VGLNTE1

used to have a top speed of about 185 at the top of 5th gear with the 4.10s....now its like 150, and its alot harder to get there!

wallyman424

I'm going to guess you didnt do this on a racetrack?

AU N EGL

Wings are for high speed cornering. Not straight away speeds

VGLNTE1

a racetrack....um, of course.

An i know the wing would hold me back...Im just bored and posting

Falcon

Take some angle out.

VGLNTE1

well, thats another question....I have the diagram to show what holes are what angle, but the mount on the wing has the same amount of holes...so im not sure what angle is what. if that makes sense. If i line up the hole for 9 degrees, the same hole is lined up for 14 degrees

John Shiels

Are you saying you lost 35 MPH? I doubt that unless it was 90* to the road

vette6aut0x

How about the trusty ol angle finder?

Falcon

Using the angle chart, use the hole that gives 5d.

As David says, use an angle finder.

My Android phone has an level app that will measure an angle.

RacePro Engineering

As others have indicated, forget the diagram and the indicated angle of the mounting holes. Much depends upon the profile and aspect ratio of your wing, but you will not go too far wrong using the following procedure:

[1] Place the car on a truly level surface.
[2] Standing beside the cord (end plate), and looking at the edge of the wing, draw an imaginary straight line from the center point of the front tip to the center point of the trailing edge.
[3] Using an angle finder or camber gauge, adjust your wing until the angle of your imaginary straight line is between 2 and 4 degrees down-in-front.

This will cure your boredom, and give you a good starting point from which to adjust further. The stopwatch will tell you when you have it right.

Ed LoPresti

63Corvette

Many years ago, Car and Driver did a Lambo Countach road test. Their car had the rear wing and a top speed of around 150mph. The author said "The cheapest speed secret in history is to delete the "wing option", saving $10,000, and pick up 20mph"
However, he also said "If you want to go really fast for cheap, then buy a midyear Big Block Corvette"

davidfarmer

the correct way to measure angle is from the apex of the nose, to the rear tip of the wing. 9deg is about as high as you should go to start, as you will be stalling the wing above that. Wicker helps, but you only want just enough wing to balance the front of the car.

35mph seems excessive in real world track conditions, but you might still find you are faster overall with added drivability and cornering speed.

Everett Ogilvie

David is spot on - current low speed airfoils (low speed means automotive applications rather than aircraft) stall at about 9 degrees without a wicker. Advanced designs ($$$) can make 11 or 12 degrees without a wicker, but those airfoils are not "typical" (meaning only the big teams have them).

We've all seen pics of guys running their wings at extreme angles and I guarantee you they are running it in stall - no downforce, while still adding some drag.....

John Shiels

I saw a car parked near my equipment yard where the guy mounted the wing with the front edge up! I guess he was trying to lift the rear of the car off the ground I have to get a picture to post if I see it again.

John Shiels

only turn this upside down http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CFAQ9QEwCA

RacePro Engineering

Well, a lot depends upon the particular wing's actual aero "profile", and its aspect ratio. For example, some of the early-1980s formula cars came with long-cord, quite thick, fairly flat wings. Because of typical restrictions on length of span, these monsters created significant form drag, even at small angles of incidence. Frequently, the optimum angle of attack, for downforce vs, drag, was around 1 degree up-in-front.

That said, John, like you, I seriously doubt your equipment yard guy has given it that much thought.

Ed

Falcon

Here's the profile of the OP's wing (it's the same one I have):

John Shiels

one degree the thing is about 20-25* upward in the leading edge. I have seen some F up ricer wings but never mounted backwards.

vette6aut0x

Isn't there a wind tunnel close to you? I don't think it is a lot of money. If it were me I would look into doing that. No more guess work and with real data to look at and safe.

RacePro Engineering

Well, John, then it is obvious: the gentlemen recognizes that his car goes way too fast in a straight line. The arrangement you describe is a safety feature. At a predetermined speed, the form-drag of the "up-lifted" wing takes over, and safely modulates top speed. And, should he have a tail-wind, where the safe speed is exceeded, the rear of the car will actually lift, reducing traction, and restoring a safe cruising speed. Very ingenious!

By all means, post a pic. We all enjoy "innovation".

Ed