GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Anyone ever done this? I have seen many done on other cars. Buy some balsa plywood and cut it out to desired shape. paint and seal to desired color. Cheap and effective!http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=41447

What exactly is it for? Just curious...

Aerodynamics. I THINK it kinda breaks up or splits the wind. Reducing resistance. On a vibe tho I'm sure it would only serve for appareances

Saw a guy at school do this. He used cardboard and body filler to make a mold then made the actual part from carbon fiber.

On any car it makes a huge difference in handling due to increased down force on the front end. It can help you turn in more while cornering and get batter traction at speed while accelerating. It will make a good improvement on the Vibe as many are Front Wheel Drive. In a Front Wheel Drive car you lose grip while accelerating as the weight shifts to the rear and lifts the nose of the car up. A splitter can improve traction by keeping the nose down. If you have a rear or mid wing you should have a splitter to help counter balance the additional downforce at the rear end. Without a splitter when air goes under your engine compartment is gets caught up on all the trans and oil pan down there and doesnt flow smoothly. A splitter smooths out airflow as it goes under your car creating an almost suction or vacuum effect. It is a cheap and effective way to improve the handling of your car. It also looks very cool.

You made me look. I've never heard of a splitter so I had no choice but to look. I have heard it called an air foil or ground effects.Unless developed in a wind tunnel with extremely deep pockets of cash I would have to say it is nonsense. It could actually cause a reduction in fuel mileage and high speed handling. The factories spend millions of dollars to design aerodynamic shapes. I'll leave that to the engineers.Good news is that it is unlikely to cause any real harm. If not done perfectly it will just look stupid.

I would never consider a splitter, or low ground effects on a daily-driver car.I'm curious what an insurance company investigator would say about a DIY splitter if they were trying to minimize their payout after an accident. I can't imagine they'd be okay with it, but maybe I'm wrong.

If you want to smooth the flow how about this....?

http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=41447Follow the above link and really read it. It is legit and it works. There are alot of people who build their own splitter, One guy makes his own because it is lighter than the one he used to buy. Here is a quote fropm the topic thread:"cjernigan crewed for APR's Rolex team this year at a couple of races, and IIRC he told me that 75% of the cars in the paddock at that event had wood splitters."The professional race team APR Rolex uses homemade plywood splitters! As well as most of the drivers. There was also an episode of top gear where they raced in an event with a BMW 330d. They built and installed a homemade splitter made from plywood. Towards the end of their 24 hour race they had a minor crash and the splitter was ruined. They commented on how much worse the car handled without the splitter. Their lap times were significantly slower after it broke. I did not believe it myself but it is true, cheap and easy to build and it offers significant improvement in handling. There are plenty of how to articles online too. i will try and find a really good one I saw the other day and post it up.

I found it haha! Here is a tech article on how to make your own splitter. Written up by a race team!http://specialprojectsms.com/image/TECHNICAL-2.gif

I think your research is sound, so if you like the look - go for it!I noted that the plywood they seem to talk about is birch, not balsa.It might be a little out of place on a Vibe, and I'm not sure you'll ever be going fast enough to really make a difference - but so what?I'd perhaps do the same thing myself if I thought it would improve my mpg. I plan on making a front lip using garage door seal, so I certainly understand you wanting to go forward with a mod like this.Just make it sturdy!

Hey why not. Look at the Morgen (sp?) it has a lot of wood in it. Paint it and you may never know its actually wood...