"LappingLuke" (lukeohara01)
11/20/2014 at 22:48 • Filed to: None
2
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"LappingLuke" (lukeohara01)
11/20/2014 at 22:48 • Filed to: None | 2
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http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/driveway-labs-…
$600 bucks gets you a diffuser that claims to produce 108lbs of downforce at 100mph. That 108lbs of downforce is supported by some thin gauge aluminum brackets that only mount at the front. Hmmmmm.........me thinks this is a rare example of a Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement...
BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
> LappingLuke
11/20/2014 at 22:51 |
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It's a skid plate! when you hit that speed the brackets bend enough to allow the whole thing to come in contact with the asphalt, thus producing sparks.
PatBateman
> LappingLuke
11/20/2014 at 22:53 |
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Now, if only the Toyobaru could go that fast...
Jesse Shaffer
> LappingLuke
11/20/2014 at 22:58 |
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I have FWD, so I know down-force won't do shit for me in a corner, especially with 400 ft.lbs up front. I decided that I had more than enough power to defeat my high-speed drag - and that I could actually use the negative air pressure to go faster .
Full disclosure: Shame-less self promotion
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LappingLuke
> PatBateman
11/20/2014 at 22:59 |
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Hahahahaha brutal...
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LappingLuke
> BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
11/20/2014 at 23:00 |
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Hahaha that would be way cooler than what this trying to be
Milky
> Jesse Shaffer
11/21/2014 at 01:19 |
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Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
> LappingLuke
11/21/2014 at 07:58 |
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108 is pretty specific. No mounts at the rear? What keeps it from banging the ground?
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LappingLuke
> Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
11/21/2014 at 08:52 |
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Precisely my thoughts. It's made from 5052 aluminum which is hardly stiff or strong. A diffuser has to be a load bearing device. The lower pressure under the diffuser pulls the car down into the road by pulling the diffuser down so the diffuser has to be rigidly mounted to the chassis...clearly this is none of those things. I suspect it probably bounces and wiggles when you go over bumps. And if you hung 20lbs off the edge of it I bet it would bend to yield and be ruined.
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Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
> LappingLuke
11/21/2014 at 08:59 |
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Actually, there are two more attachment points (possibly four) here at the back. I didn't actually click on the link until you wrote back.
5052 is actually a hardened alloy. good for routing and CNC machining (unlike 3003 which gets soft and gummy on a cutting tool. No, it is no 6061 aero grade, but the panel is only 30 inches or so across so it would not flex too much.
In their defense, a diffuser experiences a long steady pull of force, not snap shocking forces. four connection points,this could very well be legit. Beyond that, it's time to get with the new age and use epoxy instead of 160 rivets to hold on the fences.
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LappingLuke
> Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
11/21/2014 at 09:03 |
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5052 can be hardened but it doesn't say if it is or how. I can't imagine even 6061 would be worth a crap as a diffuser even if those slots are actually for rear mounts. 7075 (actual aircraft grade) would probably work. Even if the thing was structurally sound, a diffuser doesn't do anything unless paired with a full flat undertray. The air coming into this thing will be so turbulent and slow moving when it gets to the back of the car that this will have no effect.
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Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
> LappingLuke
11/21/2014 at 09:11 |
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Given the shape, they flat-bed rout the base shape of the panel which tells me this is (at least surface) hardened 5052. Then they brake the end fences and the front mounting tabs.
We could piss and moan about alloya all day, but you are 100% correct about the airflow.
Beyond that, back in the 1990s, it was not unusual for Japanese racing teams to make functional(!) splitters out of cellulosic composite panel. AKA plywood. I don't think the air cares much what it's made of.
burntartichoke
> BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
11/21/2014 at 11:46 |
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F1 inspired tech is finally trickling down!
bob and john
> LappingLuke
11/29/2014 at 15:56 |
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just tossing in my $0.02 here. I remember reading somewhere that some cars actually produce lift at speed (something to do with increasing fuel efficiency or something) so maybe this is just canceling out that effect then actually producing downforce.
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LappingLuke
> bob and john
11/29/2014 at 16:26 |
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Yes most cars create lift based on their general shape. Reducing lift is equivalent to producing downforce and still requires a strong part and strong mounting and in the case of a diffuser, a full flat bottom