Optimal ride height?
#47
Too bad none of you are in SoCal. My lip alone scrapes all day at the bowl of SOW CW as it is. Can't imagine how much more it'd scrape w/ the splitter. I tried to make it as quick release as possible so I don't have to use it on the street (aside from the trip to the track), but I can't find any cheap quick release mechanisms when I have it bolted to the front of the subframe.
#48
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Perhaps you should raise the car, then. My splitter scrapes in one spot, under compression exiting the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Front ride height is like ~11.8".
I also wouldn't add a splitter to any car without a wing/significant diffuser along with it. Splitters create significant downforce and a car with a splitter/no wing will be LOOSE at speed.
I also wouldn't add a splitter to any car without a wing/significant diffuser along with it. Splitters create significant downforce and a car with a splitter/no wing will be LOOSE at speed.
#49
Perhaps you should raise the car, then. My splitter scrapes in one spot, under compression exiting the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Front ride height is like ~11.8".
I also wouldn't add a splitter to any car without a wing/significant diffuser along with it. Splitters create significant downforce and a car with a splitter/no wing will be LOOSE at speed.
I also wouldn't add a splitter to any car without a wing/significant diffuser along with it. Splitters create significant downforce and a car with a splitter/no wing will be LOOSE at speed.
When you say wing/significant diffuser, are you saying AND or OR? I was going to try out an APR wing with the splitter... with and without the wing and see how I like it. My rear bumper is cut, and the rear end is hard to design a diffuser for, without already covering the rest of the undercarriage. I'm mainly doing the splitter for fun/data. If there's too much downforce, I will cut off the front of the splitter. It only extends about 2-3" from my lip in certain areas. My main concern was to start with smoothing out the underside of the car.
I am on stock power btw, and 1.6L at that, so I may get flamed, but with such a high CD (0.38), I'm mainly trying to reduce that-- the splitter is the cheapest option to start.
I'll be as low as I can, so to keep it somewhat on topic, this just points out that the optimal height is the lowest you can go dependent on your setup.. that doesn't bottom out anything.
#52
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Wing OR diffuser. I added the APR wing first and the car pushed really, really badly. I then added the splitter and the car was balanced again - the assumption I take from that is that the splitter makes as much downforce as the wing does, or at least fairly close to it.
I wouldn't put aero on a stock 1.6-powered Miata - the additional drag will absolutely kill any cornering speed improvements you end up with.
I wouldn't put aero on a stock 1.6-powered Miata - the additional drag will absolutely kill any cornering speed improvements you end up with.
#53
My main priority was to decrease DRAG, reduce lift. As of now I am not seeing any speeds above 90mph at SOW or BW. I made a splitter diffuser in my other car-- without them, the rear would get twitchy at the front straight of SOW CW, at the slight R... the splitter did not extend past the lip, and the diffuser was elementary-- simple, flat bottom, minimal angle (never measured the exact angle) and 2 fins... the rear was stable when I tested it.
For the splitter I was trying to DECREASE drag primarily... adding tire spats out of rubber mudguards for example. (and I also added some blockers under the splitter in front of the tire). It may not be the same at all, but I pay attn to S2000s (especially when they zoom by me all the time) and aero does wonders for them w/ stock power. I was thinking small aero improvements wouldn't hurt... and if anything, I can trim down the splitter to be flush with the lip, and so at the very least, it'd be a functional undertray. Am I going about this the wrong way? I've already laid down some coats of paint on the splitter so it's too late to turn back... I figured I can just cut if it's too extreme.
Eventually I want the entire undercarriage to be smooth, so I started with the splitter...
For the splitter I was trying to DECREASE drag primarily... adding tire spats out of rubber mudguards for example. (and I also added some blockers under the splitter in front of the tire). It may not be the same at all, but I pay attn to S2000s (especially when they zoom by me all the time) and aero does wonders for them w/ stock power. I was thinking small aero improvements wouldn't hurt... and if anything, I can trim down the splitter to be flush with the lip, and so at the very least, it'd be a functional undertray. Am I going about this the wrong way? I've already laid down some coats of paint on the splitter so it's too late to turn back... I figured I can just cut if it's too extreme.
Eventually I want the entire undercarriage to be smooth, so I started with the splitter...
#56
I just measured my hub fender. Slightly on unlevel ground as I am at work, but my pinch welds are still the same measurement as in my garage, 4.125F 4.375R, but hub to fender height shows greater front to rear height variance with 11.25"F and 11.875"R. As previously stated, my FR and RR fenders are rolled AND pulled ridiculous amounts which is why I stopped measuring at hub-fender.
I also use 20mm adaptors with the 6ULs, so that inevitably messes with the wheel rate ratio... probably making it worse than the "1.6:1" ratio I've previously read.
EDIT: Was doing some M.net reading and found this:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.p...2&postcount=63
Last edited by greeenteeee; 12-17-2010 at 02:13 PM.
#58
Last bit of "form>function" left on my car.
Plus I have a rear stud I need to replace. For now, having the 20mm spacers w/ fresh studs is better than mounting/dismounting wheels all the time on the damaged stud--threads are somewhat damaged, it was a used hub, lug nuts still thread on, I'd rather not swap wheels using that 1 stud. Won't be necessary once I try some x9s. Yea yea, who needs x9s with stock power. But with the same weight as x8s, how can it hurt?
Plus I have a rear stud I need to replace. For now, having the 20mm spacers w/ fresh studs is better than mounting/dismounting wheels all the time on the damaged stud--threads are somewhat damaged, it was a used hub, lug nuts still thread on, I'd rather not swap wheels using that 1 stud. Won't be necessary once I try some x9s. Yea yea, who needs x9s with stock power. But with the same weight as x8s, how can it hurt?