Dave Henshall

what does it look like without it fitted, does it look wrong ?

need to take mine off due to a rip in the bugger

never actuallt seen one with it not fitted - do the hockeysticks have to come off aswell?

Rippers

This might give you an idea? Not keen myself

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Escort-Co...QQcmdZViewItem

Dave Henshall

righty,


got it off (good job someone used all stainless nuts and bolts last time they fitted it )

bloody thing has ripped right on a hole, are they repairable..?



i used big fook off washers to try and stop this happeneing - anyboy else got any ideas to stop them warping?

doesnt look as bad as i though without (for now )


my cold air feed to airbox

wirralphil

there was a pic on here the other week with out it on on a rally escort with out thse on i think it was featured in performance ford.

Turbo lag

It looks crap doesn't it

Dave.

Dave Henshall

but not as bad as i first thought,

at least it'll be ok till i get the rip fixed...

any other ideas anyone how to stop them warping?

TrevCos

iTrader: (1)

Get some Creative Carbon ones mate, they're the business. Here's my car with them on.



Definitely looks wrong with nothing on the front and will always put someone off when you want to sell it. If you look at even some of the really mint cars you'll see these original things have warped, basically because they're a more flexible plastic than either the bumper or the splitter if you have it fitted.

Dave Henshall

here is it when i first got the car nearly 4 years ago



and all warped

i fitted a brand new one and it did the same - now that new one is ripped - which reminds me, ive still got the original unripped on in the loft - but it needs un warping...

trev, your pics arent workin m8

only trouble with the carbonones it that where i drive it it WOULD destroy them (BIG speed humps etc) there must be a way - i though at first filling the back with expanding filler foam...?

dave cos4x4

iTrader: (5)

looks shit with non on imo.

glad i got some carbon ones....just hope i don't smash them as soon as they go on.

dave cos4x4

iTrader: (5)

Dave,

what about strengthning the back of the warped one,glue a piece of hard plastic or something similar behind it.

Dave Henshall

thats what i was thinking - but has anyone actually tried it with good results? dont want to do it and wreck it - althoughi could practise with the ripped one....

u mean fix a batton along the edge where it bolts to the bumper ?

TrevCos

iTrader: (1)

Dave, I can see my pic.

Aha, I see what you're saying. Yes, hitting things is the issue, although I've been lucky so far (and very careful), and I don't have the splitter out far in front.

Dave Henshall

they r workin now trev, lokks good

the shell station near us is a tw@t , its man hole covetrs are raised and you go in at a funny angle and in a dip, it always catches, and im not lowered, and thats withthe lower bit retracted to the middle position just so its just poking out about 1cm...

dave cos4x4

iTrader: (5)

how can you fook one up,it will be on the inside.

Dave Henshall

lookin at this pic...

what about if i made a plate (aluminium) that would bolt downa dn sandwich the ripples flat, and the same to the top piece,


only thing would be it would make it all quite strong, would it now rip the whole bumper off if i did catch it...?

TrevCos

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I'm pleased with them Dave, although as with all these bits you have to do some work to get them to fit properly i.e. widen out the holes on the spoiler to fit to the original mounts on the bumper, and make all the holes for the splitter, and it didn't help that my front bumper was slightly warped underneath as well. I got there though.

Rippers

I think the problem with the warping is the weight of the splitter, could the lower splitter not be attached to the bumper like those old DTM stabilizer bars people used to fit in the 90's but on the back so you wouldn't see them? So there is less strain on the spoiler making it warp.

Dave Henshall

hmmm, i remember the brand new spankly middle section was all ripply on the edges like it still is even when it was new in the bag - i suppose the weight of the lower bit makes them worse, dont know how you could fix it to anything solid underneath,...

TrevCos

iTrader: (1)

I wonder whether you could take the lower splitter off altogether and then make a plate bridging the break (like you were saying) to hold that bit together better. I don't think it'll ever look perfect but if the pieces are closer together it might not be so noticable. And if you take the splitter off it'll give you a bit more clearance over bumps (and you can sell it on E-BAY). And it won't break any more due to the weight hanging off it.
A lot of them don't have the lower splitter on anyway, mine didn't when I first bought it. When you've done it how about filling any gaps with black silicone sealer. It might actually be quite unnoticable then. I doubt anyone would notice unless they were looking for it.

Dave Parker

when i refitted mine i noticed mine changing shape when i tightened the bolts, so i used nyloc nuts but only tight enough to hold it on, its not perfect but its a lot better and it cant come loose

Dave Henshall

i ran the new one for a week or so with no lower bit on to see if pulled straight,,,,

it didnt

Dave Parker

mine has never looked like that (are pics making it look worse) but my lower piece has always been fitted inside where you cannot see it, was like that when i bought it

Billabong

The front end will probably be a fair bit 'lighter' steering wise without the aero pack.

Also, don't think it's necessarily just the weight of the splitter causing the warping, more of the fact it actually works which causes the rippling (air pressure pulling it down).

Don't run the splitter on mine due to speed bumps etc. everywhere near me, and not had a problem with warping of the stone defelctor.

I wouldn't have accepted the deflector from Fords with the ripple already in it, as it'll never straighten out.

Dave Henshall

amen to that - feels quite unstable now at (higher ) speed , if you move the wheel to casue a wobble the whole car seems to shift about rather than it just moveing the nose about - would be interesting to see how many extra kg's it does supply to the front of the car at 70mph say...?

Dave Henshall

bttt:

does anyone have the test figures for the front splitter, ie the speed v's downforce for each of the 3 positions...?

would be quite intersting to see, along with the difference the whale tail makes ( i know it drops about 10mph off a std car) but what difference it makes to the downforce is more interesting IMO

Redkop

I destroyed my original stone deflector/lower splitter and drove round for quite a while with it off. I managed to get a cheap GGR one, but I have not fitted the lower splitter and I haven't found any difference with not having it on the car.

Billabong

Just to add, when I said aeropack, I meant even just the stone deflector makes a big difference in front end downforce/stability.

Dave Henshall

it does indeed

i think i heard 7kg per side on the middle setting - dunno if this is true or not, can anyone confirm..?

xr2i-carl

TBH i think they dont look very good without then, like a FIT bird with no teeth sorta thing