When Chrysler unveiled its winged wonders in the late 1960s, people scratched their heads. The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird looked downright clunky with long noses and towering fenders, but then they absolutely dominated the NASCAR race tracks. The lesson was simple: aerodynamics matter.
This silver Subaru Impreza wagon won’t dominate the race tracks. However, with a surprisingly simple modification of Subie’s bulbous back, he dominates gas stations. Okay, a 13.7% increase in fuel consumption isn’t exactly overbearing. But with a few inexpensive basic materials and an afternoon for assembly, this aero-conscious Impreza owner saves money on gas. And this is just his first attempt at building a hypermile machine.
The video is from think about theft YouTube channel, and as the name suggests, the content focuses on aerodynamics. Faced with record fuel prices, this individual took his knowledge of aerospace and applied it to his daily driver. We’ll leave the technical explanation to the video, but the summary is that big-butt cars usually have turbulent air behind them, and that’s a shame. This means the car doesn’t glide through the air as easily, requiring more power to move forward. Eliminate turbulence and you will use less energy. It burns less fuel, and that brings us to this Subaru looking like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.
To build this aero-behind, 1.5-inch sections of foam were cut and glued to the car. Cardboard hubcaps were glued to the wheels and small cardboard vortex generators were glued to the car in various places. Everything is done off the cuff, with no specific plan other than to make a sharp rear end while keeping the taillights and license plate visible. It’s science, but building ain’t what you would call rocket Science. Still, it worked.
A base run before the modifications saw the Impreza achieve 35.6 miles per gallon. Using the same stretch of highway at the same time of day and filling the tank from the same pump, the upgrades produced 40.52 mpg. It’s a modest difference for sure, and subsequent reviews have found ways to improve the design. But for minimal effort, it’s not bad at all.
We’ve come across similar mileage-focused designs in the past, so the results aren’t shocking. But we’re interested to see how an aero-Impreza Mk II further improves efficiency.
When Chrysler unveiled its winged wonders in the late 1960s, people scratched their heads. The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird looked downright clunky with long noses and towering fenders, but then they absolutely dominated the NASCAR race tracks. The lesson was simple: aerodynamics matter.
This silver Subaru Impreza wagon won’t dominate the race tracks. However, with a surprisingly simple modification of Subie’s bulbous back, he dominates gas stations. Okay, a 13.7% increase in fuel consumption isn’t exactly overbearing. But with a few inexpensive basic materials and an afternoon for assembly, this aero-conscious Impreza owner saves money on gas. And this is just his first attempt at building a hypermile machine.
The video is from think about theft YouTube channel, and as the name suggests, the content focuses on aerodynamics. Faced with record fuel prices, this individual took his knowledge of aerospace and applied it to his daily driver. We’ll leave the technical explanation to the video, but the summary is that big-butt cars usually have turbulent air behind them, and that’s a shame. This means the car doesn’t glide through the air as easily, requiring more power to move forward. Eliminate turbulence and you will use less energy. It burns less fuel, and that brings us to this Subaru looking like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.
To build this aero-behind, 1.5-inch sections of foam were cut and glued to the car. Cardboard hubcaps were glued to the wheels and small cardboard vortex generators were glued to the car in various places. Everything is done off the cuff, with no specific plan other than to make a sharp rear end while keeping the taillights and license plate visible. It’s science, but building ain’t what you would call rocket Science. Still, it worked.
A base run before the modifications saw the Impreza achieve 35.6 miles per gallon. Using the same stretch of highway at the same time of day and filling the tank from the same pump, the upgrades produced 40.52 mpg. It’s a modest difference for sure, and subsequent reviews have found ways to improve the design. But for minimal effort, it’s not bad at all.
We’ve come across similar mileage-focused designs in the past, so the results aren’t shocking. But we’re interested to see how an aero-Impreza Mk II further improves efficiency.