'99 Lip Spacer
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
'99 Lip Spacer
I've got the first prototype built and mounted, and will test it out later this month. Here's the back story:
Mine is a pretty serious street/track car, and I was looking for ways to increase front downforce without making it unusable for the street. First thought was the GTC bumper, but it's VERY low and fiberglass/rigid, meaning a liability in urban areas where I live. This ruled out splitters too—both from a liability perspective, but also the bottom of the '99 lip isn't flat so you'd have to make something to bridge the gap up front. I also looked at more aggressively shaped aftermarket lips. Again, I'm thinking $6-800 down the drain as soon the fiberglass/carbon fiber lip scrapes something.
SO, I wondered how I could lower the nose of the car, cut the amount of air that flows beneath it, and still maintain a durable front end. Then, I realized the shape of the top of the '99 lip was fairly flat—I could build a spacer that continues the shapes vertically, achieve the desired effect, and as an added bonus, get bigger brake ducts as well.
I'm still working ion getting the shape just right, and the mounting refined to be simple enough to provide reasonable instructions. The prototype is machinable nylon, water jet cut to shape. Once I get it right, I'll make some available to the community at a hopefully reasonable price (likely between $150-$250). Let me know if this is something people would be interested in.
Mine is a pretty serious street/track car, and I was looking for ways to increase front downforce without making it unusable for the street. First thought was the GTC bumper, but it's VERY low and fiberglass/rigid, meaning a liability in urban areas where I live. This ruled out splitters too—both from a liability perspective, but also the bottom of the '99 lip isn't flat so you'd have to make something to bridge the gap up front. I also looked at more aggressively shaped aftermarket lips. Again, I'm thinking $6-800 down the drain as soon the fiberglass/carbon fiber lip scrapes something.
SO, I wondered how I could lower the nose of the car, cut the amount of air that flows beneath it, and still maintain a durable front end. Then, I realized the shape of the top of the '99 lip was fairly flat—I could build a spacer that continues the shapes vertically, achieve the desired effect, and as an added bonus, get bigger brake ducts as well.
I'm still working ion getting the shape just right, and the mounting refined to be simple enough to provide reasonable instructions. The prototype is machinable nylon, water jet cut to shape. Once I get it right, I'll make some available to the community at a hopefully reasonable price (likely between $150-$250). Let me know if this is something people would be interested in.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
The new brake duct opening now allows the full use of a standard bumper inlet duct for 3" hose available at most any racing supply store:
Single Bumper Duct - .270Lbs.
I used them before, but with a 1" bulb sealer strip along the bottom to make up the difference.
Single Bumper Duct - .270Lbs.
I used them before, but with a 1" bulb sealer strip along the bottom to make up the difference.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
Just got back from three days of testing at VIR. Bottom line, this thing works. The additional stability at high speed is noticeable, and there's certainly more air getting to the brakes.
Needs some slight refinement in shape, and it would be great to machine in a little lip at the top front edge, to fill the gap between the spacer and the curve of the bumper, but I'm pretty happy.
Needs some slight refinement in shape, and it would be great to machine in a little lip at the top front edge, to fill the gap between the spacer and the curve of the bumper, but I'm pretty happy.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
I don't have a '93 lip, so don't have any plans. Wouldn't stop you from doing your own. It's water jet cut from 1" thick machineable nylon from McMaster, you just need to get a good accurate vector drawing of the shape. Maybe once this one is really perfected, I could work one up if I had a lip.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
This lowers the lip 1", so yes, the clearance is less. However, most aftermarket bumpers and lips (especially those that are effective on track, like the GTC) are also significantly lower than the stock setup, and they are fiberglass, so will break/shatter with contact. This maintains the durable ABS plastic OEM lip, and presumably also the urathane OEM or replica bumper, so it's much more durable.
I don't see any need for the complexity/cost of an expanding contraption. My car is VERY low, and this is still a livable setup. You've gotta pay a certain real world livability price for track functionality, and this offers very little compromise. And is fairly easy to reverse—you could theoretically install it for the track only.
.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,282
Likes: 703
From: Arlington, VA
Odula, AutoEXE, Mazdaseed, Uras, and RE Amemiya all already make more aggressive carbon fiber lips. To me, though, these suffer the same potential durability issue as the aftermarket bumper.
Now, if someone could get this more aggressive shape injected molded in ABS, then we'd have something, but I'd bet it's cost prohibitive, hence this solution.
The creativity of the rx7 crowd never ceases to amaze me....I really have to troll more sections of the forum more often.
Do you have access to the water jet or was the cutting hired out?
Do you have access to the water jet or was the cutting hired out?
Odula, AutoEXE, Mazdaseed, Uras, and RE Amemiya all already make more aggressive carbon fiber lips. To me, though, these suffer the same potential durability issue as the aftermarket bumper.
Now, if someone could get this more aggressive shape injected molded in ABS, then we'd have something, but I'd bet it's cost prohibitive, hence this solution.
Now, if someone could get this more aggressive shape injected molded in ABS, then we'd have something, but I'd bet it's cost prohibitive, hence this solution.
