‘97 Civic Hatchback Winter Beater

[JacobLeSann]

Hey all, me again with another Civic.

This one’s a roughed-up 97 hatchback. I don’t have pictures offhand but it’s pretty much stock bodywork. Needs some fixing and body repair.

I live in the land of harsh winters, crap roads, and salt. If I make a super streamlined custom car, it doesn’t work well here over the winter. Thus, I was thinking of building something that could better handle the season, while still getting good mileage. That way I wouldn’t wreck my summer car.



Here’s the car. I’d imagine some gains can be made by modifying the hatch shape.



And here’s a silly idea. Build aero modifications with knowledge taken from WRC cars. Skip the downforce, obviously. 90’s WRC Kit cars could be a good inspiration.



Another silly idea. Safari edition Civic? The pod lights would be super useful. It’s dark as heck here in the winter and light bars are common. A tube frame bull bar or even just a reinforced front bumper could be great too. I’ve cracked a bumper more than once in the winter, yet almost never in the summer.


Anyways, that’s my rambly post for today. I’d like to:

-Reduce the car’s curb weight and find out the ideal weight distribution for ice and snow.

-Build a resilient and durable full undertray that can take a beating

-Reinforce the front fascia to better handle accidents (sliding into a snow bank for example).

-Add external lighting (light bars, flood lights, fog lights, etc.)

-Increase ground clearance by 2-3” without ruining ride quality.

-Limited-Slip Diff

-Add-ons or sealants to reduce corrosion of the unibody.



Lemme know of any ideas. I quite like the new Toyota RAV4 and I find its ground clearance and suspension design very perfect for winter driving. Could be another vehicle to study.

[freebeard]

Another silly idea. Safari edition Civic?

The Singer/Tuthill 911:



Splitter for downforce plus crumple zone. (Just in case, you know?)

[JacobLeSann]

I love that car. I’m happy somebody else has seen it. She rips!! Porsche tried to sue them for it iirc. Bummer.

Ever see the Dakar runners? There’s a Citroen ZX “Rallye Raid” that looks awesome. Don’t have any photos offhand but it is a raw and wild car.


On topic; I wonder if mudflaps really are bad for aero. Lots of rocks peppering my window while I’m driving lately. Makes me want to spare others from a cracked windshield.

[JacobLeSann]

I’ve got some days off coming up this Christmas, and I would like to spend them swapping an engine into this hatchback. Funny enough, that engine comes from my first thread on this forum.

In terms of aero, I’m already thinking about the rear.



Could I imitate the VW Corrado? Modify the rear hatch of my car to act as sort of kammback? This could be advantageous in that attached flow down the rear glass could help clear snow for rear visibility. Wouldn’t need a rear wiper.



Could I just make a simple kammback, tried and true on this forum? I could easily see that packing up with snow, salt, and dust from the car’s wake. It would be heavier than stock, too.



Could I drastically overestimate my skills and attempt to imitate the Volvo 3CC concept? This could make the car a 3-seater which could reduce storage space. The rear glass would face the aforementioned visibility issue. On the flip side, this could reduce a lot of weight back there, and I never carry more than 3 people, really.

Food for thought. Emphasis on *could*.


On the mechanical end of this, it looks like strut spacers will be the way to go. Lightest and cheapest setup. I do wonder what handling and suspension travel will be like. CV axle wear is a concern.

[JacobLeSann]

I can get a great deal on some 4” pod lights at work. However, they are only flood lights. But $30 for each is a steal! I find the headlights on the car handle distanced-visibility well, so maybe flood lights mounted at headlight level would help for seeing animals at night.

The car has no A/C, so there’s a big blank area where the condenser would otherwise be. I wonder if it could be worth it move the radiator to a centralized position and then shrink the grille opening accordingly.

I’ve tried to find some taller wheels/tires, and I do have some off a Cobalt that bolt up. I’ve found all the taller wheels have a wider contact patch, and while that may possibly be better in ice I find it less effective through snow.

Hmm…

If this is irrelevant to the aerodynamics subforum then let me know.

[aerohead]

If you 'lost' that 'roof-extender' in the photo of the yellow TYPE-R, and extended the roofline down into a Kamm-back, like with the 'Panasonic WRC' car, there'd be potential for savings.
Dr. Hermann Burst, who co-developed the 'ducktail' spoiler for the 1972 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7, also used on the 911 Dakar Rally car you've shared, had originally chosen a 'Kamm-back' as the solution for drag and lift, and it turns out to fit the AST-Part-C silhouette, but was shot down by committee, on account of aesthetics, and respect for 'Butzi' Porsche's 911 'falling roofline' contour.
If you did a 'Kamm-back', I'd still recommend the AST-Part-C contour, as aerodynamicists are still today choosing it for the lowest drag/lift aft-bodies. This would be predicated upon the 'lead-in' contour of the HONDA's roofline matching that of the AST.
I don't have a blueprint, so I don't know.

[JacobLeSann]

Thank you aerohead. I’m thinking a kammback will be the correct course although I’m wanting to and tuft test the stock bodywork first.

I think modifying the rear hatch into a Kamm profile could be even better than just attaching plastic add-ons to it, and if done correctly could increase storage space.

What are your thoughts on the Volvo 3CC, aerohead? I haven’t seen this concept mentioned much on this forum.

[JacobLeSann]

Whoever shot down a Porsche kammback should’ve been kicked out! Kammbacks look great to me. Here’s a 1973 Citroen SM used to test tires for Michelin. Looks cooler than the original in my opinion.

[freebeard]

What are your thoughts on the Volvo 3CC, aerohead? I haven’t seen this concept mentioned much on this forum.

It reached production as the Volvo C30. I've seen a few around town.

[JacobLeSann]

Haha, my girlfriend loves the Twilight Saga and one of many jarring moments is seeing that car in a “high school” parking lot. Very fancy! I’d love to see it dressed up as a modern WRC car.