Archives




View Full Version : 99 Accord Rear Wheel Well Covers (skirts)


antrey
03-03-2008, 01:27 AM
I finally managed to install one rear wheel skirt on my '99 Accord. The concept had been running around in my mind for some time and I had started construction of some of the mounting brackets but it took me over a month to finally get mobilized. The end product came to fruition in several steps:
1. Taking measurements at the wheel well to determine what my boundary conditions/mounting options were.
2. Drawing a concept that including 2 screws on each mounting bracket, a screw for angle adjustment and one for mounting.
3. Cutting out paper models of the mounting brackets to trace onto sheet metal
4. Tweaking the sheet metal brackets for the realities of bending metal versus folding paper
5. Gluing the brackets to the wheel well edge using black RTV silicone sealant
6. Cutting out a cardboard version of the cover to trace onto the choroplast and adjust the angle of the mounting brackets.
7. Attaching the choroplast cover with hex head sheet metal screws and rubber coated washers.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Paper_Templates_01.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Paper_Templates_02.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Metal_Brackets_01.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Brackets_Installed.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Cardboard_Prototype.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Rear_Wheel_Well_Covers_01.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/Rear_Wheel_Well_Covers_02.JPG

Daox
03-03-2008, 09:38 AM
Looks pretty good.

kwj
03-03-2008, 12:15 PM
Antrey, that is just too cool. Super job, and thanks for sharing. You make it look simple. Keep us posted with the mpg increase that your crafty engineering brings about.

AbACUZ
05-15-2008, 08:38 PM
Hey , take your hubcap and paste it to the skirt, most people will not even notice you have the skirt in there and wonder how you rolling and the wheels not spinning, , or get spinner hubcaps, that me M4D TigT Y0! ,

and the foil on the wheels, thats even dopper!! ( was there no way to do the same and make it look a little better ? clear tape or something )

just kidding,, the best aplication of a skirt I have seen on this site !
only recomendation . paint the screws black ... Now! hehehe :D

kwj
05-15-2008, 09:33 PM
Yeh, this time I agree with AbACUZ, paint the screws.

How has your mod worked for you? Notice any increase in MPG or better stability?

antrey
05-15-2008, 11:44 PM
Hey , take your hubcap and paste it to the skirt, most people will not even notice you have the skirt in there and wonder how you rolling and the wheels not spinning, , or get spinner hubcaps, that me M4D TigT Y0! ,

and the foil on the wheels, thats even dopper!! ( was there no way to do the same and make it look a little better ? clear tape or something )

just kidding,, the best aplication of a skirt I have seen on this site !
only recomendation . paint the screws black ... Now! hehehe :D

Dam*! You have a 9-2x Aero! I really miss mine. I modded mine to 285Hp at Stage 1.5 or so. I used black duct tape to cover the screws and also to tape along the edge for a better seal. It doesn't look as good with the tape but at this point I care more about how it works than how it looks.

antrey
05-15-2008, 11:47 PM
Yeh, this time I agree with AbACUZ, paint the screws.

How has your mod worked for you? Notice any increase in MPG or better stability?

The mod helped push my tanks past 40mpg. I'll have to repeat a run along a known route to get a measure of the improvement...and I still haven't installed the cover on the other side. The run won't be carried out until both covers are installed. It's on my to do list for this weekend.:o

bomber991
05-15-2008, 11:50 PM
I wonder if the foil on the wheels wont work so well since it moves so much with the wind forces. Seems like you'd need something a little more solid than foil.

antrey
05-16-2008, 01:17 PM
I've thought of that as well. The pieces are pretty small though so they don't flap much. I've thought of coating them with some kind of epoxy resin to make the pieces stiff or silicone pieces of choroplast in place instead.

lyekka
06-07-2008, 08:33 AM
Nice job!

I wonder if the foil on the wheels wont work so well since it moves so much with the wind forces. Seems like you'd need something a little more solid than foil.

They have dust covers available that may work, they may need to have a ring added to the perimeter:

http://www.brakedustcover.com/honda~accord~kwheels.html

I had an issue with a Datsun 280ZX and these. They restrict air flow to the brakes and cause heat issues with heavy use. I actually lost the brakes completly due to heat / fluid boiling. Should not be an issue with hypemiling. :)

paulo
07-05-2008, 09:23 PM
Alright, already! I'm dying to know what sort of mpg improvement you've obtained by covering both of your rear wheel wells! I'm trying to find some coroplast locally so I can do my rear wheel wells!

kwj
07-06-2008, 02:33 AM
Basjoos says a lot of coroplast will show up on people's lawns around October this year. Just go to your favorite candidate and tell them you need a couple of lawn signs, and that you won't paint them until after the elections.

My rear wheel openings are not going to be easy to cover. The body curves inward so much that I'll have to make them stick way out at the bottom. Still interested though, and also with some underbody panels that I'm sure would work better than the duct tape I have there now.

basjoos
07-06-2008, 11:45 AM
I used 1"x1/4" aluminum bar to produce the flair at the bottom of the wheel well cover to provide clearance where the tires protrude from the side of the car. Bend the bar into the shape required and then use screws or pop rivets to attach the coroplast or aluminum sheet to the bar.

Also some people have found that just covering the rear wheel wells didn't improve the mileage. They also had to cover up that "parachute" under the car formed by the exposed interior of the rear bumper. With some cars, the wind caught by the rear bumper "parachute" gets funnelled out through the rear wheel wells, so if you just cover the wheel well, then that wind gets diverted elsewhere, creating just as much drag. When doing aero mods, you have to be aware of how the various mods can sometimes interact with each other.

kwj
07-06-2008, 01:39 PM
If you look at the Aveo, the "parachute" exhausts nowhere. It's either a body pan or cut a diffuser in the rear bumper.

psyshack
07-13-2008, 08:24 PM
I need to put a rear pan on my Mazda. Im just lazy.... Its a hugh drag.



Copyright 2006 Clean MPG, LLC. All Rights Reserved.