Functional bodykits

[Speedy Emira]

I thought I would start a thread on the differences between aesthetic and functional body kits.

After doing a bit of research on sites leaning more towards track driving I found the following:

An effective wing on a street car doesn't push the car into the ground, it reduces the amount of lift the car experiences as the speeds increase. A well made wing will keep the net lift as close to zero as possible.. that way the car will handle the same whether it's in a 50mph corner or a 120mph corner.
Rear wings need to be carefully designed to provide the optimum level of downforce to combat lift without under or over compensating for lift. A poorly designed rear wing can cause turbulence, instability and damage at the mounting points. It is not simply enough to copy the design of a race car and assume it will work safely and provide positive driving experience.
There is similar information about the front splitters and side skirts, which made me decide to look at the alternative and get some feedback that could assist owners with their choices.

JUBU - https://www.jubu-performance.com/en/shop/lotus-carbon__aero-451
I have spoken with Martin a few times over aero parts and I am assured they have correctly designed their parts to work on track and be robust. They started with tried and tested designs and tweaked them after countless track days to provide real life data. I have no doubt that they are quality parts but as we all know quality comes at a price (over €8,000.00 for the swan neck wing and splitter). However you can see why it is the most expensive front splitter on the market and certainly look robust.

FORZA - https://forzaaa.com/collections/body-kits-for-lotus-emira
I was quite confident from the pictures of the GT4 kit that the front splitter would be robust enough for track use. I emailed them and was told none of their products are designed for functional racing and is for looks only.

Aerie Performance - https://aerieperformance.com/products/emira-carbon-fiber-front-spitter-by-aerie-performance
I have messaged them but I expect they are designed for looks.

CT Carbon - https://www.ctcarbon.co/products/lo...tGVFX0sIXGQn7ZkNjBjg144tmTRWsTRQaAj_eEALw_wcB
Again probably for looks only but pretty impressive price for a full kit.

Komo Tec - https://www.komo-tec.com/en/Lotus-E.../Carbon-Spoiler-KT-Track-for-Emira-adjustable
Their rear wing at €3,590.00certainly appears to be track ready after reading the information. They do not sell a matching front splitter so I have messaged them to ask their views on using a rear wing without a front splitter.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has thoughts on this subject or knows of any other products.

 

[kitkat]

For a functional kit jubu is basically the only real name in the game followed by komo. These are the only two doing actual r&d on track.

Not everyone needs a functional aero setup though. From an aesthetic point of view, everything on the market looks far too gaudy for me right now.

 

[Tomwa]

That said. I understand why Jubu is doing what they are, but I don't love the splitter because of the split construction. Not sure what the very vertical lattice bits are for other than maybe provide mounting points for side Canards/dive-planes/what have you.

 

[allenyao09]

Emira already has pretty good aero from factory. It has 55kg downforce at 200km/h while 718 Cayman has 42kg of lift.

 

[Time2Fly]

I like the look of the JUBU one but damn that's a lot of dough.

 

[Speedy Emira]

For a functional kit jubu is basically the only real name in the game followed by komo. These are the only two doing actual r&d on track.

Not everyone needs a functional aero setup though. From an aesthetic point of view, everything on the market looks far too gaudy for me right now.

I agree a lot doesn’t match and especially the side skirt. Some go as far as just being wind traps.
I just wish Lotus would hurry up and give us some factory options.

Regarding aero working I read someone with a JUBU front splitter and wing saint at 70mph+ they do feel the difference of long sweeping bends.

I have to say the Emira feels light in such roads compared to my RS3 but I’m getting used to it.

 

[Speedy Emira]

This is the reply from Komo Tec:

From a performance perspective on the race track, it makes absolute sense to install a front splitter, as the balance of the car is then still perfect.

Unfortunately, we do not have a front splitter in our range.

Our carbon rear wing is currently requested by customers more for aesthetic reasons, none of the customers drive their Emira on the race track.

I am surprised they do not make a splitter if they believe having just a rear wing will unbalance the car and as there site states:


Our first test drives with this car on road, and track showed that a proper rear wing would suit the Emira not only visually but also technically. We have therefore started to determine a suitable wing profile after extensive development with CAD/CFD and have also completed the driving tests successfully.