GT350R Splitter worth it?

[DirtRoadTrip]

Another question I'd be asking is what additional weight can the trunk lid support?

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[Tomster]

Another question I'd be asking is what additional weight can the trunk lid support?

Yes, calculate the downward lift, and it could be substantial. I remember reading about the new ZL1 vette's wing. They say it produced 300 lbs of downward force. It could not simply be attached to the trunk lid because the force was too much.

 

[Tomster]

Ugh...I gotz to no! Because if this wing only needs another few horsepower, that's an intake and a tune away which is no sweat. And I'd be VERY okay with having a few hundred lbs of downforce in the butt.

Id just get a carbon2carbon wing and an R splitter and call it a day. The engineering has already been done for you.

 

[FP350S]

Another question I'd be asking is what additional weight can the trunk lid support?

I think the dog bones are key to allow the trunk lid to distribute that load.

 

[Hack]

Id just get a carbon2carbon wing and an R splitter and call it a day. The engineering has already been done for you.

I would be more inclined to do this if all the pieces needed such as Epiphany used were readily available.

I totally get the concept of wanting more rear grip for high speed corners, especially where walls are in close proximity.

 

[nastang87xx]

We are dealing with a wing which produces lift in the downward direction. The formula you guys are using is specific to parasitic drag and not taking into account the added drag as a byproduct of lift. The lift of the wing will vary with speed based upon the angle of attack, coefficient of lift, and wing area. As the velocity varies, lift will vary, and so will the drag. There are two types of drag associated with a wing, induced drag and parasitic drag. The downward force that the wing is producing on the car is the same as an aircraft wing, which is lift (think of it as an aircraft wing that is up side down). I've been away from the aeronautical university for quite some time now, but I do recall the formula for lift being L = Cl * A * .5 * r * V^2. L=Lift, Cl=coefficient of lift, A=area of wing, r=air density (rho), V=velocity. If you have the data from the manufacturer for Cl and A, you can solve for lift based upon each speed variable. For each speed variable you can then use the following formulas for induced drag and parasitic drag

Induced Drag (Di) can be calculated from the formula Di=L^2/.5 * r * V^2 * A

Parasitic Drag (Dp) can be calculated from the formula Dp=Cd * A * .5 * r * V^2 where Cd is the coefficient of drag.

So call the manufacturer of the wing and get the Cl, Cd, and S for the wing (yea, good luck with that) and chug some numbers. Have fun!

I do remember reading up on parasitic drag. But simply, you need to take into account drag from the actual wing assembly and drag from the car being pushed down too, yes? Also needing to account for the actual increased weight from the downforce itself.

 

[nastang87xx]

Yes, calculate the downward lift, and it could be substantial. I remember reading about the new ZL1 vette's wing. They say it produced 300 lbs of downward force. It could not simply be attached to the trunk lid because the force was too much.

ZR1 Vette's wing. Produces 900+ lbs and has two aluminum braces that go down into the chassis hidden in the rear bumper.

The ZL1 1LE wing produced 300lbs at 150 MPH.

 

[Tomster]

ZR1 Vette's wing. Produces 900+ lbs and has two aluminum braces that go down into the chassis hidden in the rear bumper.

The ZL1 1LE wing produced 300lbs at 150 MPH.

Yea, I knew it was a bunch. That's why I was saying just go with the R replica wing and splitter. Its all engineered for you.

 

[Muligan]

That car is drop dead gorgeous! I'm glad you didn't throw red badging on it. However red Brembos would look nice.

Thanks, man, I appreciate the kind words.

I wanted to preserve my OEM trunk lid as a complete package, so the trim panel I used at first was a new take-off that had the stock badging replaced with a "Powered by Ford Performance" emblem that evoked those on the front fenders of the AC Cobras. Kept gnawing at me, though, so I bit the bullet and bought a new replacement with the standard GT350 badge. List price was $900-ish, but the dealer where I bought the car sold it to me for $615 - still crazy money for a piece of plastic. I'll put it on next Spring and it'll finally look right - at least to me.



As for the red calipers - negative. I like the understated look of the silver badging and the gray calipers.

For those thinking about going the R splitter and wing route and doing a full replacement trunk lid, the splitter is easy - just expensive at nearly $1k - but the trunk lid takes a little more work - and a lot more money - to get right.

You'll need....

Trunk lid - new or a good used one from a car without an OEM rear spoiler
Complete trunk lid trim - inner liner, latches, bumpers, push-pins, and hardware
Wing - including the R-specific hardware (it's available, if you find the right source) - be careful, though, to get one that is functional and not just similar in appearance
Bodywork and paint - I decided to paint the wing, too, as the gloss clear carbon fiber look didn't look right to me on my car

All-in, the complete trunk lid cost me around $3k ($1,800 of that was just for the wing... still beats the $7k for the OEM wing, though) - and with all this, the original lid can be put back onto the car with just four nuts (no disassembly / reassembly, which could result in something getting broken or scratched).

 

[Tomster]

Thanks, man, I appreciate the kind words.

I wanted to preserve my OEM trunk lid as a complete package, so the trim panel I used at first was a new take-off that had the stock badging replaced with a "Powered by Ford Performance" emblem that evoked those on the front fenders of the AC Cobras. Kept gnawing at me, though, so I bit the bullet and bought a new replacement with the standard GT350 badge. List price was $900-ish, but the dealer where I bought the car sold it to me for $615 - still crazy money for a piece of plastic. I'll put it on next Spring and it'll finally look right - at least to me.



As for the red calipers - negative. I like the understated look of the silver badging and the gray calipers.

For those thinking about going the R splitter and wing route and doing a full replacement trunk lid, the splitter is easy - just expensive at nearly $1k - but the trunk lid takes a little more work - and a lot more money - to get right.

You'll need....

Trunk lid - new or a good used one from a car without an OEM rear spoiler
Complete trunk lid trim - inner liner, latches, bumpers, push-pins, and hardware
Wing - including the R-specific hardware (it's available, if you find the right source) - be careful, though, to get one that is functional and not just similar in appearance
Bodywork and paint - I decided to paint the wing, too, as the gloss clear carbon fiber look didn't look right to me on my car

All-in, the complete trunk lid cost me around $3k ($1,800 of that was just for the wing... still beats the $7k for the OEM wing, though) - and with all this, the original lid can be put back onto the car with just four nuts (no disassembly / reassembly, which could result in something getting broken or scratched).

Very nice.

I'll ask, because I remember certain part sourcing was an issue when you did yours. Where did you get the various mounting hardware?

 

[mkonrad]

Very nice.

I'll ask, because I remember certain part sourcing was an issue when you did yours. Where did you get the various mounting hardware?

+1. I'm fairly pleased with my combination of stainless threaded rod and stainless flange bolts of strategic length to affix the C2C rear spoiler and have few doubts about the longevity. But if any avenues for the dogbone or something more clever have opened up I would love to know too.

There are some things I just wouldn't do, even for a dogbone ;)

 

[Muligan]

The OEM wing from Ford comes with this hardware pack - I guess that's why it's over $5k more than the C2C part. Unfortunately, the hardware isn't available through any retail provider, so getting your hands on it requires a little creativity. Unfortunately, I agreed to not reproduce them and to not share where I got this stuff. That said, I'd like for others to succeed if they want to do the installation right, so the best advice I can give is to check out the race teams or Ford's supplier.



And here's what the "dog bone" looks like installed. I used button head screws, but the OEM set-up uses Torx for the visible screws.

 

[Tomster]

The OEM wing from Ford comes with this hardware pack - I guess that's why it's over $5k more than the C2C part. Unfortunately, the hardware isn't available through any retail provider, so getting your hands on it requires a little creativity. Unfortunately, I agreed to not reproduce them and to not share where I got this stuff. That said, I'd like for others to succeed if they want to do the installation right, so the best advice I can give is to check out the race teams or Ford's supplier.



And here's what the "dog bone" looks like installed. I used button head screws, but the OEM set-up uses Torx for the visible screws.

I completely understand. Can you share who Fords OEM supplier is? If not, I completely understand. This method is clearly the way to go for anyone who wants an R splitter and wing. The job you did on this is exemplary.

 

[S550GTCS]

For anyone interested in the APR GT-250 wing, this is how it mounts under the trunk at each side. That plate is a quarter inch thick.

My car has seen 160 mph with the wing and I will say that the front corners of the trunk seem just a tiny bit higher than the body of the car where they meet. I can't remember if this is how it has always been (misalignment) or if it was a product of the downforce produced by the wing.

 

[Epiphany]

I've shared it elsewhere so it isn't anything new - the GT350R wing supplier is Multimatic in Markham, Ontario. That said, they don't sell the hardware (or wing) direct to the public. Chris is being careful in respecting the wishes of those that helped direct him on this one and I can respect that as I did the same. It's too bad it has to be this way but it is what it is.

For those that truly on the hunt I suggest you contact Dean Martin at Kohr Racing. The GT4 cars use a custom wing atop the rear decklid but use the R model dogbones to attach them underneath.

Also of note - the factory hardware is metric to match the wing. The C2C wing, for example, uses an SAE thread.

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