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In the world of "wanna be" tuners, much thought is placed on the size and gaudiness of the rear wing. People seem to be so concerned with the air that flows over their trunk/rear deck, that they've forgotten that disruptive air also flows UNDERNEATH their cars.
In my quest for cheap (read as: DIY, home made) stuff, I cruised the net looking for anything I could find on automotive aerodynamics.
On thing I found that has been largely overlooked was the simple front airdam. The airdam deflects air from going under the car and prevents (diminishes) it's tendency to create lift and instability underneath the car.
Just for fun, I made a very cheap (let's see how this works) larger than stock (wider and deeper) airdam.
The big white thing is a peice of PVC being used as a scoop for a functional ramair setup (which has since been changed) and the ends of the airdam (yes, that's 1/4" plywood) were extended with aluminum flashing to go from wheelwell to wheelwell.
The first thing I noticed was that (on the highway) the front end of the car seemed heavier, and A LOT more stable. The second thing I noticed was that getting caught behind a semi no longer threw my car into a turbulance-induced jiggling frenzy.
The setup has been damaged slightly during the winter (never intended it to be a snow plow) but it was a temporary setup to begin with so no big deal. I plan on rebuilding it with better materials when it's warm enough outside to lay on the ground under the car for a while.
In my quest for cheap (read as: DIY, home made) stuff, I cruised the net looking for anything I could find on automotive aerodynamics.
On thing I found that has been largely overlooked was the simple front airdam. The airdam deflects air from going under the car and prevents (diminishes) it's tendency to create lift and instability underneath the car.
Just for fun, I made a very cheap (let's see how this works) larger than stock (wider and deeper) airdam.
The big white thing is a peice of PVC being used as a scoop for a functional ramair setup (which has since been changed) and the ends of the airdam (yes, that's 1/4" plywood) were extended with aluminum flashing to go from wheelwell to wheelwell.
The first thing I noticed was that (on the highway) the front end of the car seemed heavier, and A LOT more stable. The second thing I noticed was that getting caught behind a semi no longer threw my car into a turbulance-induced jiggling frenzy.
The setup has been damaged slightly during the winter (never intended it to be a snow plow) but it was a temporary setup to begin with so no big deal. I plan on rebuilding it with better materials when it's warm enough outside to lay on the ground under the car for a while.
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