Im sooo disappointed you didn't Stain it and make it have that antique look lol.

 

So I ended up going your route... I used 1/2" birch and instead of the speaker strapping, I used threaded rod and quick release ball joint rod ends. I think that change added about $60-70 to the total cost of the splitter, but I can get it on and off in just a couple minutes.

 

Thats pretty impressive. I love reading DIY articles. You know what you should to, is get some of that 3m carbon fiber vinyl, and wrap it.

 

Thanks; glad you enjoyed checking out the thread.

I've actually since repainted my plywood splitter with a satin/matte black spraypaint that looks much better and matches my bumper cover.

 

Ah okay. Good stuff. Well done man.

 

Good DIY... You know what you can do is use that splitter to make a mold and just lay some fiberglass

 

+1million!

Please get rid of the wood. It reminds me of DSM's

 

and people say im a redneck only because im from ky.this reminds me of a kid that built a body kit out of plywood. wait till it gets wet and starts to seperate and split.

 

Alumilite might be something you could have looked at. very nice job tho

 

Mine has been autocrossed and tracked in the wet many times. That's why I spent time and effort making sure it was waterproofed. No swelling or splitting here.

 

Here's what the finished product ended up looking like.

 

I also did a DIY plywood splitter. I did mine before I saw this so I did it differently but similar. I used threaded rod from HomeDepot to brace mine in the front. I then used a digital level and turned the front rods to exact -3 degrees downslope in the front - as it should be and is allowed by SM rules. It left a big gap in the front between the splitter and the bumper so I used a thin piece of plastic strip about 4 inches wide and screwed it to the bumper.



The result = I think the car gripped better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTTgmSalwI

 

I only have the most rudimentary grasp of fluid dynamics, and am only parroting what more educated and intelligent people have told me, but I've heard that having the splitter level/parallel to the ground will actually have a greater effect than having it tilted downward at the leading edge. The theory as it's been explained to me is that the air under the splitter is accelerated, thus creating a lower pressure zone and "sucking" the splitter down. If you tilt the splitter down at the front, the air will slow down as it expands in the larger area under the car as it moves rearward.

I do know that having the splitter closer to the ground (and parallel to it) WILL increase the downforce, though, so I'm currently working on new mounting hardware to move it down to about 2.5" above the ground, rather than about 4.7". So, like you, I'll be using thin ABS plastic to bridge the resulting gap between the splitter's top surface and the front edge of my front bumper cover. I'll post pics when I'm done.

 

So I've been doing some research and I've learned...

Bernoullis’ principal says faster moving air has a lower pressure and that lower pressure is what causes front down force.... For a splitter to work it has to be flat, parallel to the ground, and be able to hold together at high speeds. The benefit of the splitter gets better the further back under the car it goes.

So yeah, I guess I have a few design changes to make.

 

Just a thought. Attach the plastic trim, that fills the gap between the body and the splitter, to the splitter and then you could just use 3m tape to attach/stick it to the bumper. This way you dont have to drill into the front bumper/lip.