[Jonah's SN95]

I have been pondering some aero options for my SN and i'm a bit stumped. I really like the look of the Saleen ducktail, but this is going to be primarily a track car and i'm looking for a more effective option without sacrificing styling. Can anybody with some experience tell me how substantial the difference of a good spoiler makes to handling? Thanks!

 

[Jakespeed]

I did quite a bit of research a number of years ago before choosing the Steeda "Functional" wing. I could never find any real data about any wing or setup giving down-force numbers at speeds. The only wing/spoiler that seem to be agreed as being designed properly was the Cobra R. But again no data on that. If you find anything I would love to see it.

Jake

 

[Jonah's SN95]

Awesome! Thanks for the insight Jake!

 

[sn95gts331]

I know this is an older post, but the Saleen T1 duck tail style wing is probably the best wing ever made for the SN95. It has helped the Mustang win races, and it is possible that it produces almost as much downforce as the new 2020 gurney flap Swing on the Shelby GT350's which produces more downforce than the tall deck GT350R wing. The T1 wing also helps the SN95 look better than 90% of Mustangs on the road. No need to use the Fast and Furious style Cobra R wing, or the double Stack Saleen wing. The only downside the T1 is there is no adjust-ability, but some of the race cars in the 1990's overcame this problem by bolting a thin clear pexiglass strip to the top edges of the T1 wing, and that made it adjustable by sliding the pexiglass strip up or down.

 

[Jonah's SN95]

Thanks for the wisdom man, and if I may ask what kind of power are you making out of stroked 302?

 

[sn95gts331]

Thanks for the wisdom man, and if I may ask what kind of power are you making out of stroked 302?

My 331 makes right around 330 horsepower and 357 torque to the wheels on the dyno. That’s with Edelbrock Performer heads.

Not the most powerful, but good enough for a mid 12 second car on street tires.

 

[River]

I did quite a bit of research a number of years ago before choosing the Steeda "Functional" wing. I could never find any real data about any wing or setup giving down-force numbers at speeds. The only wing/spoiler that seem to be agreed as being designed properly was the Cobra R. But again no data on that. If you find anything I would love to see it.

Jake

Jake, The reason information isn't available is because it would be meaningless. Even if static downforce numbers were given based on wind tunnel testing the numbers would tell you nothing because it's about the car, not the wing.

Remember, the car is moving through the air. The air is not moving around the car, wind conditions aside. This is why this is actually a fluid dynamics problem and what happens with a car is the same as what happens with a boat in water. In fact, the air the car has just left is also considered a wake. A common fluid dynamics example for cars is with drafting. The low pressure area behind a car inhibits performance of the car but the low pressure in front of a car enhances performance. That's why people draft.

I've seen a lot of people actually degrade their performance with a wing. But, that can be good depending on driver skill.

There's a lot involved starting with tires and suspension. Here's a couple of online sites that may help you with the considerations involved.

https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=mech_mstr

(PDF) Basics of longitudinal vehicle dynamics

PDF | Classification of vehicle dynamics Basics of longitudinal vehicle dynamics Procedures in longitudinal vehicle simulation Examples of application | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

 

[Jakespeed]

River,

I agree with everything you just said. My statement was very general. The data I was referring to was down-force weight. When testing winged sprint cars we look at weight certain wings and wing angles put on a chassis. Then we can tune the chassis better for expected speed at a track. When I raced my 98 I was looking for that data on wings and spoilers for my car since I knew my speeds at certain tracks. The only one I ever heard anything about was the Cobra R wing by a driver at AAR in Santa Ana. But it was all verbal and nothing on paper.

That is what I was referring to.

Jake

 

[Christopher Ihara]

I think more important to know than the technical aspects is what kind of driver training has @Jonah's SN95 had? Because without knowing that, what mods the car already has, it's current handling maladies, and what has been done to correct them, then a wing isn't the starting point.

ALWAYS improve the nut behind the wheel FIRST.

 

[River]

Jake, I assumed as much which is why I posted the links. The information wouldn't be everything required for a sprint car though. The lateral forces of the wing aren't given but fluid dynamics are still involved. The sprint car wing adds the boats keel. Obviously the friction and pressure coefficients are different between water and air but the math is the same.

 

[sn95gts331]

The Huge V wing on the Saleen Le Mans cars were the most advanced wings ever created for the SN95 Mustangs. However without the complementing front, side, and rear aero it could make the car dangerous to drive. It also looks a little outrageous on a street car.

I like the T1 wing because it is more versatile, and you can easily find complementing bumpers for it. Plus it looks great on a street car. The T1 wing was built and tested in the same facility as the Saleen S7 and Ford GT. It also allowed the Mustang to win races after the taller Saleen wings were banned.

However the other posters are correct in stating that you may want to focus on your driving skills first before investing any serious money into your car.