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-   -   Flexible air dam? (https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/flexible-air-dam-36431.html)

19bonestock88 05-05-2018 01:17 AM

Flexible air dam?
 
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4585262

I’ve seen stuff like this on big trucks(front wheel well) but is there any way to get the bristles in a pre fabricated strip? With such, we could have air dams extending to half an inch above the road for max FE benefit, not to mention using it in front fender wells where rubbing wouldn’t be a concern, as opposed to using a front wheel skirt

19bonestock88 05-05-2018 01:43 AM

I found something that looks promising...

https://www.northshorecommercialdoor...-b07-flex.html

mpg_numbers_guy 05-05-2018 09:57 AM

Hm, seems like air at highway speeds would still find its way through the bristles somehow and cancel some of the aero benefit, but more from a splitting hairs standpoint. Interesting material though. Why not just go with lawn edging though?

kach22i 05-05-2018 10:12 AM

Some early 1960's small skirtless hovercraft experimented with bristles in lieu of a flexible rubberize cloth for a skirt.

As I understand it they allowed almost all of the air pressure/air flow to escape and were worthless.

A simple test to verify would be to take a broom to the gas station and shoot compressed air though it. You will find out soon enough first hand.

EDIT: Experiment closer to real life.

Have your wife drive, take a whisk broom with you out on the highway, roll down the window and feel how much air gets through.

Only a loving wife will understand your madness. :D

19bonestock88 05-09-2018 01:19 PM

Admittedly I wasn’t considering the brush seal as a primary air dam, but to extend a lawn edging air dam to near ground level without all the scraping... however the prime use, IMO, would be for super low side skirts, and to fill the gaps in the wheel wells... I figure it might work a little better where it’s near parallel to airflow

kach22i 05-10-2018 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19bonestock88 (Post 569137)
Admittedly I wasn’t considering the brush seal as a primary air dam, but to extend a lawn edging air dam to near ground level without all the scraping... however the prime use, IMO, would be for super low side skirts, and to fill the gaps in the wheel wells... I figure it might work a little better where it’s near parallel to airflow

The race track car discussions I've read in forums favor using conveyor belt material. In practice runs the parts that are too low get worn down by friction, then come race-time there is no friction but the spoilers are at the lowest they can be for that particular track.

Problem in comparing to street use is the variables and unexpected conditions we come across. However anyone with a low slung car knows which driveways to avoid by a glance. Still, there are always surprises.

19bonestock88 05-10-2018 10:21 AM

I may have to look into the conveyor belt material... I just seen the air brush on the wheel wells of big rigs and got inspired lol

freebeard 05-11-2018 03:54 PM

Why not both? Lawn edging as a backer for [2/3 of] the brush. Another source is aircraft hangar door seals.

19bonestock88 05-11-2018 04:11 PM

As it is, the brush seal, in enough length to extend an air dam and to fill the gaps in the front wheel wells, would be the single most expensive mod on my car, by a wide margin... i don’t think the gain from using it would be huge either...

California98Civic 05-11-2018 04:43 PM

I have long wondered about using "Great Stuff" filler for a molded front wheel well shirt/fill extending the body contour as close as possible to the tire/wheel leading edge & top.

19bonestock88 05-11-2018 05:04 PM

With my car lowered it shouldn’t take all that much filler to skirt the edges of my front tires, but I’m not likely gonna mod my fenders yet

Xist 05-11-2018 06:02 PM

Where does one find one of these "loving wives?"

19bonestock88 05-11-2018 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xist (Post 569414)
Where does one find one of these "loving wives?"

I got lucky finding mine, but they’re normally about as common as an automatic transmission VX

RedDevil 05-12-2018 04:44 AM

One could line the brushes with thin plastic foil.
I'd like to tilt the brushes forward to create a splitter like lip.

mpg_numbers_guy 05-12-2018 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19bonestock88 (Post 569416)
...about as common as an automatic transmission vx

Lols :D:D:D

freebeard 05-12-2018 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedDevil
One could line the brushes with thin plastic foil.

At freeway speeds, lawn edging is thin plastic foil.

19bonestock88 05-12-2018 05:46 PM

I don’t see any backing short of coroplast or lawn edging adequately reinforcing the brush seal at highway speed... that being said, it could maybe so for filling wheel gap or such

mwebb 05-25-2018 12:40 AM

lawn edging is worse than useless
 

when i see these threads discussing the use of lawn edging as air dams

i know the poster is "lacking in candor"

have tried and destroyed lawn edging air damns more than a few times

use a tire tread or two for wide applications , on the geo metro a 185 60 15 re 92 with both side walls sliced off to the edge of the steel belts is about
perfect

it will scrape sometimes but it will never break or crack or split or bend out of the way
unlike
the
useless
lawn edging
which will do all of the above in the first 30 days of use


California98Civic 05-25-2018 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebeard (Post 569449)
At freeway speeds, lawn edging is thin plastic foil.

On mine, I used the curve of the edging itself and the ball end down to increase the rigidity in the airflow. I am sure it does not flex as you theorize. I know because I cannot move it aside to get a Jack under the car unless I use significant force.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwebb (Post 570545)

when i see these threads discussing the use of lawn edging as air dams

i know the poster is "lacking in candor"

have tried and destroyed lawn edging air damns more than a few times

use a tire tread or two for wide applications , on the geo metro a 185 60 15 re 92 with both side walls sliced off to the edge of the steel belts is about
perfect

it will scrape sometimes but it will never break or crack or split or bend out of the way
unlike
the
useless
lawn edging
which will do all of the above in the first 30 days of use


While I have replaced the edging once and had to improve the mounting a couple times, I have seven years of experience across 80,000 miles that suggests it's not useless as you assert. I think it matters how you mount it. I have not had to redo it in a few years now. It scrapes sometimes. Stays in place.

kach22i 05-25-2018 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwebb (Post 570545)
...........
useless lawn edging ............

I had to drive around for a while with foil tape all over my old lawn edging chin spoiler because some a-hole could not parallel park.

Conveyor belt material is expensive, but you do it once and never have to mess with it again.

What sort of tools do you use to safely cut up an old tire with?

Power tools?

Hand, ear and eye protection?

If I ever do this I want to do it right and not end up in the hospital. ;)

19bonestock88 05-27-2018 12:00 PM

My guess on cutting up a tire would be to use safety glasses, leather gloves and a sawzall with a sharp blade...

ksa8907 05-27-2018 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kach22i (Post 570554)
I had to drive around for a while with foil tape all over my old lawn edging chin spoiler because some a-hole could not parallel park.

Conveyor belt material is expensive, but you do it once and never have to mess with it again.

What sort of tools do you use to safely cut up an old tire with?

Power tools?

Hand, ear and eye protection?

If I ever do this I want to do it right and not end up in the hospital. ;)

If safety is a goal, think low speed. Electric shears would be my first choise.

freebeard 05-27-2018 01:58 PM

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUhPv3ROQ...0/DSC_0055.JPG
Just A Car Guy: a couple innovative things I came across at El Mirage today

I doubt you could flatten a tire sufficiently for a side skirt. Stretched across the front bumper as an overlaid airdam/bully bar might work.


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