More range by removing the front fenders

Renault Twizy
#1

Guys I have been thinking on having as much weight and making it as efficient as possible. i removed the front fenders and removed about 3 kgs. i noticed there is a range increase of about 1-2% since my route is always the same and it gives me about 400 meters before it goes from 100% to 90%. i think it has a lot to do with aerodinamics more than the weight. the fenders do create more drag and air flow restriction. i have noticed the steering to be a bit lighter and less noises as my twizy is quiet noisy inside.
i knoiw there are some restriction in the UK to remove these,but here in colombia, it is not a problem.
i have also posted a video on my first year and 19000 kmts so far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_t8bQccDfc

carlos

#2

Those rear tyres are really knackered looking!!

#3

If you really want weight reduction remove the cast iron bars under the battery. 21,2 kg. Replace them with aluminum ones. 2,96 kg
In the review you mentioned the stiffness of the ride. Remove the heavy swaybars.
Remove the thick steel plate under the front and the useless one on the rear. Replace them with polypropylene or styropor.
Remove the heavy aluminum wheels. Replace them with the lighter steel ones. I can help you out with these :heart_eyes:
This all will give you a weight reduction of at least 45 kg :blush: Which other car can get a 10 % weight reduction so easy?!
You’ll feel the weight reduction when accellerating.

If you want more km out of a charge allign your wheels. Look at your left rear tire. It has all the signs of a really bad allignment. On this forum you can read how to allign your T yourself. #Trackrite

And when done, put the front fenders back :slight_smile: they really keep you from getting dirty :blush:

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#4

thanks for the info.
but really the wear on the rear tires is because of the way i drive and the distribution of the weight. i always drive with a 40 kg dog on the back and i slide when going fast and dowhill. i have a 15 km all downhill every day and i do slide from side to side going at 80 kph. i think that is the reason why they both wear on the outside.
where i am the car where are having a long summer so it is not raining at all. so the car does not get dirty as much as when it is raining. the other weight saving ideas are a bit more drastic. i have to try the stabilty bar off as again i drive reallly fast so the last thing i want is to loose stability, specially in the front as the car does oversteer. the steel bars are an option, but seems a lot more work. this to me is like an experiment, i like to try new things so it is a work in progress

#5

Where can I buy those aluminum replacement bars?

#6

Everywhere :slight_smile: You make them yourself. I bought the bars on ebay.de

Schermafbeelding 2017-02-14 om 23.21.21.png2214×1034 438 KB

L 47,8 cm
W 5 cm
H 3 cm
Thickness 3mm

Fill the ends where the bolts go
Number the bars
Check the position of each bolthole on the T. There seems to be a high variation on these. The position of the boltholes on the battery are identical)
Paint the aluminum

Schermafbeelding 2017-02-14 om 23.25.37.png1432×1068 1.16 MB
(picture from German forum)

1 Like
#7

Awesome. I didn’t think hollow bars could take the strain, so I thought I needed massive alu bars.

But if it’s a square profile then it’s easy peezy.

Thanks :slight_smile:

#8

So even a weight reduction of 45kg won’t increase milage right?

About fenders I think that just making them just 1mm from the tires would reduce drag compared to the way they are made right now

#9

The lighter a moving object the easier it is to adjust to new speeds. That will make more range to a lighter Twizy. When on a steady speed the difference in weight diminishes I believe.
On drag: I think the Twizy is not made to lower drag :slight_smile:

#10

Yeah, it lowers the energy cost of accelerating. Not so much for sustained speeds.

I’m going to add a 48v ping battery that I had left over from my ebike, and connect it directly to the controller inputs, in paralell to the original battery. This will extend range by around 9km-ish (600wh battery). Just what I need during the winter months, since I’m at the limit of range when it’s cold.

For sustained speed range gains, turn off regen, since coasting is more efficient than regen. But it require more skill from the driver.

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#11

Be careful paralleling two batteries that aren’t the same type as depending on the state of charge, one will start to charge the other in an attempt to equalise, and that could be very bad!
I’m thinking about making a range extender out of one of my 2kWH ebike packs and an inverter to emergency charge the twizy anywhere.

#12

That is a big inverter if you are going to go via the standard AC input. Needs to be a Pure Sine wave and constant 10amps.

#13

You have a 2kwh ebike pack? That’s huge, sure it’s not a moped?

And using an inverter is a sure fire way of losing a lot in inefficiencies. First the extra weight 2,5kw inverter (5kg?), I’m guessing 75-80% efficient, losing approx 400w in that step. Then the charger efficiency… It’s probably higher than the inverter, but around 90%, so 200w. Totalling an approximate 600w loss in heat.

I don’t think the equalization is going to be an issue, charging is done separately. And the voltage diff is going to be so small, we’re not going to see high equalizing currents.

//Mats

#14

Hy all,
I also think likr to impruve aerodimiks of the twizy, so i made a litel think in the back to decrese windflow true the back, so i fabricate this think

BDC6C886-C9DB-4FD7-8B36-8B83F868992D.jpeg3264×2448 1.55 MB

Its a fact naw this think do very good job of kiping wind and weather out of rear seat and prevent wind blowing in the back of my head.
I made it from some PVC and alu holders… 1h fabrication time…

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