We are toying with the idea of developing a retractable spoiler for the C6.

I am posting a few views of the design concept to judge what kind of interest a product like this would have in the community.
If the interest is high and there is good buzz around the product, we will continue with more design work. If not this is as far as it will go.

Please keep in mind this is merely a CONCEPT.

We have no idea what the price point will be, though I can say as with all our products we will attempt to keep it reasonable, while delivering a high quality end product.

We do not yet know the exact materials it will be constructed of, or what the net positive aerodynamic effect will be on the car. Much more design work is necessary before we will be able to say with any certainty.

Many questions remain open about this potential product so please no detailed questions about this POTENTIAL product, right now we will not be able to answer them. Of course reasonable “wish list” items/ideas for the product can be addressed and discussed. That is the great thing about the forum. Consider it a focus group.

I can say that we are considering two versions of the spoiler, one that is adjusted by hand, and one that is adjusted electronically. The thinking here is the hardcore track guy would likely not want the added weight of the mechanics, and electrics necessary to actuate it, and the street guy would love to raise and lower it at the flick of a switch (or push of a button). Not to mention it would allow us to offer a less expensive version of the spoiler without electrics for those who may be more budget conscious.

I can also say that the design intent is currently to leave the stock spoiler in place.

So check out the pictures below and let us know what you think.

 

Will the cant of the wing be adjustable or merely the elevation?

 

I am sorry. It is to early in in the design phase to say. Adding an adjustment for cant is certainly possible if it proves to be beneficial.

 

i would be interested in something like this

 

I love it! hopefully it will be availavable by the end of the yr

It would be cool if the raise bars were curved so when they go up, the spoiler would change it's angle.

Active Speed Height would be a sick feature.....3 height settings 40mph+, 80mph+ and 130mph+

 

Pretty slick!

Is that Solidworks or Inventor that ur using for the design?

 

I take it that this is simply a "ricer" type mod? If so, then I'll stay out of the thread. I have yet to have my car move around due to instability at high speed... What's the purpose?

 

When pushing your car to its limits...these types of spoilers are a huge help.

 

Only if these are ricer mods:

 

I like it very much...you can add me to the list of testers if needed

 

You state in your first post that you don't know what the net aero effect is... That tells me that you have not defined aerodynamic gain as a requirement in your design, nor have you identified a deficiency in the basic Corvette platform. Please tell us what the performance requirements are (lower C/D, more downforce, increased stability at x speed, etc). On the other hand, if this is just for looks, then I think it rates right up there with wheelie bars and a parachute on a 12 second Camaro. In other words: poseur (like the J.C Whitney wings that the ricers use).

Aren't you glad you asked for an opinion?

 

I think any reasonable person would find it impossible for us to state the data that you request based on a CONCEPT.

The wing will be designed to be fully functional in both positions. i.e. a net positive effect of producing added downforce not detrimental to the balance of the car.

To do this will require a great deal of time doing analysis using computer models, and then likely, at the very least a scale model for wind tunnel testing.

Perhaps I did not make it clear enough in my first post that this will indeed be designed to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. For that I apologize.

So with this in mind, can we please keep the comments constructive and continue the discussion.

 

That looks pretty cool.

At high speeds, a spoiler such as this is very useful. They are not only for looks.

The ones on these little ricer cars are only for looks and do nothing but add weight.

 

my thought is with current design of it being same size and the rear clip...apx 3 maybe 4 inchs wide that the effect is not going to be that great as for downforce ect. and being so small it ooks kind of funny. cool idea but i would think it needs to be on deck lid not rear clip so size is better and look is more appealing

 

cool idea hope it goes to production

 

Thank you for the clarification. Just for more background, let me tell you that I am a System Engineer for a major aerospace company. My job is to define and document requirements for any given system. You define the requirements first, then design the product to meet those requirements. Therefore, I think it is very reasonable to ask what your design goals are for the system (i.e. what are you trying to correct or improve?)

Also, I spent a great deal of time and money REMOVING the faux spoiler from my 05 GTO, so I'm not a big fan of going for a "look".

 

Well,, you design the damn thing thing.....

 

My intent with the post was and is not to get into a lengthy engineering and design related discussion. It seems I can not say that enough.

With that said I do understand your point, so let me post a list of design goals.

1. spoiler in elevated position provides additional downforce
2. spoiler in lowered position provides additional downforce
3. spoiler does not adversely effect the balance of the car in either position.
4. spoiler looks good in either position

This is a short list of the major points. I could go on: into the mechanics of what it will take to actuate it, the mounting design and structure, impact on the vehicle electrical sytems etc., but the list could be pages long.

ALL I hoped to discover and discuss with the post was to cover comments such as "yes I am very interested in this product if it works and looks good as well" or "I don't care how well it works I would install it just because it's cool". The latter comment may turn certain peoples stomachs, but there are people who purchase many things for that reason alone. And that's fine. There is nothing wrong with that.

So let's reserve the engineering related discussion for an engineering related post further along in the development of the product. (If it gets that far.)

On a side note I also removed the spoiler from my GTO (when I had it). Not just because it did not function, but because the car looks much better without it. It's a popular mod for GTO owners, so is the addition of a VXR spoiler that looks much better than the Pontiac piece.

 

Sure, tell me what is wrong with the baseline vehicle... What "problem" are we trying to solve? That's step #1.

 

I agree... "Looks" is just fine as a requirement. If this is the case, then I'm not interested. On the other hand, you are promoting this as a "performance" mod (additional downforce, etc). I and others might be interested in adding this thing to my car if you can sell me on how this added weight and expense is justified as a performance improvement. For instance, is there a problem with the basic car at any speed? If there is, I'm interested in at least knowing what it is. Do you intend to provide improved lap times with your spoiler installed vs. without? These are not in depth engineering questions... Simply state what is driving the requirement? Why do we "need" this device?

I suspect that the initial goal in your design was just to do something different; nothing wrong with that. Just be honest with us up front. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will buy a motorized spoiler just to watch it go up and down.

Peace!