder. Recently, I read the posts you wrote about your VGs. You only had them on your car for a short time and in that same time period, in your own words, was rainier than usual and you also were carrying passengers. Now if you have another blog post you want to point me to I'll gladly read that :lol:

Secondly, you clearly have not installed them correctly. Based on that your results are, in the nicest possible way, garbage.

Thirdly, VGs are most definitely intended for this type of use which is why they are marketed specifically for things like tractor trailers, horse trailers, box trailers, etc. They have also been scientifically tested by NASA and have proven to be worth several % in fuel savings.

Lastly, this morning we received some snow that was very light and dry. I was watching in my rear-view the snow coming off the roof, going abruptly down, and then swirling behind the car in a rotating mass. Doing exactly what they are supposed to do, keeping the flow attached further down the rear of the car and leaving a smaller wake. I'm going to try mounting my GoPro to watch it the next time we get snow.
 
no aerodynamics but saving fuel. i dont know if that has been postet yet: on a 2013+ leaf isolating the naked aluminium tubes that lead from the compressor of the heat pump at the bottom of the engine bay to the cabin interior at the fire wall can make the leaf feel more like fall than winter and decide earlier and more often to use the heat pump instead of the ptcs to heat and cut energy consumption a lot. ptcs are 1,5kW around and the heat pump is at 0,5kW consumption. this is an efficient 2US$ mod, especially when preheating the cabin. remember i did this first on my blue 2011 leaf in stuttgart/germany, which had the liquid heating system.
 
hornstudio said:
no aerodynamics but saving fuel. i dont know if that has been postet yet: on a 2013+ leaf isolating the naked aluminium tubes that lead from the compressor of the heat pump at the bottom of the engine bay to the cabin interior at the fire wall can make the leaf feel more like fall than winter and decide earlier and more often to use the heat pump instead of the ptcs to heat and cut energy consumption a lot. ptcs are 1,5kW around and the heat pump is at 0,5kW consumption. this is an efficient 2US$ mod, especially when preheating the cabin. remember i did this first on my blue 2011 leaf in stuttgart/germany, which had the liquid heating system.

If you can post photos and more detailed instructions I'll add this to my Tips & Tricks FAQ. Please post them in that topic.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=23297
 
Well, count me in with trying out a bunch of aeromods. I've just 'finished' (i.e.: good enough for now) my extender battery project, so just before I'm heading off for a short holiday 200mi over in Germany, I'm trying out some simple aeromods.

Today I did a 5-minute (really more like 15) grill block:

full.jpg


Just stuffed a piece of styrofoam in the hole and taped it down. It is that simple. It doesn't look half bad until you look at it really closely.

I'm also going to try and remove the antenna today, but I have no idea how that's fastened. Unfortunately we don't have a place to buy cheap 16" pizza trays, so no moonies for me yet.
 
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