02silverpathy Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) I have the aluminum skid plate that Steve Fleurys made for me...and I love it! I have indeed NOT taken it off road, however it has benefitted me in another surprising way! I have picked back up MPG that I have been fighting with fancy spark plugs, super clean air filters, light throttle response and acetone....all these things have done for me is solidify the MPG's I was getting. My truck gets a consistant 14.9 MPG CITY. I have learned to accept this as I drive stop and go in 2-3 mile intervals, this is as hard on gas as you can get! Since putting this lightweight flat plate on the bottom of my rig, I have averaged 16.4 MPG CITY. I am super thrilled with this and am still trying to get off road and get it a couple scars, but as of now--well, hell get a skid plate for the MPG's--how unexpected a gain over the plastic OEM "skid". I hope that adding sliders, a highlift and more skids gets me to 20 CITY Anyone else gain from adding a skid or two?? Edited July 6, 2009 by 02silverpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) Hmm... If you'd said a gain over the AC/Steel skids, I woulda said . But the plastic splash guard weighs next to nothing. Wasn't the fleury plate like 14 lbs or so ? I've never heard of adding weight reducing mpg... Odd... Edited July 6, 2009 by GoPathyGo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) I think that its wind resistance, the plastic one dips up into the trucks underside, the new one is flat angled...I can only guess this as nothing else is different. Edited July 6, 2009 by 02silverpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 haaaaa I know.... It's my Countersunk Bolts !!! they defeat the wind resistance !!! ....Seriously...if my plate made you save MPG than I need to reconsider my price I'm happy if you're happy !....pictures please ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 haaaaa I know.... It's my Countersunk Bolts !!! they defeat the wind resistance !!! ....Seriously...if my plate made you save MPG than I need to reconsider my price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 what is the price anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 what is the price anyway? 220$ CAD... and well worth it ! ( I know I'm not objective on this one....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 220$ CAD... and well worth it ! ( I know I'm not objective on this one....) I might be interested but how many rocks have bashed this thing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new4x4r Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Heres a pic of mine after a couple months of me bashing my way through everything :-) Im not that good at the whole 4 wheeling thing, so I just steam my way through whatevers in front of me so I don't get stuck haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 MPG savings with a skidplate is something i have always wondered about. Why would nissan put on such a flimsy skid plate made out of cardboard-like plastic? Now my guess in confirmed - i need to install my plastic skid to save some MPG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 I don't know if the OEM helps so much...it is worth a try, since I only had mine on for like 1 tank before I got the aluminum one. I also traveld HWY then, so I didn't even consider its MPG. I think that the OEM plasti-shield ducks into the underneath too much before it comes back down to meet the subframe, creating a surface that "catches" air instead of deflecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 MPG savings with a skidplate is something i have always wondered about. Why would nissan put on such a flimsy skid plate made out of cardboard-like plastic? Because it's not a skid plate. It's a splash guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I think that something else caused the improvement in mpg and you're just trying to find justification for the skids There is no physical reason why the addition of skidplates would improve wind resistance on a modern vehicle designed in a wind tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) I think that something else caused the improvement in mpg and you're just trying to find justification for the skids There is no physical reason why the addition of skidplates would improve wind resistance on a modern vehicle designed in a wind tunnel. you have obviously never seen the underside of an R50 without a skid plate theres a whole bunch of non-aerodynamic stuff exposed without a skid (subframe, etc) Edited July 8, 2009 by FUELER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Heres a pic of mine after a couple months of me bashing my way through everything :-) Did you ever pay him for that new4x4r? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new4x4r Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 yep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherdude Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I need a strong metal skid plate! who should i ask? or where should i order one??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I need a strong metal skid plate! who should i ask? or where should i order one??? Didn't you sell your Pathy ? Fleury makes the aluminum front plate. The much-disliked Automotive Customizers (www.4x4parts.com) make thick steel ones from front to tranny. (Their rear diff skid is worthless, IMHO.) They take a while to make and ship 'em. BlackPanther makes steel ones too. I think some of the Canadian members here have them. Pure custom, build-to-order stuff. Take your pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new4x4r Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Buy Fleurys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Didn't you sell your Pathy ? Fleury makes the aluminum front plate. The much-disliked Automotive Customizers (www.4x4parts.com) make thick steel ones from front to tranny. (Their rear diff skid is worthless, IMHO.) They take a while to make and ship 'em. BlackPanther makes steel ones too. I think some of the Canadian members here have them. Pure custom, build-to-order stuff. Take your pick. That is true. I was lucky enough to meet the owner/producer of BP (he lives about 20 minutes from Winnipeg) and scoop up a front skit. It's a bad-ass 10 gauge steel skid plate which I had powdercoated. I've punished the bastage on several occasions and it still looks practically new. BP may have some extra skid plates from a previous batch but I would have to ask him and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) you have obviously never seen the underside of an R50 without a skid plate theres a whole bunch of non-aerodynamic stuff exposed without a skid (subframe, etc) I have no skidplates on my truck right now, stock or otherwise, so yes I have seen the bottom of my truck numerous times both on and off a lift. do you understand how aerodynamics work? think about a pickup truck. You'd think "oh hey, that big tailgate must act as a massive &^%*ing sail", but they don't. Maybe the underside of a pathy does cause drag. I have no doubt I could be wrong. Or maybe the highly paid designers at nissan know what they're doing when the style a vehicle. Just the idea of skidplates and the weight they carry adding any kind of noticeable improvement to mileage is as silly as a ricer owner truly believing that his cold air intake makes his civic a racecar. Edited July 10, 2009 by Zibi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) This is really getting silly. I knew that someone would have to shoot at the idea before actually having done it. So lets keep it simple. My 4200 lb R50 has no clue I added 14lbs to it, well at least not after the REVOs (larger 2" and heavier vs OE) , 3 Infinity 12" subwoofers (16.5 lb ea plus MDF box for said woofers), adding the OE hitch and OE brush guard. This 14 lbs did make a difference, just not noticable by the VQ or the driver. The engineers at Nissan are intelligent, that's why the 350/370z's are smooth underneath, same as every other well built performance car or even an eco car. Check out the underside of any BMW dating back even as far as the 80's...very subtle shapes underneath. Point is the under side of any R50 (I have had 2, no WD's yet) is a death trap for air and anything else that goes under the rig (Bugs, animals, people)...adding any type of smoothing underneath WILL decrease coefficient of drag. Take your rig to a hand washing bay and spray the presser washer at the truck, water goes over the hood/fenders, around the winshield, and clears the roof. Spray underneath, the water looks confused as it hits the tires, bounces abruptly off the stock splash shield and generally scrambles with no real center of flow down under the vehicle. I do not own a wind tunnel, but neather did the 90 MPG civic guy when he gooped up his EG civic hatch with coroplast and aluminum. Google it, this dude did not touch his engine---his 1.5 has more load on it due to weight however his co-d went down to .17 from .34....by the way the coefficient of drag on a stock R50 is .47---this is nearly a 40% decrease in air efficiency or higher drag than a 93 civic---sounds like room for improvement? I will stand tall that my lifted (less efficiency), oversized tire outfitted (less efficiency), boom box carrying (less efficiency), lard-a**ed R50 has an open element intake w/smooth chrome pipe (more power~less efficiency), coolant bypass'ed from the TB (less efficiency); re-geared (quicker response~less efficiency) has nearly acchieved EPA (USA) MPG again with its only attributes being the gears(when driven correctly), roof rack spoiler removal(decreased height for wind overflow), Warn Hubs(rotating mass), and this plate(Co-d). Edited July 10, 2009 by 02silverpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I have no idea to what you just said. But, to me it does make sense that it would help a little. Anything and everything that can be used to help will help. It's all the little things combined that make a big difference. Oh, and an intake won't be less efficient. It will be more. Your freeing up a restriction of the engine, helping it suck in air easier. That is, if you have a decent intake filter on it. A bad design can actually make you lose power and MPG goes down. tough crap. But I do understand what zibi is saying. It does seem highly unlikely that something as simple as a skid could make such a difference. But, I won't say anything negative because I have no experience with it. I'll have to wait to see for myself! Jose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new4x4r Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I want my truck to be more Mud-odynamic :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I need a strong metal skid plate! who should i ask? or where should i order one??? My 1/4" aluminum will kick a 3/16" steel skid's ass all day... Sledgehammer tested ... also...say goodbye to 15 minutes oil changes with the others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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