Tests by suspension company show springs push vehicles to 13 percent better gas mileage
Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News
You may know Eibach Springs as a company that produces automotive aftermarket suspension components, which, for decades, have enhanced the dynamic capabilities of cars on racetracks and roadways around the world.
But did you know its springs also can enhance your vehicle's fuel economy?
Eibach's Pro-kit comprises a set of four springs that lower a vehicle's ride height by 1 inch. Lowering a vehicle's center of gravity enhances dynamic performance, but as Eibach learned again during a recent test of a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, it also improves fuel economy; in the case of the Camaro, by an amazing 13 percent.
Eibach Springs Inc., based in Corona, Calif., hired an independent company, Test Pilots Independent Testing Services, to do all the driving in its tests of a Camaro SS. The tests were done first in stock condition and then equipped with Eibach's Pro-Plus performance handling package, which in addition to the lowering springs, includes sway bars that reduce body roll in cornering.
Oliver Rathlein, Eibach's vice president for marketing, said fuel economy was gauged while rolling along at 70 miles per hour on California freeways and was affected only by the way the springs lowered the car and thus reduced aerodynamic drag.
The Camaro SS with its 426-horsepower, 6.2-liter, V8 engine, is rated by the federal government at 25 miles per gallon on the highway. Over the course of 167.7 miles, the Test Pilots record a real-world 23.34 mpg average. Driving that same route at the same speeds in similar conditions with the Pro-kit installed, the Test Pilots and Camaro SS averaged 26.4 mpg.
To put that another way, at $3 a gallon, for every 10,000 miles of such highway driving you would save nearly $150.
A bonus of the Eibach system is that you also improve 0-60 mph acceleration, cornering, slalom and lap times.
Rathlein noted that Eibach has had similar fuel economy enhancements in a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from a Honda Accord to a Ford F-150 pickup. Next up for testing will be a 2011 Ford Mustang equipped with Eibach suspension.
The Eibach Pro-kit for the 2010 Camaro retails for $349. Add the anti-roll kit for the Pro-Plus setup, and the price is $754.
Eibach components are sold through automotive aftermarket retail stores and various websites.
For information and a list of specific vehicle fitments, visit www.eibach.com or call (800) 507-2338.
Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer. You can reach him at [email protected].
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100520/AUTO03/5200370/1148/?source=nletter-auto#ixzz0oV2xm55G
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