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Old 10-09-2018, 12:57 AM
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I made front tire spats for my NB. I wanted to see if covering more of the front tire would reduce drag. I don't run a splitter.
I took a trip to Miami with them on, and took them off for the return trip home. Each drive began with a full tank. The drive with the spats on cost me 1.5mpg, and the front end tended to yaw more. Interestingly enough, I did notice a change in wind noise by the A pillar. It seemed quieter.

Being that spats are pretty much a flat wall for air to move around, they're not very efficient. If you're looking for downforce, it can be implemented well into a splitter to cause the air to stagnate and produce more pressure on the corners of your splitter, but I wouldn't use large ones.
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Old 10-09-2018, 03:20 AM
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Originally Posted by vintagerust
I took a trip to Miami with them on, and took them off for the return trip home.
I'd hardly call this a scientific test to base any conclusions on. You need to drive the exact same road to have any meaningful result (and the same highway in reverse doesn't count)

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Old 10-09-2018, 07:09 AM
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Class rules likely don't permit a larger front splitter in Tims case.
The Australian (CAMS) regulations for a lot of sports car categories are painfully archaic and reward the cashed up engine builders more than any kind of home ingenuity/diy aero work.
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:56 AM
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Vintage, I appreciate your efforts but there are too many variables unaccounted for in your test. Not the least of which would be direction and speed of prevailing winds on both trips. Being in Florida we commonly have a seven to ten mile an hour breeze and directions and intensities change as the afternoon seabreeze interacts with the prevailing winds.
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:39 PM
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Default Vegas splitter for Super Lap

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Old 10-09-2018, 02:55 PM
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How steep is the angle on the splitter tunnels?
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Old 10-09-2018, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Supe
How steep is the angle on the splitter tunnels?
Probably 15-18*
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Old 10-09-2018, 05:37 PM
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Since I in the middle of nowhere my material selection is kinda limited. I have found no honeycomb panels but I did find this aluminum/plastic/aluminum sandwich panel. it is RIGID and I suspect it will stand up to both the elements and track abuse. But how heavy are the plywood splitters so I have some kind of a reference point?

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Old 10-09-2018, 05:45 PM
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^ I would not use DiBond for a splitter.
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Old 10-09-2018, 05:48 PM
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just out of curiousity. why? a little reasoning helps get my mind off it
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Old 10-09-2018, 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Blackbird
^ I would not use DiBond for a splitter.
Agreed. Weaker and far heavier than Alumalite. Probably about the same yield and modulus as birch but twice as heavy. I bought a small sheet of dibond to experiment with and... jeebus it's dense.

There are sign supply companies that will ship Alumalite. One option for folks not near major urban areas is to see if any other local racers want to share shipping costs for a few 4x8's of 10mm for splitters.
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Old 10-09-2018, 05:52 PM
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Yeah. Dibond us great for certain things, but not a splitter. It will deform. You want alumalite. Generally, the type of store that sells Dibond sells or can get you alumalite.
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Old 10-09-2018, 05:54 PM
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thanks for the explanation. I knew it was on the heavier side which is why I asked about the plywood splitters.

But I'm in Iceland so shipping for something like this will be ridiculous. I'll keep looking for suitable materials.
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Old 10-09-2018, 06:19 PM
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I assume plywood is not too hard to come by in Iceland, so why not use that?
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Old 10-09-2018, 06:29 PM
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It'll be a last resort. Very wet weathers here have me leaning on synthetic materials. But I'll go that route if I must
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Old 10-09-2018, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by G3ML1NGZ
It'll be a last resort. Very wet weathers here have me leaning on synthetic materials. But I'll go that route if I must
Paint/seal it.
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Old 10-12-2018, 12:01 PM
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Originally Posted by G3ML1NGZ
But how heavy are the plywood splitters so I have some kind of a reference point?
I set out to try and build a compendium of such information a while back it has been viewed but only commented on by me. See here
It seems that Young Modulus is hard to come by for most materials so it is always worth asking. Emilio, Ryan and Moti have experimented so much you can almost guarantee they have tried it.
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Old 10-12-2018, 12:33 PM
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Originally Posted by rrjwilson
I set out to try and build a compendium of such information a while back it has been viewed but only commented on by me. See here
It seems that Young Modulus is hard to come by for most materials so it is always worth asking. Emilio, Ryan and Moti have experimented so much you can almost guarantee they have tried it.
I saw that post and moved it the aero sub forum a few weeks ago. Thanks for the contribution.
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Old 10-14-2018, 05:39 PM
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RRJWilson that list is well appreciated. poscat
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Old 10-14-2018, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by G3ML1NGZ
It'll be a last resort. Very wet weathers here have me leaning on synthetic materials. But I'll go that route if I must
I'm thinking lot's of boats up there?
Boat plywood impregnated with epoxy resin is super tough, and resists weather very well.
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