• Welcome to Elio Owners! Join today, registration is easy!

    You can register using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account, just click here.

Fuel Consumption Cost Of Open Fenders

W. WIllie

Elio Addict
Joined
Nov 16, 2014
Messages
1,788
Reaction score
1,990
Location
Campo Ca.
Probably based on a percentage of 2% improvement with the aero fenders.
(from my experience in aero with the G1)
Hard to say exactly. Back to back runs in the "wind tunnel" would yield the answer as they are probably using the info obtained from a CAD system.
 

Coss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
11,100
Reaction score
16,396
Location
Battle Ground WA
I like the looks of the sport fenders but as you turn those exposed wheels it seems like the body would be exposed to spray and crap in anything but dry sunny weather and I live in Louisville Kentucky not Arizona.
Put a mud flap at the end of them, it doesn't have to be very big, but it does have to go down pretty far.
It's kind of like riding a bike in the rain that doesn't have a full fender, you end up with a skunk stripe on you; plus it always manages to go over your collar and down your back.
 

TEXAS FLASH

Elio Fan
Joined
Aug 27, 2016
Messages
8
Reaction score
17
Location
KNOXVILLE
New poster here. I really like the look of the open wheel fenders, but I wonder what the price to pay will be for the privilege, in terms of miles per gallon. It seems that the stock fenders would contribute significantly to the overall fuel efficiency, the open fenders less so.

Any ideas?
DON'T know what the answer, but on a Cessna, no wheel flairs will knock 7 mph off the top airspeed!
 

floydv

Elio Addict
Joined
Nov 29, 2015
Messages
1,195
Reaction score
2,672
Location
California
If you want the open wheel look but don't want to lose aerodynamic efficiency, have someone fabricate something like these for your wheels.

IMG_8353.JPG


Or these

IMG_8354.JPG
 

electroken

Elio Addict
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
335
Reaction score
789
Location
Shelton, Connecticut
Aerodynamic drag increases according to the square of velocity, so the detrimental effect of the open wheel covers will be 4X as apparent at 90 mph as it would be at 45 mph.

My 1984 Honda VF1100S could go 140 mph all day long in 6th gear. It could not reach 155 mph in 5th or 6th. That is where aerodynamic drag caught up with it (and me).
 

Jim H

Elio Addict
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Messages
3,787
Reaction score
8,581
Location
Vail, AZ
W
New poster here. I really like the look of the open wheel fenders, but I wonder what the price to pay will be for the privilege, in terms of miles per gallon. It seems that the stock fenders would contribute significantly to the overall fuel efficiency, the open fenders less so.

Any ideas?
Welcome from the sunny South West. Glad to have you join us in this journey
 

Ty

Elio Addict
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
6,324
Reaction score
14,759
Location
Papillion, NE
Put a mud flap at the end of them, it doesn't have to be very big, but it does have to go down pretty far.
It's kind of like riding a bike in the rain that doesn't have a full fender, you end up with a skunk stripe on you; plus it always manages to go over your collar and down your back.
(mental note to self - get a fender for my bicycle) Thanks for the reminder!
 
Top Bottom