Ordered Airtabs today!

[jeffreymccoy]

one things that i find puzleing is some people place them in FRONT of wheelwells.
while their overall results show an improvement i wonder what's the benefit of placing them there?

as to me it would seem like they would actually cause more air to enter the opening... wouldn't they be better placed BEHIND the wells? so that they reattacht the air that's messed up by the cavity ahead?

If the air is entering the front wells, the idea of placing these in front of them is that air will be directed around them, rather than into them. They would do nothing to help the well airflow if you put them behind the well. They dont cause the air to re-attach to anything, they cause air to be smoothed around an otherwise turbulent separation point.

I think I have basically created a virtual boat-tail with the way these are positioned around the cab and and bed of the truck... you think?

[jeffreymccoy]

the price is a ripoff.

You could duplicate them in sheet metal or plastic

To me it was worth the 2.50 each price. I put 80 of these on my truck. For me to create 80 identical pieces out of sheet metal or plastic would have been mind-numbingly tedious. I am not even sure that I could have done it. So for me, not a rip off at all, (in fact I thought they were very fairly priced)...and not something I could duplicate successfully in my opinion. I have to think that there is something specific to the curves and angles of the tabs, which is not something I could have perfected - certainly not 80 times in a row.

[Danronian]

This is some interesting results, but sadly, I agree that I don't like mods that affect the paint... I think it's because I always have the resale value of my car in mind, and every time you mod it, it just keeps going lower and lower.

Hopefully I can figure out a way to use these and spare my paint.

Great results with that f150! I'll be interested to see them keep working consistently.

[jeffreymccoy]

This is some interesting results, but sadly, I agree that I don't like mods that affect the paint... I think it's because I always have the resale value of my car in mind, and every time you mod it, it just keeps going lower and lower.

I agree completely with this point of view. I dont think they will damage the paint at all. I put them on and then relocated 2 of them the next day (the top front wheel well tab was became the bottom well tab). No issues with paint, it came off with some hard pulling, but then re-attached nicely to the new spot. I need to relocate some on the right side of the hood too, they are not lined up just right. Im more concerned about them resticking as strong than I am about the paint. I really dont think it will be a problem.

I make mods knowing that if it needs to be sold, they all come off and the truck is back to original state. I think that will be the case, even withthese tabs. Even if some glue is left behind, some goof-off (or other glue remover) will likely take care of any residue.

[thisisntjared]

nah, guys, most adhesives don't damage the paint. my buddy put a lip on the trunk of his audi and it was there for a couple months, then he moved it and the paint was still fine, so if he were to sell his s4 he could just pull it off with no issues.

its not like its gorilla glue or anything like that, or even scotch tape, most paint safe adhesives usually stay kinda gel-like.

i mean havent you guys ever taken off stickers from your car? even the most stubborn ones just require a little goo-gone and the paint underneath is in better shape than the surrounding paint.

[2000mc]

one example i've seen a few times of adhesive damaging paint is vent visors / wind deflectors for windows. i've only seen it on trucks that were 5+ yrs old that probly had them put on when they were new, something happens to one of em somewhere along the way, but the dealer i work for isnt going to be seeling something with a damaged vent visor, or 1 or 3 vent visors. so the remaining vent visors are removed. problem is, the clear coat is gone where the adhesive was at.

[jeffreymccoy]

finished the leg home this evening. 392 miles. I only achieved 23.1 mpg average on the way home. this includes 25 miles of city driving, but that's not a big deal. I think the big factors in todays mileage were the rain and temp differences. still 23.1 is my 2nd best tank avg.

on the way up my IAT was reading at 100 - 110. today it was 80 - 85. it rained the whole trip.

correct me if you think I'm wrong, but I think both of these had negative impact on FE because:
1. harder to push through water than air
2. harder for tired to roll on wet suface than dry surface - higher rolling resistance
3. lower iat means more dense oxygen input. requiring proportionatly more fuel to maintian programmed air/fuel ratio

this sound right to you guys?

[SVOboy]

Sounds about right!

[cfg83]

jeffreymccoy -

Originally Posted by jeffreymccoy

finished the leg home this evening. 392 miles. I only achieved 23.1 mpg average on the way home. this includes 25 miles of city driving, but that's not a big deal. I think the big factors in todays mileage were the rain and temp differences. still 23.1 is my 2nd best tank avg.

on the way up my IAT was reading at 100 - 110. today it was 80 - 85. it rained the whole trip.

correct me if you think I'm wrong, but I think both of these had negative impact on FE because:
1. harder to push through water than air
2. harder for tired to roll on wet suface than dry surface - higher rolling resistance
3. lower iat means more dense oxygen input. requiring proportionatly more fuel to maintian programmed air/fuel ratio

this sound right to you guys?

That sounds right to me. The IAT seems to be a big factor in the ScanGauge algorithm. Obviously in the rain, the air is a lot more humid.

When you were driving through the rain, did the raindrop pattern look different? The next time it's raining, you might want to have someone drive your truck while you watch it/film it from another car.

CarloSW2

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by theclencher

re: #3 but then ya just use less throttle to do yer speed.

Which increases resistance past the throttle plate,