I currently am running an APR GTC-200 wing. The effects are definitely noticeable, however, its chord length is .75" too wide to be assessed a +3 according to NASA's TT point system. As a result, I'm assessed an add'l +2 which could used for a rear diffuser or front aero.


The requirements for a +3 wing are that the chord length be no longer than 8" and the heighth must not exceed 13". I do not feel even remotely capable of pulling a Jack Olsen and making my own!

Thanks in advance,
Skip

 

 

Yeah, I bet you are!

 

Don't let old man Jack Olsen fool you. He's not your average
Shadetrade PCA member. I wonder if he's lurking

 

These days, even I'm not much of a Jack Olsen. (Having a first kid makes for a big hit on your 'backyard fabrication and design' time.)

Is your wing made of fiberglass? Is the trailing end straight? Is it relatively thin, as airfoils go?

If you answered yes three times, then one (possibly crazy) option might be to visit a friend with a table saw and just slice 3/4 of an inch off the trailing edge of that thing. My wild-ass guess is that this would mean a minor drop in the wing's effectiveness and a modest increase in drag. But being able to add front aero would be great, since a splitter helps with both the front and the back end of the car. And before you slice, you could probably coax some aerodynamics buff who's familiar with your wing's airfoil shape to run it on one of the free web pages that rolls the math on this sort of thing -- you could see if the trade-off with the chopped-tail wing would be all that terrible.

And while I've never worked with fiberglass, I'd bet that you could get the stuff you'd need to clean up the sawed edge and seal the thing back up at any surf shop. (Are there surf shops in Virginia?)

 

Thanks for your time, Jack, but my current wing is a store-bought CF one: APR GTC-200

If a wing could be found that falls in line with the criteria set forth by NASA, I would simply sell my current one and purchase a new or used model of the conforming variety.

Congrats on fatherhood! I have two teenagers... and somehow, still have my hair, albeit mostly white!

 

I've been reading that you've been doing well.

 

Skip,

Are you running TTC this year? It looks like if you're running the GTC-200, you might as well be running the GTC-300 from a points perspective. What are you planning on using for the front splitter? If you can't afford +2 for a splitter or larger wing, it sounds like you are pretty maxed out, what all is getting you there?

 

[QUOTE=FormulaRedline,Aug 26 2008, 11:35 AM] Skip,

Are you running TTC this year?

 

It has been an interesting season of racing. I glad you are still in the driver's seat