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As my LS1 swapped 944 Turbo build progresses, I'm looking into ways to do aero on a budget. I had origionally planned on leaving aero for the second year, and using the non-aero HP bump provision in ST3. This correction factors works out to all of about 14 HP, though, so even a fairly simple effort at aero would seem to be more than worthwhile.
Ultimately, I'd like to go with Good Aero's complete package using the Raptor wing, and Jim Steven's splitter. As aero wasn't in the budget at all, Good Aero unfortunately isn't at all, yet (hopefully next year)
While I've been able to find all sorts of great used parts in terms of wheels, brake calipers/suspension/motor mods, wings and aero seem very scare. I can find a few used "Car of Tomorrow" wings for around $500, which may be an option, I'm insterested in opinions on this (does it work at less than NASCAR speeds?), and other options. Uprights I think I can fabricate, as well as a basic splitter. I've seen some attempts at wing fabrication, but I think this goes beyond my skills/comfort zone.
Good Aero is the wing to get. As for the splitter home made works. You will never want to race without the aero. When I raced my 944turbo it was night and day
I'm probably going to get the Brooks Motorsports rear wing for my LS 951. Has the advantages of being local to me, plus mounts in such a way that I can still open/close the hatch with the wing in place, finally it doesn't require any trimming of the factory wing.
I know Scott Good well, and clearly his well developed package for the 944 is the way to go long term, but I need a more cost effective option in the short term/next year.
Project is now decked out for tonight's Halloween party:
You may want to look at something like a gurney flap for the rear with a splitter for the front. The gurney flap can be made from plexiglass with aluminum braces contoured around spoiler that is on it now.
Splitters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, maybe some canard winglets for the nose.
I'll second the wicker on the back of the hatch. The upside is that the mounts don't need to be as complex as the wing (mounting to the glass, thru it, or onto the back) as the load from a rear wicker is distributed on the entire surface area of the hatch. It makes it a cheap and easy way to grab some quick downforce.
Aero can have a massive effect. It has with our car. Budget aero will not likely do a lot though. Venting the hood is a good place to start. By all means try the 968 wing on offer. Perhaps pm user Tony G. He had some splitters going on that weren't his but I think he modified them. They were bolt on. Without running suspension pots and data, the only way you're going to quantify it on an anecdotal level is faster lap times. Maybe a placebo effect. :-)
I stopped by Pat Prince Engineering today - the jewel in our little town of Sterling, IL. You may have heard it from Peter Egan's columns on his Lola's in Road & Track. Through some bartering and good will, he is going to help me sort this out as a system. I may have access to suspension pots from a local racecar being de-modded down to 944 Spec level. It was a high end SCCA racer that was retired years ago. Hopefully the suspension pots are compatible with newer systems.
I understand it's going to be a long process - first sorting out the mechanical grip, and then the aero. Lots to learn, but it will be a fun project.
Generally if you use a big rear wing of which there are a few to choose from (some more efficient than others) you will be chasing front end downforce. That is pretty much what it comes down to. By slapping on dive planes / Canards and splitters doesn't necessarily guarantee this. When we first 'unwrapped' the most recent version of my car 13 months ago we thought our 'guesswork' might at least give us some frontal downforce. I mean, looking at it most people would assume this too. Sure it wasn't pretty and sure there'd be some drag, but surely the nose would be pushed down by all those additions up front?? Nope. In fact we were getting front end lift at the end of our main straight! Scary but true. (See pic) So early this year we engaged the services of Andrew Brilliant who is a well known and successful Aerodynamicist. We are now seeing 12-15mm of compression with 1486lb springs up front! Get a set of stiff springs and see how much you can compress them by hand. 2nd pic a bit further down the track but the splitter is getting much lower now than it was last year.
Our laptime has improved from a 1:35 to a 1:31 and we're confidant that there is a high 1:29 in the car as it is. That is significant improvement and we haven't changed the suspension or tyres or really anything much else. We have a bit more power but haven't actually used it. So it's largely down to successful use of intelligent and professionally advised Aero changes. It depends on how much latitude your class allows and how much time/money you want to put into this aspect. However the return on investment can't be beaten.
Good Aero is the wing to get. As for the splitter home made works. You will never want to race without the aero. When I raced my 944turbo it was night and day
+1
I did a lot of research about this and Good Aero is the wing to get.
Compared to other products:
- Larger Span
- Efficient profile (lift-to-drag ratio)
- Removable Gurney (held in a slot and you can use the size you want)
- Inner structure made of carbon fiber.
Some manufacturers uses aluminum frames inside their wings, joined by aluminum tubes. While it's carbon fiber on the outside, it's aluminum on the inside. That is how wings were made in the 1990s. Making a wing that way requires thicker skins because the skin is only supported in a few places across the surface of the wing. The skin, then, is perhaps the most important structural element of that kind of wing. While it's possible to make a workable wing that way, they end up being either heavy or weak.
Good Aero wings are made the way all professional wings have been made for the last 10 or 15 years. They contain a "sine-wave" shaped inner structure made of carbon fiber.
Generally if you use a big rear wing of which there are a few to choose from (some more efficient than others) you will be chasing front end downforce. That is pretty much what it comes down to. By slapping on dive planes / Canards and splitters doesn't necessarily guarantee this. When we first 'unwrapped' the most recent version of my car 13 months ago we thought our 'guesswork' might at least give us some frontal downforce. I mean, looking at it most people would assume this too. Sure it wasn't pretty and sure there'd be some drag, but surely the nose would be pushed down by all those additions up front?? Nope. In fact we were getting front end lift at the end of our main straight! Scary but true. (See pic) So early this year we engaged the services of Andrew Brilliant who is a well known and successful Aerodynamicist. We are now seeing 12-15mm of compression with 1486lb springs up front! Get a set of stiff springs and see how much you can compress them by hand. 2nd pic a bit further down the track but the splitter is getting much lower now than it was last year.
Our laptime has improved from a 1:35 to a 1:31 and we're confidant that there is a high 1:29 in the car as it is. That is significant improvement and we haven't changed the suspension or tyres or really anything much else. We have a bit more power but haven't actually used it. So it's largely down to successful use of intelligent and professionally advised Aero changes. It depends on how much latitude your class allows and how much time/money you want to put into this aspect. However the return on investment can't be beaten.
Very interesting Patrick.
Can you expand on what you've found and share more details about the ideal 944 front splitter without class restrictions?
Btw, do you have some pics of your last splitter?
10-31-2014, 12:05 PM
Budget Racecar Aero?
