rear wheel dams, fiat brava style

[lunarhighway]

i'm considdering adding some dams in front of my rear wheels.

the most common approach by major carmakers these days is to place a flat plate in front of the wheel however the late 90's fiat brava uses a different approach

note the little triangle before the rear wheel that are flared out a bit

a noticed this as a car like this is often parked near where i work.

now i'm wondering if a similar fairing would have advantages over a flat plate? it certainly looks more aerodynamics, but that doesn't make it so.

i'm either planning to make something similar or stick with more conventional flat plates, but since me FE feedback is limited to tank-to-tank results i'm unlikely to detect the difference between the two where i to test both so i'll stick with whichever seems best.

i'm also wondering how much of a rust hazard drilling holes to attach these would be in that area... i think there are some water drain holes along the length of the car, but i'd hate to do something that would get the rot in.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

i'm considdering adding some dams in front of my rear wheels.

the most common approach by major carmakers these days is to place a flat plate in front of the wheel however the late 90's fiat brava uses a different approach

note the little triangle before the rear wheel that are flared out a bit

a noticed this as a car like this is often parked near where i work.

now i'm wondering if a similar fairing would have advantages over a flat plate? it certainly looks more aerodynamics, but that doesn't make it so.

i'm either planning to make something similar or stick with more conventional flat plates, but since me FE feedback is limited to tank-to-tank results i'm unlikely to detect the difference between the two where i to test both so i'll stick with whichever seems best.

i'm also wondering how much of a rust hazard drilling holes to attach these would be in that area... i think there are some water drain holes along the length of the car, but i'd hate to do something that would get the rot in.

Introducing the potential for corrosion is something I struggled with early on,then I resigned myself to the notion that if I did everything perfectly,I'd never make any progress.So I've basically been willing to sacrifice my cars for the sake of knowledge.I wouldn't expect nor ask anyone else to do the same.There are some very good marine-quality sealants,and if a drill penetration is made in metal,spot-priming,spot-painting,and a liberal application of caulk-type sealant can discourage the onset of oxidation/corrosion when add-on devices are fastened to the body.

[mwpiper]

I believe an angled deflector is the right path. Not sure how a flat plate improves over the curved tire.

Consider gluing your attachments on. This avoids breaking the finish. There are many items that are solidly and essentially permanently attached with simple two faced adhesive strips. If the deflectors are attached under the rocker panel, even if you took them off the marred surface wouldn't show.

[lunarhighway]

I just thought of something! Can't remember what post but i think i saw someone use them to attach some sort of trunklid extention to his car.

i have some laying around so perhaps they're strong enough to keep a light fairing in place!

they have to be strong enough to deal with any shocks of course.
but that would be a 100% non intrusive mod!

[Raysp30]

I did something pretty similar for my front wheels in the Saturn. I just took a couple pieces of styrofoam block and cut them into the right shape. I have duct tape holding them on. They've been in place for a couple months now without a problem.