Oh ok. I know this is off topic, but has anybody ever tried putting holes in their back bumper to reduce drag, and theoretically raise FE?

Yes. I think most of us prefer to not cut giant holes in our bumpers. If a bumper is poorly designed it will catch the air. The holes let air out. A better solution is to make a rear belly pan to fill in the gaps.

too funny :D

Holes in the back bumper?
 

Hi! Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't there A CAR in front of your "holes in back bumper" idea? :eek: Or... do you drive very fast in reverse gear? :cool:

Actually air travels UNDER the car as well. In some designs the bumper acts like a sail and holds back the back a little bit.

This is the exact reason you'll notice race cars with holes in the bumper.

Hurry up Matt, I want my sticker!!!! //end jealous rage

I wonder if the air trapped under the car at the rear bumper becomes the bubble that forms in the back of a pickup truck and doesn't really make a lot of drag. I would think that a thin plastic bumper/ground effect like the rear of my xB would bend backwards like crazy if exposed to 60-80 mpg wind all the time . . . I got the feeling that it traps air and pushes it out the sides through the rear wheel wells. I am also trying to figure out how I can make the front bumper rounder and blend into the front wheel area more smoothly to see if that would affect FE. Right now it turns inward with a negative radius and then flips outward just in front of the wheel well - making it round and wider than the wheels would push the air right past the tires an dmaybe reduce some drag.

Jan, I'm fascinated by the xB. It has 45" of legroom, which is one of the two reasons that I drive a full size pickup truck.

The other reason for needing a pickup is that I go off road quite a bit, and I need ground clearance. I had a Toyota Matrix 4wd, and I kept losing plastic bits off road. The Matrix had a cramped seat and no legroom. It killed my back and legs.

Are the xB spoilers on the front and rear bumpers and on the rocker panel covers removable? It would have a lot more ground clearance without them.

Better yet, I wish Toyota would install the Matrix 4wd system with taller springs and no spoilers, and make the xB off-road capable.

NOPE ! the engine in the xB is pretty tall and it has about 5.9" of ground clearance on some really stiff springs and the other problem is that the wheels are at the very ends of the vehicle front and rear so you don't grind the front or rear air dams but the undercarriage will take a beating on uneven ground. Usually I can lay on the ground and reach under the vehicles I have owned and at least get to the engine drain plug for the oil change not so with this beast - can barely get my head under it to look at anything - even the floor jack has to be pumped in the front wheel well until the body get high enough to fit under the driver side door when jacking up the front end at the jack point. There are coils over shocks front and rear so maybe a lifting kit could raise it but it would be tough on the front axles as they are different lengths also. Actually it has really high seats - a friend of mine was having to hold on to the grab handle above the door and the door arm rest on turns in the front seat then I realized that his feet were barely touching the floor. The back seat however is like a limo.

I take my Matrix offroad everyday. A disavantage of living in the country. The most damage I've gotten is from curbs - the oh so cool aftermarket styling of the '03-'04's takes some getting used to since its so low.

I don't think it's too cramped once you get the seat adjusted, I like the option to raise it or lower it. My wife doesn't like it and does mention it is cramped to her.