The Effects Of Lift & Downforce

Depending on its shape, an object traveling through air will always be lifting upward or downward. If it’s lifting upward, the effect is simply known as lift. If it’s downward, the effect is known as downforce. Most cars lift as they travel through air because of their shape. The reason why is because of an aerodynamic principal discovered by Swiss scientist Daniel Bernoulli. The Bernoulli Effect simply states the higher the speed of air molecules traveling around an object, the lower the air pressure becomes around that object. In contrast, the lower the speed of air molecules traveling around an object, the higher the air pressure becomes.

As a car travels forward it is bombarded with air molecules. Air needs places to escape once they have approached the front of the car. They can either flow over, around and under the car. You would think that since there is more space above the car, air pressure should be higher on the top surface, but that is not the case. A car has lower pressure on the top and higher pressure below because of the Bernoulli Effect. Since the speed of air molecules travels faster over the top of the car, the density of air molecules becomes lower making low pressure above the car. Alternately, because air travels faster over the top and slower below the car, more air molecules are squeezed underneath a car making the pressure higher. These forces are what cause cars to lift up as they gain speed.

If a race car is constantly lifting, it does not have the traction and control it needs to go fast and those are some of the key components to faster lap times. Cars need controllability and traction to retain higher speeds through turns. If a car cannot retain higher speeds through turns, then time ultimately is lost.

Full Areodynamic Kit - The APR Performance SS/GT (Special Stage/Grand Touring) aerodynamic widebody kit offers traction gains to Impreza WRX and STI owners. The SS/GT aerodynamic kit increases overall body stance by 3.15 inches (80mm). With this increased distance, Impreza owners can now run 18 inch wheels with wheel diameters ranging from 10 to 11 inches and tire diameters up to 295mm to maximize wheel traction.

To enhance increased traction and stability, APR Performance offers additional aerodynamic components such as a front 3 inch carbon fiber wind splitter with front undertray and rear carbon fiber diffuser. Detachable carbon fiber canards are also utilized for front aerodynamic tuning, while the rear adjustable carbon fiber GTC-300 WRX Spec wing, measuring 67 inches (1,700mm) in width and 12 inches (305mm) in height, aids in rear aerodynamic tuning.

Each kit includes:

• Widebody Front Bumper with Brake/Oil Cooler Vents
• Carbon Fiber Wind Splitter and Front Undertray
• Carbon Fiber Canards
• Widebody Front Fenders (40mm) with Wheel Turbulence Exhaust Ports
• Widebody Side Skirt
• Widebody Rear Door, Gas Door and Fender Combination (40mm)
• Widebody Drag Reduction Rear Bumper

Formula GT3 Mirrors and GTC-300 WRX Spec Wing are not included with the SS/GT Widebody Kit. Rear carbon fiber diffuser sold separately.
£2,995.00 inc. VAT

GTC-300 Wing - With a span of 67 inches and a height of 13 inches, the GTC-300 is an adjustable wing that means serious business. The GTC-300 3D airfoil shape allows for optimal airflow that reduces drag yet supplies an effective amount of downforce.
£725.00 inc. VAT

Front Wind Splitter - To combat the effects of front end lift, Front Wind Splitters are utilized to give extra traction and control in the front of a car. By creating a high pressure area on top of the wind splitter, high pressure air flow is restricted to flow underneath a car. With low pressure below the car, the effect of lift is reduced and a driver can gain from the extra traction and control.
£275.00 inc. VAT

Front Bumper Canards - Front Bumper Canards are the perfect answer to aerodynamically tune the handling for the front of a car. Made of lightweight and durable carbon graphite composites, Front Bumper Canards help increase front downforce at high speeds. The added downforce stabilizes the cars chassis during hard cornering and increases traction for faster lap times.

Every Front Bumper Canards set includes 4 canards and screws & bolts to attach the canards to the front bumper. This will allow you to customize your cars front end downforce by either installing two flaps or creating maximum downforce with a full set of four canards.
£139.00 inc. VAT

Carbon Rear Diffuser - Diffusers work in conjunction with other aerodynamic components of a car to help produce downforce. Because a car displaces air as it moves forward, the air molecules in the rear of the car get disrupted causing a vacuum of low pressure air.

To help channel the high speed air flow coming from underneath the car, diffusers redirects the high speed air flow to transition smoothly transition into the low pressure vacuum in the rear. This encourages a smoother flowing air flow underneath the car and allows better performance from other aerodynamic components such as aerodynamic wings.
£515.00 inc. VAT
Now £463.60 inc. VAT

Formula GT3 Mirrors - When it comes to reducing aerodynamic drag to a car, the Formula GT3 Mirrors are an excellent choice. The Formula GT3 Carbon Fiber Mirrors are designed to give race inspired looks with the functionality of reducing drag and eliminating blind spots with wide angle mirror lenses.
£199.00 inc. VAT