SR3 front end damage / replacement

[DarioT]

a few months ago i when out at Abbville in France i managed to put my car off the track on cold and heavily soiled tyres. (the paddock is bloody awful and full of stones). my SR3 is fitted with the original front end with the splitter fitted to the front nose section. as you can imagine as soon as the front splitter hit the dirt on the margin of the track off come the nose and it rips half of it off under the wheels.

got it repaired at Radical for just over £500 and that included a second hand raised height front splitter. the repair was almost un noticeable to be honest.

well 3 track days on and low and behold doing some laps around LLandow in Wales and i clipped an apex of chicane and took a bit too much dirt..... you guessed it. Ripped the front end off again! i have to say that it pi$$ed me off somewhat as i was happy with my repaired front end which now needs another boat load of money spending on it!

i am now considering replacing the whole front end with the later high down force front end. given that the nose can be modified (and it needs repairing) to suite and with all of the parts and labour including 2 new front shock absorbers and all of the labour they want about £2,100. i have been offered at no extra fitting cost the upper element of the rear wind to deal with the balance of the car for another £280 +VAT so all in all £2,500 should cover it.

its not that i want to spend the money, but as i am getting faster in the car and luck also goes against me, ripping off the front end and it costing £500+ is just plain painful.

question: as anybody done this modification. i am told that the newer front is much much better at taking an off than the original i have fitted on my car (although it would not take much more that a wet paper bag to be any better)

it is entirely possible that over time I’m going to get close to spending the same money (only not in one go) as i keep ripping the front end off.

am I the only Muppet that keeps doing this?

i have been told that the new front end adds 80kg of down force and also means new shockers being used. nice to have extra down force, but given that i don’t race it and its for track day use it probably doesn’t matter much either.

just recently i took some instruction for a day from a racer (not radical cup or anything) and he pedalled it around Snetterton in 1:10 after about 10 laps on part worn tyres (so cars fast enough I think) I managed it in 1:17.8 (he lifted my time by 4 seconds on the day with the tuition)

Any comments are welcome from those who have another answer or those who have made this change.

Cheers

Dario

[bazzerv8]

dont hesitate bite the bullet and just do it. I lost three splitters old style then changed to the new style floor and havent had a problem since. You probably havent noticed that the old style splitter hangs lower than the chassis and digs in as soon as you come off. With the new style you just skate over the top of the debris. and it transorms the downforce of the car defo worth a second a lap. bite the bullet write the cheque grab the bull by the horns etc etc

[DarioT]

bazzerv8 said:

dont hesitate bite the bullet and just do it. I lost three splitters old style then changed to the new style floor and havent had a problem since. You probably havent noticed that the old style splitter hangs lower than the chassis and digs in as soon as you come off. With the new style you just skate over the top of the debris. and it transorms the downforce of the car defo worth a second a lap. bite the bullet write the cheque grab the bull by the horns etc etc

thanks for the encouragement there bazzerv8. i made arrangements today to take the car in on friday. so good by to £2.5k but hello to not worrying that every time i hit a blade of grass its gunna rip my front body work off and i mean bodywork, twice its happened and it never just does the splitter.

they have advise me to go for either the rear wing or the new high downforce rear diffuser or it will tend to oversteer. they offered me a rear wing element upgrade with end fences for £270 ex vat but free fitting at time of works. i'll have to save up for the rear diffuser lol

here goes.....

[gaxor]

Have alook out on all the classifieds and Mike engined car forums, Rear undertrays sometimes come up secondhand

Gary

[DarioT]

gaxor said:

Have alook out on all the classifieds and Mike engined car forums, Rear undertrays sometimes come up secondhand

Gary

thanks Gary i'll do that.

ps if you see one give us a shout!

cheers

Dario

[BertBert]

I got a rear undertray (£200) from Van Kaiser, reputed to fit an SR3.
Bert

[DarioT]

BertBert said:

I got a rear undertray (£200) from Van Kaiser, reputed to fit an SR3.
Bert

hi Bert, is it a High down force one or just one of the undertray type. the High down force once have venturi and a totally different system for fitting them to the car (the no down force ones have ally taps for nylon ties to hold it to the chassis)

HD looks like this:
http://secure2.cyberware.co.uk/~rad-shop/acatalog/info_501.html 

the no down force one looks like this:
http://secure2.cyberware.co.uk/~rad-shop/acatalog/info_500.html 

regards

Dario

Edited by DarioT on Sunday 8th June 22:43

[BertBert]

it's version of the second one in glass fibre, not carbon.
Bert

[DarioT]

BertBert said:

it's version of the second one in glass fibre, not carbon.
Bert

ok thanks alot Bert. no down force one!

cheers anyway

Dario

[DarioT]

got a chance to try out the new front end and double element rear wing recently fitted after i opted to have the modified front end installed rather than just repairing the front bodywork again!

took it to Donnington Park and what a difference. so much so that i hurt to drive the after seven sessions of 20 mins i was exhausted.

but what grip, phenomonal!

Dario