OT - Grumpy Old Man Thread

[847badgerfan]

I'll take the covered engine, thank you.

[FearlessF]

apparently, engine covers look nice.
seems they would hold heat

I don't understand all the fiber carbon covers for many things.
Why put a cover on something to make it look like fiber carbon?

if it's not fiber carbon, by adding the cover, you're just adding weight that you don't need with no function

[utee94]

apparently, engine covers look nice.
seems they would hold heat

I don't understand all the fiber carbon covers for many things.
Why put a cover on something to make it look like fiber carbon?

if it's not fiber carbon, by adding the cover, you're just adding weight that you don't need with no function

It's aesthetic, of course.  Like most of the rear wings and front spoilers and air dams and other side skirts on all of the various production road models.  They're intended to make a road car look more aggressive, more like a race car, which actually has use for all of those aero pieces.

[Cincydawg]

The front air dams have some function of course at freeway speeds and a bit.  The rear spoiler  if designed correctly can also improve gas mileage at say 80 mph by separating air flow from the rear of the car where it induces drag.  The impact at say 80 mph MIGHT be a few tenths of mpgs.  

Rear Spoilers | The Point of Rear Spoilers and How to Install Them

How Form Meets Function: The Science Behind Car Spoilers and Aerodynam – Pedal Commander®

At very high speeds, the drag associated with a rear spoiler increases to the point that top speed is reduced, but it keeps the car from coming off the ground.  The Z07 package on a Corvette reduces top speed.

[utee94]

The front air dams have some function of course at freeway speeds and a bit.  The rear spoiler  if designed correctly can also improve gas mileage at say 80 mph by separating air flow from the rear of the car where it induces drag.  The impact at say 80 mph MIGHT be a few tenths of mpgs. 

Rear Spoilers | The Point of Rear Spoilers and How to Install Them

How Form Meets Function: The Science Behind Car Spoilers and Aerodynam – Pedal Commander®

At very high speeds, the drag associated with a rear spoiler increases to the point that top speed is reduced, but it keeps the car from coming off the ground.  The Z07 package on a Corvette reduces top speed.

Right.  For standard production cars at legal speeds (Not Corvette Z07s on tracks and whatnot), all of those air dams and spoilers have little to zero effect.

Like I said, they are for aesthetics.  Same as the fake carbon fiber or carbon fiber cover stuff.

Which is fine.  I think they can look very cool sometimes.

[FearlessF]

I'm not talking about functional pieces

I'm talking about a fiber carbon cover to make it look like the functional piece is made of fiber carbon

[Brutus Buckeye]

Arizona has some patches of sticky dust that is so fine it looks like smoke when you drive through it. It gets into every nook and cranny, and it is difficult to remove. You'll be glad for the engine cover if you ever encounter it. 

[utee94]

I'm not talking about functional pieces

I'm talking about a fiber carbon cover to make it look like the functional piece is made of fiber carbon

I'm equating the two.  In the vast majority of cases for road cars running on streets, all of those air dams and spoilers and wings, are not functional either.  They are for aesthetics.  Same as the carbon fiber covers.  It's simply to look cool.

[utee94]

I also think it looks odd to add carbon fiber pieces, even if it's real carbon fiber, to a car that is not made of carbon fiber.

Since my son has a new Mustang, and he's a teenage boy, he's obviously already looking into modifications for it. He'd like to add a new front chin spoiler and some kind of rear spoiler to the vehicle, and he keeps wanting to go with either carbon fiber, or the carbon fiber lookalike stuff.

But none of the other pieces or covers or trim work, is carbon fiber.  It's mostly matte black plastic, or in some cases glossy black.  Because of the formulation of the front grill, I think a matte black front chin spoiler would look best.  And because of the black gloss paint on the roof and some other pieces toward the rear, I think a glossy black rear spoiler would look best.

But the boy wants that carbon fiber look.  Seems weird and out of place to me but the heart wants what the heart wants I guess.

[Cincydawg]

I was more into auto aesthetics when I was 17 than I am today.

Of course, cars back then were any color you wanted so long as it was black ....

[Brutus Buckeye]

Arizona has some patches of sticky dust that is so fine it looks like smoke when you drive through it. It gets into every nook and cranny, and it is difficult to remove. You'll be glad for the engine cover if you ever encounter it.

[FearlessF]

it's not a mirror, it's a mirror cover

[FearlessF]

it actually adds weight

[utee94]

it actually adds weight

Yup.  It's strictly for aesthetics.

They make those for my son's Mustang but thankfully that's not one of the mods he wants.  The car is carbon gray metallic, but it has a trim package where the mirrors are painted gloss black instead of matching the body color.  So they already look cool.  The roof is also gloss black instead of body color, it's subtle on an already dark gray car but makes it look a lot tougher, IMO.