2014 Corolla OEM under belly pans

[LeanBurn]

I have done a few of the under pan upgrades to my 2009 Corolla (all the front ones) as shown on this diagram of pans put in place for the 2014 Corolla: http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.c...8_2524_low.jpg

I am trying to figure this one out from the 2014 Corolla: http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.c...1_2524_low.jpg

I know the rear bumper plastic skin on the 2014 Corolla is of more flimsy nature than on the 2009, but I can't figure out what is going on here. You have parts bracing the rear bumper skin, but then not really having enough coverage to bridge the gap between the spare wheel well and the bumper (3" gap) as the semi circle cutout is there so the jack can access the rear jack point.

Then you have 4 boat tail like parts out on a mostly flat piece already. From what I gather to straighten flow.

Then the whole part itself actually is lower than the spare tire well by 2 inches or more. I get this one. I believe that this part is so that flow can be assisted as it leaves the car.

Would my car benefit from something like this? Do I need the 4 boat tails and how much drag would this be reducing to be worth doing?

[Vman455]

The 4 "boat tails" are fins, the same as on the 3rd gen Prius. In that application, Toyota claimed in their press release that they help directional stability. You're probably fine without them.

[serialk11r]

My cousin bought a new 2014 Corolla recently, and I noticed that the rear wheel spat thingy (the thing that goes ahead of the tire to block the air) had a gaping hole right above it! It looked like it was channeling air towards the brakes. Not sure why a Corolla would need rear brake cooling...

[Xist]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

My cousin bought a new 2014 Corolla recently, and I noticed that the rear wheel spat thingy (the thing that goes ahead of the tire to block the air) had a gaping hole right above it! It looked like it was channeling air towards the brakes. Not sure why a Corolla would need rear brake cooling...

Is there anything similar for the front brakes? Don't those receive a majority of the braking force? I ask this because I have gone over the handlebars of my bike...

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

My cousin bought a new 2014 Corolla recently, and I noticed that the rear wheel spat thingy (the thing that goes ahead of the tire to block the air) had a gaping hole right above it! It looked like it was channeling air towards the brakes. Not sure why a Corolla would need rear brake cooling...

If you're fully-loaded,in the summer, and descending a long,steep mountain downgrade pass,as from Leadville,Colorado,you want everything going in your favor.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by Xist

Is there anything similar for the front brakes? Don't those receive a majority of the braking force? I ask this because I have gone over the handlebars of my bike...

Let me take a look right now...The front indeed does have a hole too! Except here the fender is completely closed off, and it's a hole in the wheel spat itself. However the location of the hole is conveniently in a place where it allows air to hit the brakes too.

I went and groped some other cars too and found nothing of the sort. I'm almost waiting for some kind of press statement about the 2014 Corolla's track readiness lol.

Originally Posted by aerohead

If you're fully-loaded,in the summer, and descending a long,steep mountain downgrade pass,as from Leadville,Colorado,you want everything going in your favor.

I suppose the Corolla doesn't come in manual transmission anymore so this might be a necessary feature. But that said, I looked at a parked Porsche and it doesn't have said rear brake cooling channel, despite having a lot of weight over the rear, and being designed to be nearly track ready from the factory.

[matt36415]

The size of the Porsche brakes is probably several times bigger than a corolla, probably a much larger ventilation space between the two faces.... possibly different material... very different systems in a Porsche and Corolla

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by matt36415

The size of the Porsche brakes is probably several times bigger than a corolla, probably a much larger ventilation space between the two faces.... possibly different material... very different systems in a Porsche and Corolla

The stock brake rotors are actually not that big, I would guess 12-13" diameter at most. The ventilation space is a touch bigger than the brakes on my MR2, which are just as wimpy as Corolla brakes. The material is definitely not different, all cars use either cast iron or carbon ceramic.

The reason I'm surprised is because brake cooling ducts are extremely useful on track cars, but I've never seen them from the factory on a car that isn't something like a 911 GT3. Including all the Cayman and 911 models right now, minus the GT3. In fact the Nissan 350/370Z were famous for extreme brake fade despite bigish rotors that led to lots of crashes, and adding a cooling duct solved that problem.

[LeanBurn]

I doubt its for brake cooling.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by LeanBurn

I doubt its for brake cooling.

What do you think it's for then?..