Exige wing too small?

[Brendan]

No more wing envy for me. I've made a hybrid S1/S2 wing

Before:

http://bookatrack.com/-PG?brendan&3024&25084&640&.jpg

After:

http://bookatrack.com/-PG?brendan&3024&25085&640&.jpg

I also cut the endplates off the S1 wing and then bolted them back on so it looks almost like a standard S2 item. This also gives me the option of changing the design in the future.

More pics:

http://bookatrack.com/-pg?3024&25088

[Stan]

The S1 Exige body shape exhibits some rear lift at speed, hence the need for more rear spoiler in that instance. The S2 Exige (present style) has a rear body shape that inherently produced less lift in the first place. Nick Adams said that the first car went to the style people first while the present car had input from the aero people before the styling folks had finished. I hear that the Exige has various subtle aero tweaks not readily apparent at a glace as they had more time to tune little details.

You could try running the rear wing at a lower angle to cut excess drag. Or you could add more front splitter to add more downforce up front to rebalance the car. Else you'll tend to have more understeer than Lotus intended the car to have at higher speeds. This is in the safe or stable direction at least.

[Brendan]

I've set the wing at roughly 20% lower angle. In theory, a wider wing should produce the same downforce for less drag. This is what I was aiming for.

Mainly though I just wanted something visually more in proportion to the car. I had an S1 previously, and I liked the size. As a bonus I can say it's all original Lotus parts, and it looks pretty standard so it shouldn't worry my insurance company too much.

[raygr]

Brendan, I really like the look of that larger wing. Good job. Forgive the stupid question, but is that the S1 wing? Does it just bolt onto the S2 wing supports?

As for rebalancing, you can also have the front of the car lowered to increase the rake.

[Brendan]

Thanks Ray. Yep, it's an S1 wing. It was not a simple matter to get it to fit. Took all of my spare time over a period of several weeks. Some bodywork skills required.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by Brendan

I've set the wing at roughly 20% lower angle. In theory, a wider wing should produce the same downforce for less drag. This is what I was aiming for. Mainly though I just wanted something visually more in proportion to the car. I had an S1 previously, and I liked the size. As a bonus I can say it's all original Lotus parts, and it looks pretty standard so it shouldn't worry my insurance company too much.

Nice job, I think it looks better too. More serious. Are there any awkward angles?

[MikeW]

Does the rear of the wing curve any like the way the original wing follows the body contour?
How is the stiffness compared to the original?

[SIIK2NR]

Big thumbs up for the conversion. It looks 100% better visually and I think you've already covered the safety issues.

Way to be creative.....I think others will follow...

Tim

[bluejae]

how do you set the angle on these wings? are they adjustable somehow?

[Brendan]

Thanks for the compliments, guys

Stan, sorry I'm not sure what you mean about awkward angles.

Mike, the curvature is almost identical to the original. The stiffness is fine. It seems just as good as the S2 wing.

bluejay, the wings are not adjustable. To set the angle I had to carefully shape the curvature of the top edge of the wing supports.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by Brendan

Stan, sorry I'm not sure what you mean about awkward angles.

By awkward angle I meant as you walk around the car, and see the wing compared to the car. A subjective thing.

[Brendan]

Ah! I see. IMHO it looks much better from any angle. I always thought the original looks too small, and from low down it seems to droop too much at the ends. No such problem with mine because the lower angle of attack means it looks a little straighter.

Looks are very subjective of course, but for me this:

http://bookatrack.com/-PG?brendan&3024&25087&640&.jpg

is perhaps the oddest angle as the curvature of the wing looks quite pronounced compared with the original:

http://bookatrack.com/-PG?brendan&3024&25094&640&.jpg

I'm really happy with it. It was almost worth all the hard work.

[Brendan]

I've added a few more pictures giving an idea of the work involved

http://bookatrack.com/-pg?3024

[Bane]

Very nice, looks like a lot of work but I like the change. I don't think we can get the S1 wing in the states so that's a shame.

[Brendan]

I got mine second-hand from a guy who upgraded to a full motorsport wing for racing.

[shay2nak]

Nice mod. Looks really clean. I like the small wing, though. From above it flows with the car's lines nicely.

[bluejae]

are there any adjustable wings for our cars? would there even be a market for them?