Afaik you only have to have a rear view mirror in the car, however if you obstruct you view in this mirror by loading the car you then need the side mirrors to comply with the law. I did consider a mirror delete but finding a suitable one to go in the car is a pain. I was looking instead at fitting some more aero ones from an A2 or lupo that way still get all the electric and heating etc and the car still looks fairly oem. Some of the contraptions on the hyper miler sites would look very strange on the road, but if fuel keeps increasing then I think it will become more common.

I am hoping to get to 50 whilst retaining the stock look )sub stock in this case as bits are going to be coming off ) 6th gear and final drive mod is what I am awaiting prices for. Or someone's thoughts on drivability with a complete o2m diesel box swap?

If you get a chance when mine up and running again you can try the diesel box

It is poss and the gear alone in not that expensive its the cost of removing box stripping etc would cost more than you would gain IMO

So my box is out so going to take end cover off and have a look on Monday ;-)

karl I believe you need drivers side mirror. Passenger mirror is optional from my understand. Also you need to be able to see 2 mirrors unobstructed aswell.

best mpg I ever gained was 59 for 40km at 80 km/h....and I taped it ! But I can do easily 47 mpg at 100km/h

My car is 100% stock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAHSD9YBPF8

Just a thought... But flat sheet is not as aerodynamic as the original belly pan...

More hard-wearing definitely but less aerodynamic.

Reason being the uprated belly pans come with a kind of golf-ball like indentation, which improves laminar air flow.

The golf ball indentations do not improve laminar flow, but introduce turbulance into the flow much earlier than normal. This helps the boundary layer stay attached to the surface rather than separate from the underside and has the effect of reducing drag through removing the very low pressure areas which arise from detached flow

Here's a quick one...

Wheels.

Thinner the better when it comes to mileage...

Wider the wheels, the more rolling resistance as there's more tyre coming into contact with the road.

Just depends how far you want to go with the whole hypermiling thing.

The golf ball indentations do not improve laminar flow, but introduce turbulance into the flow much earlier than normal. This helps the boundary layer stay attached to the surface rather than separate from the underside and has the effect of reducing drag through removing the very low pressure areas which arise from detached flow

Nice explanation. I did google the golf ball effect but couldn't particularly be bothered to explain - so cheers

wheels already changed to Audi 15" pepperpots with 195/65/15 winters so they are

Narrower

Lighter

Higher Silica Compound

Lower Rolling Resistance

Higher Pressure

got to get around to fitting the under tray as it arrived yesterday. Also need to remove mudguards and blank some of the grills.

If you get a chance when mine up and running again you can try the diesel box

It is poss and the gear alone in not that expensive its the cost of removing box stripping etc would cost more than you would gain IMO

So my box is out so going to take end cover off and have a look on Monday ;-)

Cheers Clive that would be a big help, just need to know how well 1st copes as once I am rolling I can manage most things. It is never going to be used to Tow so as long as it can manage a good hill start then I will be OK as future plans include BT or Hybrid, possible 1.9/2.0 kit just going to be more of an evolution than a project

Well you know where to come when you want bt conversion ;-)

Well you know where to come when you want bt conversion ;-)

dude, he is detuning...he will want a smaller turbo conversion..not a BT conversion;>

Who said anything about detuning? No no no not I dear sirs.

My whole tuning journey has been to uprate what breaks. Hence the o2m questions as the o2a was replaced a couple of xmases ago when it went pop. As I am at nearly 150k on the original turbo I think it may be on the cards, eventually

smaller brakes = detune dude

... o2a ...

shirley, you should had an o2j in it ?

Consider you're thinking of playing with gears, should have kept the old box and converted that to 6spd

much lighter setup - 14 - 15Kg - allegedly

If you thinking of changing gears, you ideally need to think about stripping the lot

Go for a 5spd vrs setup + diesel 6th

Remember you need to factor in the cost of the front peloquin diff

If you mess with gears and don't fit one, I'll come and beat you with a cold wet haddock

smaller brakes = detune dude

Nope! They have been lightened so its a performance mod

Nope! They have been lightened so its a performance mod

are they smaller? ie the brake surface area? if they are...its a detune

I have braided lines ready to go on so then they will be upgraded again.

I have braided lines ready to go on so then they will be upgraded again.

lol

shirley, you should had an o2j in it ?

My bad I should have said o2c and don't call me Shirley (he said in a Leslie Nielsen voice).

Been a while since I updated this one. But the madness continues ;P

Mud guards are off (four of them as it is an elegance), and kind of chopped up the back ones to make tyre spoilers(ish).

Also had a play with using tape to block front vents. But had some overheating issues caused by a fuse so removed it again.

Need some tyres so looking for recommendations for the best low rolling resistance, four seasons or winters in 195/65/15

Also need to look seriously at smoothing out the rear underside and exit but doubting my fabrication abilities

Saw some very crude effective underbody panels made from coroplast sheets

Cut to fit with a sharp knife, Held in place with lots cable ties

A simpler version of what someone's doing to this car:

spanish volvo site

This is going to be my route - screw custom carbon fibre & ££££

I know that some cars can get up to 20% improvement from smoothing underneath with the rear bumper being the biggest problem as it catches the air like a parachute. Having looked under the skip the rear is really bad shape and like clive says would benefit from a nice diffuser. Biggest problem is trying to make something durable and cheap. four poster ramp would help.

Has anyone got underneath pics of rear diffuser fitted?