lower grille and letter slot partially blocked (depending on outside air temps), hood gap sealed with bicycle inner tube and pipe insulation, fog light gaps covered in aluminum tape from the inside
LED bulbs at parking/side marker/license plate lights
Weathertech side window deflectors
antenna removed
removed back seat for sleeping/hauling capacity
added sound deadening material to back seat/trunk area and hatch door (Protecto-Wrap)
Weathertech front floor mats
ScangaugeII, flash drive loaded with music attached to the USB port in the glove box
warm air intake made of 3" dryer duct running from intake snout to exhaust manifold heat shield, wrapped in duct insulation
also insulated the intake tube and airbox
engine blanket
Ultra Racing rear anti-sway bar purchased from Evan at NextGenTuning.com
stock steel wheels have holes covered with aluminum tape, smooth wheel covers made by Hella
You could use a fish scale How many pounds pressure before the car starts to roll on each type of tire?
(At the same pressure, of course.)
Or, what I did: find a gentle hill with a long run-out (I used an empty parking lot). At the same tire pressure, roll the car in N from the same start position multiple times, and mark the pavement with chalk wherever it stops. Change tires, rinse, repeat. Compare the 2 sets of chalk marks.
Since you have 2 Mirages, you could do the comparison without having to change tires! It'll take you 15 minutes, tops.
There was a big difference in rolling resistance when I did my own tire comparisons, here:
I haven't gotten around to testing rolling resistance yet, but I did install an Ultra Racing rear anti-sway bar today. I bought it from Evan at NextGenTuning in Clearwater, Florida, USA. It took me an hour and 15 minutes to install, start to finish. This included unwrapping the bar, cleaning crud off the mounting areas of my car, installation and putting tools away/cleanup. The installation was simple. Most of the time involved was getting tools out, prepping the car and cleaning up. I followed gls2001's DIY steps and they were very helpful (thanks again).
I'll post my impressions after I spend some time behind the wheel.
Thanks to Daox and Evan for putting together the group buy.
Last edited by fifteenwindow; 03-19-2014 at 11:07 AM.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 53.1 mpg (US) ... 22.6 km/L ... 4.4 L/100 km ... 63.8 mpg (Imp)
I am enjoying the sway bar. The improvements that I've noticed are:
1. I can maintain higher speeds on turns like clover leaf style entry/exit ramps on the freeway, as that creepy lean is gone.
2. Steering is more responsive.
3. My car maintains its position better when I am passed by trucks (I don't get blown around as much).
The car is just more fun to drive. Like the way it feels to ride your skinny-tired road bike after being on your mountain bike all winter.
I'd recommend it to anyone. It's an inexpensive upgrade, for all you get out of it.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 53.1 mpg (US) ... 22.6 km/L ... 4.4 L/100 km ... 63.8 mpg (Imp)