Refurbished RRG IT air dam and custom splitter

[mysvtftoy]

Figured you kids might appreciate this. My Road Race Gear (RRG) splitter/air dam was getting a little tired. The out of the box unit is attached by screws securing the aluminum curtain to a chopped stock SVT plastic lip. Anyway, Brandon Higbee of Cantrell Motorsports helped me make the thing more secure (used my spare air dam) and fabbed a custom splitter. Here are some pics:



Edit: Got a chance to take a tape measure to the splitter today. The front to back depth is 12 inches (about 3 more than I figured I could get at the outset). I think making it that deep simplified securing to the radiator support.



Edit: The aluminum tube stock bracing is bolted to the radiator support at pre-existing holes. It was very handy.



We replaced all the old fittings and put in some washers behind the plastic to hold the airdam a little better. The splitter is bolted to the brackets with nut washers, which should make attachment and removal easier.

The things I like about this setup:

* Less lip in front, but more tray under the bumper (about 3-1/2 to 4 inches extended beyond the RRG-supplied splitter...car is still at the shop so I have not measured it directly)
* Reinforced attachment (rivets)
* More stout splitter (thicker...16 mil aluminum sheet)
* Easier removal/attachment (nut washers)

The splitter lip does extend to the edge of the air dam, but I'm not sure that will make any aerodynamic difference since the tray does not go all the way back. However, it should provide a little structural support as two added L-brackets were added beyond the last one provided originally by RRG.com. The plastic stock air dam substructure is *riveted* to the bumper cover. The plus is that it is definitely attached more securely. The tradeoff is that it will be impossible to remove without some concerted effort., but it's only an issue if the airdam is seriously mangled.

We did have to add a couple of brackets to support the back end of the tray, but those should be stout enough to stay in position when the splitter is taken off for around town driving.

Modifying this seemed easier than starting from scratch. Looking forward to some dry weather so I can test this setup at the track.

[drivesfast]

man, i would rock that in a blink of an eye... nice work.

[SVT-SAGE]

Hey My Friend Whats up with a How-To Fab your own splitter write up, Where to get Material, Dimension, Etc.

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by SVT-SAGE

Hey My Friend Whats up with a How-To Fab your own splitter write up, Where to get Material, Dimension, Etc.

I'll assemble some specific notes about the rivets, screws, nut washers, and brackets. But basically this is just a mod/rework of the RRG IT air dam and splitter. In general, it is a *little* more stout (w/r/t attachment/securement and the splitter itself). Otherwise not too much to tell. Probably the trickiest part was the anchor point for the brackets holding the back of the splitter in place. I'll talk to Brandon about the specifics.

[SVT-SAGE]

Sounds good.
Where did you buy the RRG at?

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by SVT-SAGE

Sounds good.
Where did you buy the RRG at?

www.roadracegear.com

It's an off the shelf piece -- although not cheap. I trashed my original one then got some replacement parts. I still have a clean splitter and a somewhat beat up curtain. The modified thing uses all the stock parts.

I just did not like:

* The original RRG securement to the stock air dam and the stress that puts on the stock air dam-to-bumper attachment
* The RRG splitter (mine had too much lip and not enough tray; and was flimsy)

This appears to have addressed those issues. We'll see when the car gets out for some lapping later in the spring.

This is not the cheapest solution, but does leverage the thing I already had. YMMV.

[rockthezx3]

That looks awesome!

[davlafont]

Nice. Looks pretty beefy, especially tied in to the rad support. Be sure to tell us how it feels on the track! (when the seasons turn of course...)

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by davlafont

Nice. Looks pretty beefy, especially tied in to the rad support. Be sure to tell us how it feels on the track! (when the seasons turn of course...)

I will. I mostly hope the added stability will give me a little more confidence going in to threshold braking zones at the end of a long straight and allow me to hold more speed through the associated turns (one long sweeper in particular). Over the winter I got a mild HP/TQ pop so I should be carrying more speed into those braking zones.

I also swapped the stock rear spoiler for the F2 CF thing. I expect it to have roughly the same effect as the stock spoiler: a mild reduction in lift and drag at the tail, but negligible downforce. I think it looks kinda cool, though.

[macdiesel]

Sweet rigging. The price is keeping me away for now. Splitter looks awesome. Gonna keep it silver or paint black?

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by macdiesel

Sweet rigging. The price is keeping me away for now. Splitter looks awesome. Gonna keep it silver or paint black?

It's not cheap. Paint it? Eh. It's done. It's probably gonna get beat up anyway.

[2003CompOSVT]

I want it

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by 2003CompOSVT

I want it

I got my first look at this thing in person today (car has been at Colin's getting miscellaneous other odds and ends sorted out). It is @#$%ing stout. The splitter is made of 16 mil sheet aluminum that makes the original thing from RRG look like a cheap, floppy spatula. Another cool feature is that the two connecting points on the radiator support are into *pre-existing* holes.

Brandon just picked a suitable bolt/nut/washer combination and pinned the back of the splitter down with some brackets made of some tube stock with flattend end bits.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I would want to stand on the lip, but it's close be being that strong. The weak point is the attachment of the stock plastic bit to the bottom of the bumper cover. Even that has been substantially reinforced with pop rivets. I reckon those rivets will be the point of failure in any nasty encounter with something completely immovable.

Today we discussed making this into a product package, but lord knows it would not be cheap, and would require some installation. However, the fact that the rear bracket/brace attachment point is tied to those pre-existing holes makes it a plausible product kit -- if not a particularly low-cost one. He's pondering it. I think he'd do it as an entire kit (airdam. brackets, bracing, structural parts, etc.). It might be worth thinking about doing the whole thing, including a bumper, fully assembled. Just thinking out loud now. I love the thing and can't wait to see how it performs. Another improvement is the gap between the splitter and the curtain. The original RRG piece had a noticeable gap. With this rework, the splitter is completely flush to the air dam! Plus, with the nut washer used, taking it on and off will go much quicker than with the original nut and bolt setup.

I really like it. Can you tell?

[MSpeedRacing]

Nice work, that is how it should have been made.
A added feature is that it also acts as a water shield for those running the CAI.

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by MSpeedRacing

Nice work, that is how it should have been made.
A added feature is that it also acts as a water shield for those running the CAI.

I think it would have been too expensive though. Once he has a template, maybe not as bad, but the prototype unit. Eesh. It's financially painful not having mechanical/fabrication skills.

[Spatakula]

^

man that looks nice. really really liking it.

-spatakula

[LaidToRest]

Looks cheap, no thanks.

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by LaidToRest

Looks cheap, no thanks.

Heh. Yes, it is certainly not attractive. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it does it's job, I will view it as a lovely piece indeed. Heh. I did see a very pretty (and BIG) splitter/tray on a friend's Evo come flying off in front of me while he was ripping along at about 125 (hadn't even hit top speed I'm sure) at Pacific Raceways. That was an ugly sight and left a bit of debris in front of me while I was doing about 100 or so. Eesh. I opted for a more secure piece, though I readily acknowledge it is an ugly duckling. Hah.

Edit: And just wait until it has a season or two of HPDEs under it's belt. You're REALLY not going to like its looks. Heh. It'll be one banged up MFer.

[tallguy2.3]

Do you have any pics of the splitter pre-modifications?

[mysvtftoy]

Originally Posted by tallguy2.3

Do you have any pics of the splitter pre-modifications?

Well, Unfortunately, RRG.com apparently no longer posts any of the views of their splitter when it was belacyrf's old car.

I have some general pictures on my car, but they don't really show what's going on under the bumper.



The RRG.com splitter ends almost right at the point where it connects to the air dam under the fog lamp. There is a little bit of the splitter that goes behind the dam, but not much. HTH.

[tallguy2.3]

Thanks