Re: Air Damn-it

[PDQSHIP@aol.com]

In a message dated 95-11-07 11:14:30 EST, you write:

>
>I bought a front air dam (skirt, whatever) back in mid-September.  It took
me
>about a month to get it installed, the thing finally went on during a Penn
>State-Iowa game, about three weeks ago.  Since then, my gas mileage has
>dropped
>significantly, like from 23 to around 18 MPG.  Because of the cooler
weather,
>the turbo kicks in real hard, so I'm not keeping my foot into it as much as
I
>do in the summer, PLUS I don't have to run the A/C anymore, so you'd figure
>I'd
>be getting significantly better mileage, but the exact opposite is
happening.
> I'm guessing that since my mileage is suffering horribly, the performance
of
>the car is probably suffering also.  Before I rip that damn thing off my
car,
>does anyone know why a simple air dam is wrecking havoc like this?  It seems
>to
>me that the thing would actually enhace peformance and efficiency (at speed
>of
>course) but it doesn't seem that it has.  I haven't done anything else to
the
>car since the addition of that air dam, and I'm still filing up at the exact
>same gas station, so what gives???  Any ideas are greatly appreciated (Eric,
>I'm expecting a full lecture on how I need to get those books & learn
>aerodynamics :-)
>
>-- 

And Eric is in CA for a week, so you get a reprieve.......  If you are
referring to the skirt air dam, I can tell you my mileage actually increased
a mile per.......   Is the oxy-(moron)-fuel been put into the pumps in your
area?  I really think that you have some other cause, Mike........  The cold
weather could be affecting your low engine temps.....  Which could be causing
you to run rich........  Not convinced of that lower thermostat is such a
great thing in the colder temps..........   Most of the officianatos I have
talked to, indicate that the optimal operating temp for the car is right @
100C......  What this means is that you always want to be at 100C, at 101C
all cooling hell should break loose:  The fan should go to HI, the thermo
should be wide open, and the oil thermo should be wide open.......  The
prollum we have created is, that with the lower thermos, you are OK for the
summer, cuz the radiator needs to be wide open just to keep the engine close
to 100, but in the winter you start getting lower (as in much) temps, and the
rich thing can happen......  I am finding this with the wild and wooly one
off chip that is in my car......  It doesn't really run well until the temp
guage is at half mast.....  And in the colder climates that doesn't happen
often, sometimes not at all........


Scott