peter*g

iTrader: (55)

I picked up a Beatrush aluminum undertray for my Evo IX RS from the guys over at Kami Speed (Beatrush Panel For Sale on Forums).

The stock plastic bits are a pain in the butt to take on and off, are fragile, and don't provide the most ideal aerodynamic platform. The beatrush panel is perfectly flat, extends all the way back to the chassis bracing points, and is made of a very stout aluminum for strength. Some nice touches include aluminum fins to route the air around the tires, and a plastic flap in front of the tires to further deflect the air away.

Installing the Parts
The items came from Kami Speed packed very snugly, and included everything you need to do the install. The instructions are in Japanese, so it's a little hard to follow, but if you look at the parts and look at the pictures you can figure it out. Most difficult part is figuring out which bolts to use, but if you match the # on the diagram to the parts listing numbers, all you then need to know is bolt sizes (M6, M10, etc.) and the install becomes pretty clear.

Once installed, the underpanel shows that it's worth every penny. The quality is top notch, fit and finish is excellent, and has some nice touches. The way it mounts it also make it easy to pull off the front bumper without having to remove the panel. Very nice.

Fitment on the Evo IX
As for fitment, I installed it on my Evo IX RS race car and it went on with no problem. The panel fits fine with my Cusco chassis braces, which means it would fit with other braces. One nice touch would be to use it with the Works chassis brace panel, at which point you'd have a smooth bottom almost halfway down the length of the car. I also test fitted my APR front splitter (not installed yet), but it appears that the two parts will work fine together.


One additional note: I did have a problem with the parts when I first got them. Someone got a little overzealous with the tape when they packed the item, and I had to use paint thinner to clean up the mess. Kami was very responsive and made everything right upon request. They are a class act.

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

I plan to post install instructions with photos shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.

Lazyfong

iTrader: (24)

I will be waiting patiently!

nutrulz

iTrader: (14)

This was really a pain with the Japanesse instrucitons, english instructions will help the rest of the world. Thanks.

cij911

iTrader: (14)

Do you notice any improvements in downforce / handling? Do the brakes run hotter (I have an MR and am concerned about screwing up the brake cooling)? Also does the car run any cooler? - Beatrush claims that the panel keeps the engine cooler???

Thanks

Bloomie

iTrader: (4)

This is probably a stupid question, but my pea brain is puzzled.

I am installing an APR splitter. I've taken off the stock undertray (and agree with you on the plastic clips). I want to fasten the splitter with hardware, not the clips. What kind of fasteners did you use (or what came with the undertray)?

If I use allen head bolts, I don't see how I can reach between the splitter and the engine/transmission to hold the nuts while I tighten them. It seems that would be necessary for most of the fastening points.

Help?

Thanks,

Steve

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

So, I haven't driven the car enough to have definitive answers to your questions, but having made my own undertrays like this in the past for my old race cars, I can tell you what I expect to happen:

- Downforce: For sure this will decrease the lift you get underneath the car. I wouldn't expect there to be a huge improvement over the stock plastic, but any time you can flatten out the underside of the car you will speed up airflow and reduce lift. The car will also have the rear diffuser, and we will most likely fabricate some more flat panels to run doen the sides of the car.

- Engine Cooling: This is doubtful. The stock undertray already does a good job of directing the air coming in through the bumper to the radiator. I think the beatrush panel will do no better and no worse of a job. Part of the issue is the fact that the car is a turbo, running at ridiculous temps, and baking away about an inch from the radiator.

- Brake Cooling: The factory undertray does nothing to route air to the brakes, so swapping to the Beatrush panel should have no effect. That said, if you have the air guides for ther factory brakes, then you have to make sure with either set-up that air is able to get to the fins on the brake guides. The factory tray as to be trimmed to accommodate this, and I think the little flaps in front of the tires on the beatrush panel may need to be removed to do the same. Don't know for sure.

One note on brake cooling -- if you are overheating your brakes, change your pads. Brake pads are designed to run in certain heat ranges and don't work well when they are outside of that range. I used to run ducting only occassionally on my M3 race car, and the brakes on that thing were about the same size as the Evos. The difference was that I always ran a proper race pad.

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

The beatrush panel also re-uses the plastic screws on the front. This is less than ideal for a large numper of reasons, and I'm looking into alternatives. The easiest thing to do is to use a threaded metal tab and an M6 or M8 bolt and washer, but it's also worth looking into some sort of nutsert.

Once I come up with a solution for myself, I'll post how I did it to the message boards.

TURBODAWG

iTrader: (54)

Do you have both Cusco undercarriage bars, Version 1 and Version 2? The Version 1 ties the lower pivot point of the lower A arms together. The Version 2 just replaces the factory 2 lower arm bars. I have both and wanted to make sure this would fit with both bars. No interference at all with the bars?

Thanks
Brian

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

I do have both bars, and there's no interference whatsoever.

KEVO8

iTrader: (4)

Do you have any idea if it fits with an upgraded intercooler like the standard AMS or Nisei? I'll search around a bit, but I thought since you have it installed on your Evo you might be able to give me an idea of how much clearance there is with the stocker.

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

I have an upgraded intercooler, but it sits no lower than stock.

The beatrush panel definitely offers more room than the stock plastic. I can't guarantee fitment for you, but you'd probably be able to fit an intercooler that sits about an inch or so lower.

w evo

iTrader: (14)

i know its bringing up an old thread but what intercooler do you have? have you figured out a way to secure the front of the tray without using the d*mn plastic fastners?

peter*g

iTrader: (55)

I have the Injen intercooler. I secured the front of the tray to the bumper using simple threaded metal clips (similar to the ones the beatrush tray comes with) and some metric grade 8 bolts. I'll try to take some pics this evening and post them.

This tray really does work great. I had a couple of interesting "offs" while testing the car in the rain, and the panel was pretty stout. Check my blog for the whole story.

Only issue I've discovered is that the downpipe touches the panel. It's melted the aluminum a bit and made a hell of a racket. It's off the car right now, but I plan to resolve it by adding some washers as spacers so that the panel sits just a bit lower.

w evo

iTrader: (14)

awesome! thanks for the update!