E30 Aerodynamics

[BlackbirdM3]

Best aero mods for an E30? Pretty simple, look at an M3, all done by the factory,tested, and race approved. The rear window and trunk lid made a huge difference in reducing drag. That alone lowered the CoD from 0.39 to 0.33, front splitter and airdam? Evo 2 airdam with Evo3 splitter. Seal up all the gaps around the hood and grill, (all stock evo parts that can be ordered with little trouble.)

Will

[vitiokas95]

Love red "318 i". Hopefully mine will like something like that soon

[NigelStu]

This cheap stupid stuff was worth 1-1.5 seconds per lap at Gingerman (South Haven Michigan).

splitter is just 3/8 plywood. Wing has a proper airfoil shape (wood ribs with foam core)

[RoccoB517]

Let's talk materials too. On ebay you can buy a wing in carbon fiber, aluminum, fiberglass, and ABS plastic. ABS is cheapest, but my knee jerk reaction is that it would be fragile and possibly have too much flex at high speeds, although this material is standard for OEM pieces. Fiberglass also breaks down over time. I'm thinking I would choose between aluminum and carbon fiber, with weight being the major thing to consider. Does anyone have experience with ABS plastic ones? Do they weigh less than aluminum?

For a front splitter I've seen them made of plywood. Any other material options for a homemade version? I'm concerned doing fiberglass with a foam core could get destroyed pretty easily, but it would be very light.

[RoccoB517]

He's talking about this company, matthugie.

http://aprperformance.com/

rwh11385, what wing is that on the red car? I like the mounting. The uprights look very well done.

[matthugie]

APR like the VW/Audi tuning company?

[berlow94]

Give Tony at APR performance a call. They are making me a custom wing and a custom splitter to match my mtech 1 kit on my track car. Great guys to work with! (Not the cheapest) will post pics when she's all done.

[matthugie]

This is also something I have been curious about, especially splitters. I know how people mount them on e36's, but haven't seen any info about something similar on e30's.

[rwh11385]

There's some running them. And IIRC, don't have to spend too much (i.e. ebay) as long as they are structurally sound.

[vitiokas95]

I am very interested in this also.

[RoccoB517]

Hey everyone. I'm building an E30 for time trials and have been doing some research into the most functional aero parts I can add. It doesn't seem like too many E30 race cars run an adjustable GT style wing and big front splitter. Does anyone have any opinions/experience as to how functional these additions would be? I'm not planning on building a car with tons of power (250-300 at the wheels), so I'm wondering if there will be positive enough gains from a nice aero setup.

I'm also well aware that the effectiveness of aero parts will depend on the rest of the car (suspension, ride height, power, weight, etc), but lets just talk generally about a 250WHP E30, full welded in cage, with AST coils sitting at 2400lbs. My main goal here is to put as much power to the ground as possible at corner exit, and to keep the car more planted in long sweepers. I also have a lofty goal of running Pikes Peak in 2015, and feel as though I can build a fast track/time trials/hill climb car as long as I allow myself some adjustability.

Keep in mind that we aren't talking huge money here, since I will be building everything myself. More time than money.

Thanks ahead of time for any thoughtful responses.