hustler

iTrader: (6)

shall I PM my shipping address?

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Don't go to a retailer like TAP. Look for an industrial or commercial plastics supplier in your area. 4x8 1/4" ABS sheet should be around $65 bucks.

Efini~FC3S

iTrader: (4)

Savington your car looks f'ing intense. Planning on doing something similar soon.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Wow those Elise parts look very nice, Cueball. Can't wait to see how it looks installed.

Does your car currently have any chassis braces underneath? I'm guessing I'd have to remove most/all of mine to do something like this.

DazedandConfused

iTrader: (4)

sector111 makes a carbon fiber version of the same undertray also.....costs a bit more expensive and only saves about 5 lbs....but its stronger and looks good too.

but looking at your undertray, where does your exhaust feed out at?

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

The Lotus exhaust feeds out the middle of the diffuser, thus the hole there. My Enthuza feeds out the stock position. I'll have to do a little cutting on the panel and fill the stock lotus exit. Actually looks to be pretty easy to do. Of course that's before I've actually done it.

The undertray (not the diffuser) appears to be a maybe. Not sure how well it will fit or work for our application. The diffuser looks to fit great with just minor mods for the exhaust exit.

Now to actually do it!

cjernigan

iTrader: (13)

Atleast 75% of the race cars allowed to have splitters at the Grand Am race this past weekend utilized wood splitters. FWIW

curly

iTrader: (25)

Anyone seen Top Gears challenge where they're given a 15,000 pound budget to make a Renault mini-van faster around their track than an Evo X?

They used wood for a spliter and after they put the fire out it created, cut a little under a second off their time, I think.

I can only find the vid where they make the Renault mini-van convertible on youtube, otherwise I'd be posting a link, can anyone find it?

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

On the diesel BMW Top Gear did the endurance race in, they lost 3 seconds a lap when the splitter was torn off. The renault mini van was ridiculous. They didn't remove any weight from it, it should have been gutted, the splitter caught fire, the wing wouldn't work...

Sam Amporful

iTrader: (13)

They have shipping dialed in on their info. Anyways, nice aero man. does the front of the car feel heavier and how is turn in? Can you feel earned traction in corners?

crashnscar

iTrader: (9)

It will get tracked this weekend.... You really can't go fast enough (or I sure hope you aren't driving that recklessly) on the street to make use of stuff like this.

Sam Amporful

iTrader: (13)

I didnt know he hadn't tested it at a course yet. Im interested to see the outcome. the width of it should help make a nice vacuum effect between the front tires and the track. I think its well done. Should even out that wing with downforce

DazedandConfused

iTrader: (4)

i dont know if you have also found these yet.........3 to 5 element (tunnel) rear diffusers for the exige........very sexy indeed.

BarrigaNA

iTrader: (1)

I've been debating about doing a balsa wood splitter. Basically get a few sheets, then coat them with epoxy and fiber glass. You can get both at home depot. You can also do a homemade vacuum seal if you wanted. Have to look that up again. A race spec GTR was using balsa wood as a splitter, not sure how they braced it though.

the_man

Balsa wood/fiberglass and balsa wood/carbon fiber setups can be really strong- it's what a lot of boat hulls are made of. My concern would be the same as Savington's, though- when, and I mean WHEN it gets banged up, it'll be more expensive and a pain to replace. Although I suppose you could set it up so you could just pound the suckers out and sell them. That'd be ideal.

BarrigaNA

iTrader: (1)

Well the balsa wood is really cheap in most places. The epoxy and fiberglass should run you no more than $50...but like you said, when it gets banged up. I am betting that ABS would be cheaper in the long run, but it never hurts to try.

Machismo

iTrader: (1)

Balsa would be awesome! The inner structure is what's gonna make or break that setup. Honeycombs FTW!

hustler

iTrader: (6)

machismo,
help me make a splitter and I'll um...lol.

Machismo

iTrader: (1)

/\ Quit that "job" of yours so we can have some time to do it!
When you can get some "downtime" we are more than ready to help ya.

the_man

For a one-off, let's say the difference is $25- the ABS would be around $25 and the stuff to make the composite/balsa one would be $50. Not a big deal for one- but if you have to make a new one every 6 months, it would suck.

Then again, the beautiful thing about composites is that if you can make one, you can make a dozen relatively easily. Even if I wasn't planning to resell them, there's no way I'd make them one at a time- I'd make at least a half dozen or so, for replacements/backups. That way I'd only have to deal with the itchiness of the fiberglass/carbon fiber once, I'd ruin less pairs of jeans (lost many when doing FSAE bodywork to the epoxy resin, and even today I'm wearing my boots that have a blob of the resin on them), and I would just have to bolt the new one on when I smacked one up.

Of course the downside is that you'd have to lay out a bunch of money for the weave and whatnot. Oh how I miss having a ginormous roll of it on the shelf in the FSAE room.

Anyhoo, I'd be half tempted to attempt to make one out of aluminum, integral, somehow, to an undertray. Mostly because I have to make an undertray anyway, since mine is missing, and it needs to be custom to fit with the various pipes and whatnot hanging down there. Maybe if I get the shape right, I can copy it out of balsa/fiberglass or something.

Sigh, I think my list of "car things to get to" just got a little longer. Further proof the list will never, ever, ever end.