Next, the riv-nuts were installed.
Now the tops of the blades could be bolted in place with button head allen bolts.
The lower part of the blades attaches to existing holes in the pinch weld where the fender bolts on.
Here are the blades in place.
The blades with the front tire on the ground. Not only does it help evacuate the air better and reduce drag but it looks great as well.
There is still plenty of vent area for high-pressure air to escape the wheel well.
6 comments
Those wheel well deflectors are interesting. I often see people adding a splitter ramp in that area. Those two things seem like they would have the opposite effects. Any reason to use one vs. the other?
Better to use both but I didn’t want to cut up the bumper to do it.
The fender blades look gtr’ish, no? Something I’ve always wondered about carbon fiber is this. Back in the 80s all bikes with aluminium frames we’re bare aluminum to show it off. After some time, the manufacturers painted the frames as people just knew most performance bikes were aluminum framed. When do you think this will happen to cf?
Awesome content as always
WHELL WELL AIR DEFLECTORS! For years I have been wondering what those are and what they do. I bought an E36 M3 years back that came with those from the factory and one had been ripped off sometime before I bought the car. No matter what I typed into google, I could never figure out what they are for. Thank you so much for answering this long nagging question of mine.
These are significantly important low buck mods that should be done before any dramatic aero is done. It’s interesting how much the sound of the vehicle at high speed changes, with these slats, blades, and flaps installed.
On older cars, I always make a point to install slats ahead of tires and wheel wells, but they do easily get ripped off, usually by an aggressive speed bump.
The most modern bumpers create ‘air curtains’ around the tires, but of course, that requires a specific type of ‘nozzle’ and ducting which is very difficult to retrofit onto older vehicles.
From what I know about most canards, it’s the way the vortex interacts with the turbulence coming from the tire and the wheel well that makes them effective. When they are attached to a splitter the vortex can act like a ‘virtual’ side skirt and prevent air from coming under the car disturbing the flow on a flat floor. Sometimes you will see them blended into the bodywork ahead of the rear wheel well, too, to keep a rear diffuser functioning. Ferrari does this on some of their cars.
Of course, if you can capitalize off of any CFD done on your specific car shape, or wind tunnel time, that would be ideal.
I kind of wish manufacturers would release that data to the public so people could be more informed when they do modifications, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen. Fortunately, the GR86 is popular enough that you can use that CFD data as a good reference.
All this stuff is what makes me think that the era of the HUGE REAR WING is finally over. I have always thought that a really nice duckbill rear spoiler with a rear diffuser just looks so much better while generating enough downforce for a road car.
A wing is way more effective than a duck bill that might live in a separated or partially separated flow.