Finally Got Side Skirts

[alohaspirit]

well, he just posted yesterday so at least hes still here

[Big Dave]

No pics. Got rid of the side skirts.

More trouble than they were worth.

[McTimson]

Were they scraping the ground too much?

I was behind a lowered pickup the other day that couldn't have been more than 3 inches off the ground (most likely not for the aero benefit), going through a town where they were completely redoing all the roads. He was going about 5MPH trying to avoid scraping his truck through the dips in the road, and actually had to go through a gas station to avoid a major dip on the way. I guess lowering too much would just get annoying after a while.

[evolutionmovement]

Chaparral built a racecar called the 2J. It was known for having a snowmobile engine on the back that sucked air out from under the car for increased downforce. Less recognized is that, in order for that to work, the ground clearance had to be as small as possible. They came up with side skirts that moved vertically in opposition to the suspension movement with a system of cables and bell cranks. Whether that can be adapted to a road car with long term durability remains to be seen, but it might be something to consider. It's something I've thought of trying, but the complication, maintenance, and weight don't seem worth the effort to me. Thought I'd throw that out there anyway.

[Frank Lee]

Violates the K.I.S.S. principle.

[evolutionmovement]

Yeah, that's partly why the car seldom finished a race before it was banned.

[Big Dave]

I gave them 2 inches clearance, but that was just enough to occasionally drag. They eventuallt tore off the clamp at the front wheel. They were made of 3/8" ripstop conveyor belt. They helped about a quarter of one MPG.