Front Canards

[PPH]

After playing around with an extended front splitter I decided to stick the stock one, mainly for cosmetic reasons.

This being said, I would like to increase the front downforce, especially at higher Autobahn speeds, which is why I started thinking about some front canards.

Can anyone who tried them out please share his experience, do they provide a tangible benefit?

Also, I was not able to find the original Lotus part numbers on De Roure. Can anyone help me out?

 

Many thanks

 

Patrick

[rallyesax]

Parts 39 to 40a

[PPH]

Merci  @rallyesax

I did not think about looking for Cup parts in the non-Cup section 🤨

[rallyesax]

All 380 got them not only cups 

[PPH]

Learned something 👍🏻

But then I saw the price 😢 ...  I’d say that is something between daring and audacious...

Are there any tried and tested aftermarket options?

I saw some people installed the Lotus Motorsport ones PN ALS9Y0017 which is single not double.

The Reverie ones look to crude to me, I guess I would be stopped by the police every time I will drive the car.

Eltech also recently took some single canards on their catalogue.

And then there is the Winace / Eliseparts option that seems attractive price wise but I am uncertain about the functionality.

Any feedback from those who installed any of the listed options or maybe alternatives thereto?

[PJ]

I have them from the Elise shop, very happy with those and look stunning (the red line I did) and comes with clear installation instructions. The rear canards from them I'm a bit less enthusiastic about.. 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by PJ

[PPH]

Thanks for the input!

 

Did you perceive any improvement besides the looks?

[Edinburgh 111s]

@PPH there will be absolutely no noticeable difference in downforce. Two GRP canards will generate next to no downforce. If it does, I guarantee it won’t be noticed driving. 
 

for me its a mod to improve looks, but that is of course subjective.   

[Arun_D]

If you're serious about adding front downforce, you'll need to revisit a deep front splitter. If it's jut for the odd blast up the autobahn, I can see why you weren't keen on the idea, but unfortunately the canards won't help you. Might be worth dropping the nose to make sure what you already have is as effective it can be.

[TBD]

For proper downforce you'll need to install a rubber skirt as the cup and 430. 

BTW the Autobahn is a great place to verify the effectiveness, the Exige becomes invcredibly planted at speed (but, top speed is reduced slightly).

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Bravo73

[Martrack]

Does this rubber lip survive the Nürburgring Carousel ? 😬

[Guest]

The rubber lip on a 430 barely survives getting in and out of my driveway with the small curb and camber of the road. 
 

I just got a new one after 18 months.

I have just invested in some 3M VHB double sided foam tape, arrived yesterday. 19mm wide by 1.1mm thick. The studs alone have no chance of holding it and this 3M foam tape is meant to be the business. 
 

[Martrack]

Quite off-topic but interesting, so...
Does the carbon front splitter suffer from the lip scrapping the road ?
I mean, does it enlarge the studs' holes, breaking the carbon-fibre around the holes ?
Or do the studs simply go out / away one by one, leading to a lip hanging below the splitter ?
Thx !

[Edinburgh 111s]

@Andy Norman

make sure you also apply the 3M adhesion promoter. This will really boost the effectiveness of the tape. I applied it to mine, it sticks like crazy with this. I don’t even need the screws with the tape and adhesion promoter. Also clean all surfaces first with IPA before you apply. 
I have some adhesion promoter if you don’t have any. Tricky to fine the right type for rubber and it’s also not cheap!
 

[TerryCTR]

3 hours ago, Andy Norman said:

The rubber lip on a 430 barely survives getting in and out of my driveway with the small curb and camber of the road. 
 

I just got a new one after 18 months.

I have just invested in some 3M VHB double sided foam tape, arrived yesterday. 19mm wide by 1.1mm thick. The studs alone have no chance of holding it and this 3M foam tape is meant to be the business. 
 

I used this tape when fitting a carbon bootlid spoiler to my M2.  I used a hairdryer to heat the tape and bootlid before applying and it stuck like sh@t to a blanket. I resisted using the adhesive promoter as I was told it would pull the paint off with the spoiler if I ever removed it but on the underside of the 430 that won’t be an issue.

[PPH]

Thanks for your valuable input.

I was hoping there was an alternative to the splitter but I will be looking for an extended one in the near future then.

[RRSSS]

On 04/06/2020 at 09:33, Martrack said:

Does this rubber lip survive the Nürburgring Carousel ? 😬

you tell me 🙈

 

[Martrack]

😅 Not so confident 😬
I wonder how the other (Cup 430, and Sport/Cup 380 if I'm right) do here, perhaps the rubber lip simply bends (and come back to its initial position), or it finishes on the windshield behind...

[3eighty]

I'm debating what to do about the rubber lip on my 380 Sport. I pulled it off at the front on a ramp in the road that I had not seen at a relatively low speed. This is standard suspension / ride height. 

Im sure its fine if you're just running on smooth tracks but otherwise, it's going to take a beating on the road. Am also worried about damaging the carbon front splitter which is expensive from Lotus.

Thinking about just moving to an Alias23 front splitter. As someone mentioned elsewhere on here, maybe getting something like the Sliplo product to protect the underneath of it.

[Martrack]

The problem removing this front rubber lip is that you lose the additional downforce it produces 😐
It's not only aesthetic / protective, but participates to the aerodynamic package...

[GFWilliams]

Very much doubt any of us are good enough drivers to notice a difference (if there is any, which I doubt).

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by Bravo73

[Jack]

Front rubber lip FTW!   

[RRSSS]

10 hours ago, Martrack said:

The problem removing this front rubber lip is that you lose the additional downforce it produces 😐
It's not only aesthetic / protective, but participates to the aerodynamic package...

I really don't think it makes a noticeable difference. I've had my Cup 430 on the autobahn with standard factory settings and again with geo done (lowered, camber etc) and with the geo you can definitely feel the difference on "high speed" runs. There is enough downforce that you feel comfortable with the car being planted on the road at speeds above 150mph. 

 

23 hours ago, 3eighty said:

As someone mentioned elsewhere on here, maybe getting something like the Sliplo product to protect the underneath of it.

🙋🏻‍♂️👍 The Sliplo works great and is durable enough not to damage the carbon it's stuck on.

[Sotirios]

Ive just purchased this rubber lip from lotus for the carbon front splitter on my 410. The carbon lip doesnt have holes pre drilled into it for the rubber lip however, the rubber lip has pre drilled holes in it. I bought this mainly for aesthetic reasons as i feel it gives the front end a deeper lower look...

 

There is mention in this thread of 3m Double sided VHB tape being used to stick it on with someone mentioning adhesion promotor??

 

Looking at 3m's website, there is dozens of tapes on there, so does anyone know which is best?

 

Im reluctant to drill holes into carbon to stick this rubber lip on also, not worth it imo......remembering my car is a 410 and this rubber lip never came standard.

 

What are the silver holes underneath the carbon lip all the way around it anyway? They dont line up with the holes on the rubber lip

[Diablos-666]

I have the standard v6s splitter and I bought the Alias rubber lip.

I then bought 25mm 3m tape and also the 3m primer. It really does stick hard and fast. 25mm fits perfect between the grooves on the splitter, got lucky as I only measured the width of the rubber lip before ordering. 

My drive is on an incline and the front rubs slightly but so far the lip has stayed put.