jchoi23

I'm thinking of saving up some money and purchasing a rear wing for the S2K. I'm also looking at ducktail spoilers as well as an option. Any favorite rear wing modifications out there? There seems to be so many that I can't make up my mind about which one would function and look well.

This question has probably been asked many times, but I don't think it'll hurt to try to ask again to a new cast of people

Chuck S

These are really just jewelry and won't make the car faster -- yeah I have one. Heck my wife had a dealer-fitted ducktail on one of her Civics.

There are are under-$100 body color matched ducktails on Ebay that are held on by 3M tape and can't be told from OEM by less than connoisseurs. No holes to drill.

-- Chuck

RolanTHUNDER

I have a Tamon spoiler that's about to be colour matched to my GPW AP1. Can't wait to install. Simply a stick on affair thanks to it being so light.

jchoi23

Thanks for the reply, Chuck! The reason why I am looking into buying a wing is because I took an aero class for the first time at college last year. I was shocked by just how much aerodynamics plays into the handling and grip of the vehicle after performing some CFD analysis on F1 cars. Of course, my S2000 wouldn't be anything in the realm of an F1 car, but I'm planning on taking it to the track next year or doing autocross just for fun. I think in those scenarios, my car would be both better and safer around corners with a wing.

Would you say that those ducktails improve aerodynamics? They are relatively low cost, but I would think their effects on aero are relatively low as well.

jchoi23

Thanks for the replay Rolan! I'll take a look at that Tamon spoiler. Good luck and have fun installing it on your car!

Chuck S

If you have the time and engineering/mechanical experience to play with these you may develop some good data. Often the project is more rewarding than the results.

One car with an extremely good aerodynamic coefficient * is the Prius. The shape is the main factor in low fuel use. There is a remarkable absence of spoilers and wings on a Prius. Developed by engineers and wind tunnel data. Wings proliferate on race cars and take lots of trial and error to set up right and they seem to have many adjustments available. I suspect wings we see on the street are set up randomly but do fulfill their cosmetic purpose. My old Merkur XR4Ti had a double wing/spoiler on the back deck. Only thing it did for sure, other than looking boss, was spoil the view out the rear window.

I doubt air speeds in autocross will give any measurable wing or spoiler effect. Air resistance is exponential so is more important as speeds increase.

* Is that the right word? I'm more familiar with ballistic coefficient in bullets/projectiles.

-- Chuck

jchoi23

I think you're right, the car as it is right now already has a pretty good drag coefficient with the top up, and with a spoiler, I will only see noticable differences in aerodynamics once I hit a very high speed, something that I most likely won't hit during autocross. Nevertheless, I think that if I take it to the track, I might end up crossing that theoretical threshold of speed after which a rear wing could play a significant role.

I'm going to keep researching for information regarding the rear wing on the s2000 to see if it'll be worth it or not. Thanks for the advice!

Chuck S

I have an impulse buy sheet metal diffuser under the rear of the car which claims to help keep the rear of the car down at high speeds by eliminating the parachute effect of the open area around the rear suspension. All the cool kids have or want one, One thing it "spoils" for sure is access to the differential and rear jack point on the differential. And sticky tires will deposit small bits of road gravel on top of it. This seems to be functional as it encloses a significant area back there, not just some decorative teeth below the bumper. (10 years of photos on this PC but I can't find one right now.)

-- Chuck