Has anybody added to the front air dam on the 2009 FEH, to possibly improve highway mileage? I thought perhaps adding a flexible piece, perhaps another 2", may help. According to Ford, the front air dam was added to the 2009 to improve highway MPG. I just thought that adding more would help--I do not go off road, so ground clearance isn't an issue.

Please avoid MPG lectures about speed, frontal area, tires, etc.--got it. Don't need to hear it again. Just curious. Thanks.

 

Don't forget the little ones in front of the back tires.

You have an '09 and don't have one?

 

Good point! If you look at the 2010 X6 Active Hybrid you will see BMW also added the little air dams to the front of both the front and rear tires. That may be something to consider for the '08 and earlier Escapes because those front dampers are so small in the front and there is no rear tire damper. The front air damper on the '09 is much bigger and covers the front wheels much better than the '08 so the little dampers are not needed. The '09 Escapes with side steps don't need the rear tire dampers because the side steps direct the air like the rear tire dampers already.

I would not add any more dampers to the front of my '09 FEH for fear of making things worse than Ford's already attempt to improve air flow. I did move the roof cross bars together all the way to the rear of the rack to help air flow at the rear of my '09 FEH. If you watched Mythbusters auto air flow and MPG, the rear suction of the car is more of a concern than people would think. I've found this true when I wax my FEH I see a drop in MPG till it gets dirty again. Even at slower speeds I can see a drop in MPG and glide distance with a clean and waxed FEH. Never have I seen an improvement in MPG after washing and waxing my FEH and I think Mythbusters found the reason why. I think this may also be why the dimples on a golf ball improves distance in the air.

GaryG

 

Would the money spent to keep a vehicle clean and waxed offset the savings in gas? I find this a bit on extreme side.

 

I owned a 2008 fehl and now a 2009 fehl. Same options on both, the 09 DOES NOT get better mileage than the 08, even with the air dam.

Without getting into heated discussion, I don't think it will help your older Escape get better mileage.

 

Hi Bill

Sounds like you feel a little guilty about your purchase of a V6 AWD '09 Escape and posting on a hybrid forum, don't be. I stated nothing about saving money in my post or weather I pay to wash and wax my FEH. The topic is about aero mods to improve highway MPG in a FEH. My comments may also help you improve MPG in your gas version Escape AWD also.

I just spent $17,000 on a new Honda 150 4 stroke outboard motor, controls and advanced Honda digital MPG gauges on my boat to save gas. Believe me I don't like giving all my money to Big Oil. It's not always about saving money but it can be about waste. BP is sure wasting our livelihood and the food on our plates trying to sell us gas to make profits. Now that's what I call extreme!

GaryG

 

If you read it a little closer....Gary is saying you save the washing/waxing money and the gas money by getting better gas mileage due to less aerodynamic drag in the boundary layer with a dirty vehicle

[in the idealized golf ball sphere, laminar BL flow imparts more drag than turbulent BL flow, hence the dimples to trip the flow to turbulent sooner - the 'roughness' of the dirt is potentially the same as the dimples] [ however, too much turbulence in the wake area can then cause the suction in the rear that Gary spoke of]

 

A) There is no such thing as suction - but I understand you were trying to say "low pressure area"

B) Dang! GaryG's car must be a filthy mess right out of a Jeep commercial to actually create "dimples".

C) Regarding B), why not use a ball-peen hammer and not worry about the rain washing your "dimples" off?

 

OK, back on topic....

Many newer trucks ( can't call 'em 18 wheelers any more, many use 10 wide tires now, vs. 18 skinny ones, but I digress.... ) have an air scoop on the cab of the tractor, to divert air up and over the trailer.

About 4x a year I tow. I tow a trailer that is 9 feet tall, 7 feet wide.
I get 19 MPG at 55-60 MPH. Not worse than most pick-ups would get towing, but I'd like to improve that.

I'm wondering about putting an air scoop on the top of the FEH just when towing. What should the shape look like? A simple wedge? A "quarter pipe" like a skate board ramp? Other?

Ideas for materials to use? Needs to be very sturdy to take up to 100 MPH winds, and be light weight also. ( 60 MPH road speed + 40 MPH headwind )

 

It was a post from a FEH owner and GH member about 4WD that lead me here. My '09 FE was purchased 11/11/08 and has only 3,800 miles on it, so I don't even drive enough to need any gas saving tricks.

Please don't call it AWD. A better term would be A4WD because that's all it really is. The closest to real AWD is the Acura SH-AWD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SH-AWD

The only thing I feel guilty about is that I was fooled by the sales brochure on the so-called "Intelligent 4WD" which really isn't!