Cool! I'll try that with the grill. Just wondering, upper is everything above the bumper and lower is everything below? I don't know much about it, but I wonder if the upper grill could do a better job of cooling? Even though it has less surface area, it should be cooling the hottest area (since heat rises?). I'm not sure though. Might be fun to do an experiment with the laser thermometer.

Would be interesting to see what I get at 55, but I don't want to drive that slow on a regular basis. The speed limits around here fluctuate between 55 and 65. I can comfortably cruise at 60 without disrupting traffic too much or getting a ticket. Maybe I'll get one of those fancy obd gauges. Then I could see myself REALLY obsessing about mpg, lol.

Also, I'm hoping that cutting out the power steering and back seat will make a bigger difference around town. I was averaging 37+ with mostly town / some backroad driving (I avoid braking and 1st as much as possible, and I'm in 5th before 25 mph). Would love to get that up to 40 and maybe close to 50@55 on the highway... Maybe I'll think about fixing the rear bumper drag as well.

I love having a small car. It no longer seems worth sweating/shivering/risking my life for a little extra gas savings. Although my 250cc cruiser was averaging almost 100 mpg before I sold it. I also love how cheap this car is compared to the smart car, which my friend gets only about 35 mpg with. And I can fit a lot more crap in the aveo plus haul a 1 ton load.