Under engine panels ??? MPG

madapple · 11-13-2011, 01:41 PM

Hey,
I have been checking out tings on my new 2001 MT Insight.
I was under the car and i don't have any of the panels under the engine.
I have the two long ones under the rest of the car. My question is,
how much will this effect mileage, and can I find these cheap somewhere
if I really need them????
I have changed oill, cleaned my egr plate and checked it over pretty well.
Thanks for all the good info here!!!
Darrell

Eli · 11-13-2011, 02:20 PM

If you travel fast on the highway, they should be good for a couple percent. If you normally drive pretty slow, they will likely have a negligable effect on MPG.

Probably the cheapest thing to do would be to buy a piece of aluminum or plastic and make your own. Several members here have done just that. It's also said that a single piece under engine panel is easier to remove when doing things like an oil change.

gilbertguy · 11-13-2011, 06:49 PM

I got mine last year with no engine panels, made some out of coreply but really couldn't tell any difference. Pulled them back off while doing some maintenance, now just driving without them again. I just ran to the west side of Phoenix Saturday while running 60-65 on the freeway, went 120 miles and got 76 MPG. Would I have gotten 80 MPG if I had the panels....... maybe, but I'm pretty happy with 76.