Installed APR wing and splitter

[Paul S]

I spent the weekend installing an APR wing and splitter. The wing went quickly and was easy to do. Everything fit perfectly, APR did a great job with the kit.

The splitter was a bit more difficult...I had a spoiler on the car already so it had to come off and be joined to the splitter. That went pretty well and after a bit of sanding I got the mating faces consistent and bonded the two parts together so they install as one unit. I used a adhesive known as Plexus to bond the parts as its very strong and needs little surface prep to bond.

I was all set to bolt it up when I decided to remove the Starshield so it did not become captive with the unit bolted in place. My Starshield has yellowed so it was due to be replaced anyway. It was cold so I used a heat gun to warm the Starshield just a bit. Unfortunatly it pulled paint with it in several places. It appears the paint did not bond to the primer in these areas as it came up in small sheets with the back of the paint film smooth and glossy.

Just a word of caution to anyone planning on removing the film...Be carefull!!!

Waiting on the side skirts from APR to complete the Aero portion of the transformation from Wifes car to track car....Very pleased with the quality of the APR parts!!!

[qu1Z]

post pics

[A7594217]

Originally Posted by qu1Z

post pics

Plus 1. Also I was told that when ever you remove starshield some paint will come off. That's why I have not removed mine yet

[V-RAPTOR]

Pics Pics Pics!

[madden]

Originally Posted by A7594217

Plus 1. Also I was told that when ever you remove starshield some paint will come off. That's why I have not removed mine yet

i removed myn from the front carefully and paint came off

[Kingsol]

Originally Posted by madden

i removed myn from the front carefully and paint came off

Yikes, I was just going to do remove the starshield and clear bra my side rockers, but I don't know about that now. What would you guys recommend doing different and how did you fix it?

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by qu1Z

post pics

I'll shoot a few tonight and post in the AM........Sorry to hear others have suffered the paint peel as well. I was told that patience and slowly pulling it back against itself would yield good results...I was really surprised at the total lack of bond between the paint film and the primer in the areas that pulled away.

I work with fiberglass and coatings all the time and this is clearly a lack of proper surface preperation or contamination prior to the paint being applied.

Spent a lot of time cleaning off the adhesive residue that remained in several areas...Now I have to think about applying it again or leaving it off and take my nicks at the track????

Just had my nerw suspension parts shipped from Sector 111 so phase two of the convert a car will begin soon. Looking forward to getting the car out on the track with the new goodies in February. Any suggestions as to set up for the ride height, camber and toe??? Looking for a starting point before I start playing with stuff....

[stea1thviper]

Hey Paul,

I'm wondering if it this will fit on an 06 exige. Where did you get the APR wing? Is it the gt200 wing, part number AS-105911? Thanks!

[L7YSE]

Looking forward to pics. Give us full details (what was ur origial splitter?)

[rackhenry]

Pics!!! , Thinking of doing the same setup for my car.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by stea1thviper

Hey Paul,

I'm wondering if it this will fit on an 06 exige. Where did you get the APR wing? Is it the gt200 wing, part number AS-105911? Thanks!

Purchased the GT200 wing direct from APR. Do not know if it will fit the Exige but would think so. Easy install with bars that transmit the load into the trunk area floor. The lower support brackets attach to bolts that are already there holding the rear clam in place. Need to drill (6) holes in the top of the rear clam and bolt it together.

I spoke with Johnny Lee. He seemed to know the Lotus cars and what fits...

[erubin]

The sell a wing specifically for the 07-09 exige. Not sure if this will also fit a 06'. Anyone have any track experience with this wing?

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by L7YSE

Looking forward to pics. Give us full details (what was ur origial splitter?)

I had a Reviere Spoiler on the front which is still there. I bonded the APR Splitter to the spoiler so it would flow into the lines of the car. I did not think the splitter would have fit well without it. I bolted the bonded unit to the underside of the clam and into the frame using the same attachment points Lotus uses on the undertray. It worked out quite well and it does not appear that I will need the support rods that come with the splitter. A few photos...

[RacyTracy]

Nice job.....both look great!

[Kingsol]

Originally Posted by Paul S

I had a Reviere Spoiler on the front which is still there. I bonded the APR Splitter to the spoiler so it would flow into the lines of the car. I did not think the splitter would have fit well without it. I bolted the bonded unit to the underside of the clam and into the frame using the same attachment points Lotus uses on the undertray. It worked out quite well and it does not appear that I will need the support rods that come with the splitter. A few photos...

Isn't the Reverie front spoiler dry carbon or did you just clear it? Also, there is a middle section of CF that prevents the Reverie front spoiler from being completely flat on the bottom where the APR splitter attaches. What exactly did you do about that?

[L7YSE]

Hey Paul, that looks Really good! Nice job!!

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by Kingsol

Isn't the Reverie front spoiler dry carbon or did you just clear it? Also, there is a middle section of CF that prevents the Reverie front spoiler from being completely flat on the bottom where the APR splitter attaches. What exactly did you do about that?

The unit was clear coated when I purchased it. The leading edge required a little sanding to make it flat and sit right on top of the Splitter. The underside of the spoiler conformed to the shape of the car. It was flat on the outboard sides where it interfaces with the flat section of the clam just in front of the wheels, between these two flat areas it followed the underside of the car so it really did not touch the splitter at all in the mddle except at the back edge where it once again made contact but over a small area, about 6". I ground the spoiler down in areas that prevented the two pieces from seating together flat. I used a thick putty like adhesive to bond the entire front egde of the spoiler to the top surface of the splitter and clamped it. I made a small "cow patty" of adhesive in the areas I would be bolting where there was a void between the two parts. This keeps the parts from distorting under compression and helped with the overall bond. I used Plexus for the adhesive. If you go to their website and click on the "automotive" section you'll see our car featured in the photo. Seems Lotus likes the stuff enough to glue the chassis together with it! If you need any detail photos I will try to get them to help with the explaination...

Now I just need to get the paint touched up!!!

[shay2nak]

looks great! Is the splitter level to the ground? I've heard adding a splitter to the exige's stock chin spoiler has a bit of an uptilt.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

looks great! Is the splitter level to the ground? I've heard adding a splitter to the exige's stock chin spoiler has a bit of an uptilt.

This is an Elise but I did have to work abit to get it level. It is actually about 2 degrees down with the car in trim.

[good2go]

Looks awesome - I have a custom splitter not yet installed. I'm concerned about rubbing. How further out is your splitter extended from the front spoiler and do you have any rubbing/ground clearance issue? Great looking mods!