Hey guys,

I'm looking at adding some downforce to the car, but I'll admit I'm a sort of noob. I see wings going anywhere from $200-$5000 and front lips/splitters ranging in huge amounts too.

I guess I'm wondering what you guys recommend as the best bang for the buck. I don't mind spending money on good parts as long as they get the job done. I'm really more of a function > form type so I don't care if it's "JDM Bling" or "Baller Status"

Right now the car doesn't feel terribly 'grounded' (for lack of a better word) at high speeds so I think adding some downforce would definitely help when track season comes around here in a few months.

Thanks!

Nate

 

On the list of things that will make a difference in how the car feels at speed, especially in corners, aero devices are not at the top.

The biggy is suspension settings (toe, camber and caster) -- these control whether a car feels light or stable at high speeds. Tire pressures will also make a difference. If you're looking to dial in your car for track use, I'd spend time with a good suspension guy (preferably at the track, with the ability to measure tire temps and make suspension adjustments) before I'd strap on a wing or a splitter.

And on a related note: if you asked most drivers to analyze the handling characteristics of a well-set-up track car, they'd tell you it's ridiculously tail happy and needs correction. We all get used to the understeer built into production cars -- it's reassuring on a track, too -- but a little bit loose is also a little bit faster.

Because of the way aero works, wings and splitters aren't a huge factor at most of the road courses people like us drive on. Don't get me wrong, they help. But if you look at the actual numbers, the work a wing is doing is pretty negligible below 60-70 mph and probably isn't counteracting the car's self-generated lift until you're well into triple digits (on my own very old car, even with a huge wing, I'm hardly ever generating any actual net downforce -- but an S2K has a cleaner design).

But if a wing will produce net downforce above, say, 110+ mph, then ask yourself: how many 110+-mph corners am I navigating where I'm also running out of track?

Aero is only slowing you down when you're going fast on a straight (or a corner that's gradual enough so that you could safely take it flat without aero), and most 2nd- and 3rd-gear corners will be too slow for aero to be any real help. In California, there are probably only two tracks where aero gives me a meaningful advantage. At Willow Springs, there's are a few 85-95 mph corners, including one very long sweeper, and also turn 8 -- one of the fastest corners in the country. Thunderhill also has some fast doglegs. 4th- and 5th-gear corners (is an S2K a 6-speed?) are where a wing helps.

But even a fast course like the California Speedway roval is kind of a toss-up. I'm not having to let up on the gas on the (fast) NASCAR portions of the track, and the infield is generally so tight that the corners bring me down to speeds where my wing isn't doing much.

All that said, I don't know much about the S2K-specific options. But I think it's worth mentioning that aero isn't a cure-all for handling, and probably isn't the first place you should look to counteract handling that feels light and scary. Suspension settings play a much bigger role in what (I think) you're describing.

 

Thanks for the response!

Maybe I should list more of a description of my issue and get an appropriate response that way. I'm in an AP1 that's supercharged (300whp soon to be 375whp). I'm on a mostly stock suspension with the exception of a thicker front sway bar and Tein S-Tech springs.

Basically, whenever I'm at WOT I feel like the car has this 'liftoff' type of feeling. The car feels ungrounded or loose, almost like the chasis is lifting up or something. Kinda hard to explain I suppose.

Anyways, I was thinking that downforce was an issue, but maybe I should look elsewhere? I know the stock suspension setup is good from the factory but should I possibly look into upgrading there?

It's pointless to have a car putting down significant power if it can't handle it so I'd really love to find a solution where the car feels more grounded instead of so unstable.

-Nate

 

I think this tread is on the right track, no pun intended

 

Yeah. Stiffer springs and appropriately-valved shocks will make it feel more stable under hard throttle.

Nice problems to have.

 

I had a stockish wing on a platform that was pretty balanced and was spinning some decent times. when i cam accross a free GT3 cup car wing, I had to try it out. It wasnt too bad at sears, but at laguna in rendered the car almost undriveable, even though the turns are relatively slow, compared with willow. after turing the angle of attack down, it became more well behaved. after some studying of the situation, I found out that a better splitter and a hood vent could create much more front downforce. after a Dec 07 test day, it proved to be right. aero balance is more important than just slapping a wing on for more downforce. In the end, I have a safer car to drive, but I probably could drive it as fast with out the wing and splitter with a little more drag for the same downforce on the older stock wing, kicked up to 10 degrees angle.

 

I got a wing cuz it looks dam cool

 

I agree with the people who agree ..... with JackOlsen's previous comments.

If the instability putting power down you're feeling is when the car is 'relatively' pointed in the right direction, aero is not your issue.

The times when a wing will help you is high speed cornering when you're trying to accelerate the whole time.... basically big sweepers at, it seems in this car stock, over 80 mph though that varies by track.

The Tein Tech-S seutp as I understand it is pretty soft and might not be stiff enough for your power output.

 

So to recap, in order to obtain high speed stability under acceleration;
- Verify alignment, pay attention to front toe + camber (rear toe may affect as well)
- Control body movement with appropriate springs + shocks (adjustable height)
- Body should have about 3 degrees nose down (lowers underbody air pressure)
- Fine tune handling with sway bars
- Tire pressure adjustments
That will form a solid foundation for your car handling.
***I really liked my Eibach sport springs (dual rate) on the street, however they would make my car wallow (float) at high speed on track days...
Went to straight rate springs, couldn't be happier...
Cheers

 

From what I understand the springs are slightly stiffer than stock, but nothing that significant. I contemplated getting some CR shocks and possibly the Ground control kit with stiffer spring rates. That may be a good route to harness the power I'm making.