Can you save fuel by doing aero modifications?

The Honda Civic EG hatchback, or “Bullet”, is a good-looking and rather sought-after car in Malaysia. This entry has no intention of offending Civic fans.

The contraption you see in the picture above and below is a “Hyper-miler” Honda Civic EG called the “Aero-Civic”. It was built by Mike Turner, an EcoModder from USA. Pictures of his car are obtained from his webite (aerocivic.com)

Before we go on, let’s first understand what Hyper-Miling is.

Hyper-Miling is the practice of extremely energy efficient driving that squeezes the most mileage out of every single drop of fuel burned. With that in mind, everything else is compromised. 

Most Civic EG enthusiasts would disagree with the modifications done on the Aero-Civic. Although not the best looking of cars, the Mr. Turner’s Aero-Civic manages 95 mpg or 2.48 l/100km at 104 km/h (as claimed on the aero-civic website). A 2016 Toyota Prius gets 3.9 l/100km for at the same speed. The aero modifications include a "boat tail", wheel covers, side mirror delete, and custom claddings all-around.

This Aero-Civic suggests that further fuel savings can be achieved with the help certain aero modifications. The aerodynamics of a car can be adjusted to achieve different goals. In the case of a hill-climb car, the aerodynamics are designed to generate maximum downforce. 

The reason why hyper-miler cars look so weird is because they want to achieve the most streamlined shape possible – the teardrop shape. 

Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have done this too with cars like the Concept IAA and Speedtail. They just have a much bigger budget.

Perhaps if fuel prices skyrocket, some of us might consider EcoModding our cars.

While “fuel saving cards”, “free-spinning air-intake fans”, and “magic magnets” don’t actually work to help you achieve better fuel economy, these budget aero mods by hyper-milers do work despite being hideous. 

If you don’t want your car looking like a ghetto spaceship, you can take these few steps to reduce your fuel consumption instead:

• Use lighter wheels
• Keep your boot space clear if unused
• Keep the windows closed
• Remove the roof rack if not used
• Keep your tyre pressure at recommended levels
• Avoid harsh acceleration and harsh braking (maintain safe following distance)

With fuel prices rising again after the Movement Control Order (MCO), it might make sense to practise fuel economic driving again. Although we don’t miss the MCO, we sure miss the RM1.25/litre RON 95 price.