mx5cartalk.com

after going to a few trackdays i notice alot of people have awsome air / wind splitters. didnt know what they do but they make everything look mooaaarrr low and "racecar". after reading a few things they actully are practical. more downforce at the front and more flow of air up into the intercooler/radiator. and i really like the look of them. so decided to try make one with trusty mate joel. decided to use ply and fiberglass over it. i know there are alot better ways to do this and i have probly done it wrong bla bla bla but if anything... i really like the look! even with front coilovers in, still looks like i have a liftkit on the front ... dam 17" wheels! was a pretty cool little project, had alot of fun with fiberglass and stuff. joel has a bit of experience fiberglassing and i had none! so was a bit of a learning curve :p but it makes we want to fabricate more stuff for my car! was really fun. in total it cost me 75$. glass, resin, paint, sandpaper, primer and wood. at the moment it isnt adding any downfoarce as it is only screwed into the bumper/ bash plate thingo. and the bumper is help on by 3 zippy ties... dont know exactly how to attach it to the frame yet to actully become functional. throw ideas at me please!!! anyway here are a few pics for those who made it this far :p
only way the wood would fit in the car... wasnt that a fun drive!

couldnt find wood big enough for the whole thing so we made half and mirrored it

this is it all lined up using jacks to help

this is the bottem side glassed, take notice of the CARBON FIBER triangle (scrap from the workshop) i think i can claim its a carbon fiber splitter now... win.

this is the top side glassed and the lip that will be showing is bogged up ready to be sanded smoothly. also that black arrow is carbonfiber again. for those max rwKWs!!

now a few pics of it completed




please share all ur opinions! and if anyone knows what they use to attach it to the fram.. let me know thanks
also going to get some EZ-lip for it, just want to see how it looks
thanks,


James

That looks pretty neat! I'm also keen to hear how people are attaching these. I've seen a few splitter projects and other DIY aero stuff on the Race Prep section of miataturbo.net.

A friend of mine is looking at building something soon so please keep the pics coming!

Are you itchy after sanding all that fibreglass? I hate dealing with the stuff.

Stand on it. If it doesn't break, it might maybe-do-something-maybe.

Mounts - there's an awesome thread on splitter placement/mounting on the big forum. It's quite long but has a lot of good conversation in it. I'll see if I can dig it up for you once I'm home.

Cheap plug but heres the one on pats car It has 17s also.

More than happy to answer any questions about what we have learned.



Dann

Jeo wrote:Stand on it. If it doesn't break, it might maybe-do-something-maybe.

Mounts - there's an awesome thread on splitter placement/mounting on the big forum. It's quite long but has a lot of good conversation in it. I'll see if I can dig it up for you once I'm home.

thanks! its held in with 5 screws to the bumper which is broken and help on by 3 zipties. i would deffinetly not put any weight on it at the moment haha.

and yes.... sanding it was the worse... got it all in my eyes and under my shirt.. was driving my crazy. still recovering from it haha


james

NitroDann wrote:Cheap plug but heres the one on pats car

More than happy to answer any questions about what we have learned.



Dann

yea a few questions haha, best way to attach to fiberglassed splitter ( drill a hole or something??) and should i run the other end to the front sway bar, its in a pretty handy place if i recall.
tyhanks



James

Google 'rivnuts'

And use those on the subframe, on the bottom where it is flat.

At the front you will need a bracket or some stainless steel cable to the towhooks.

Dann

There are 2 nuts in the subframe. And a hole in between them in the centre. I put a rivnut in the hole. So use them to secure the back of it. At the front you will need to make brackets coming off the chassis. You will need an air dam to block the air between the splitter and the lower bumper.

ahh k soo riv nuts in the splitter? i see u said subframe but i dont really see how that works, i see they look helful to put in the splitter then like a bolt with an eye in the rivnut, than attach to the tow hook with stainless steel wire?sorry trying to understand what do, having trouble visulising it :p
cheers

James

lightyear wrote:There are 2 nuts in the subframe. And a hole in between them in the centre. I put a rivnut in the hole. So use them to secure the back of it. At the front you will need to make brackets coming off the chassis. You will need an air dam to block the air between the splitter and the lower bumper.

ohhh that makes sence to me i think, ill have to have a look under the car to see if i really do understand :p thanks. and what would u suggest as an air dam?


James

Here is my thread for the splitter install I did http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=730055#p730055 however I did use custom brackets from the states but it is solid and is not attached to the lip. If your mounting is not solid and it rips off you could do damage to your car and other cars on the road.

Only issue is that I may need to put an extra brace in the middle as there is a bit of flex in the abs that I used, however it would take my weight if I stood on it. I have noticed a bit of a vibration in the car when I hit 130 so an extra brace may help.

Also be aware that for the splitter to be effective it needs to be close to the ground and if you increase the downforce on the front you may lighten up the rear at track speeds and hence loose some traction.

Good luck!

Looks neat, I hope it has some practicality to it as well. Will the gap between the actual bumbper and the splitter cause any problems? I thought it might act as an air dam.
My only issue. Cable ties, not "zippy Ties". Its a mortal sin to call them anything but cable ties. As an electrician anyway.

Zip ties, Zippy ties, I think we know what he means. And certainly NOT road worthy mounted with Zippy ties.
But then he admits that, Just Mocking it up for a "Look See".