Tom Rand wrote:
> Does the front spoiler offered by some of the suppliers help stabilize
> them at top speed? What else helps?
Geeze, Tom, what is this fixation with top speed? If you want to go fast,
sell the TR6, but if you want to have fun, well, that9s another story! :)
IMHO, I don9t think a stock or moderately modified TR6 will benefit from a
front spoiler. I note that the Group 44 racers did not have a front
spoiler, yet I am sure their cars were able to reach some pretty impressive
speeds. However, competition TR6s started to wear front spoilers in the mid
'70s. Maybe the early Group 44 cars were not allowed to carry spoilers?
Can any SCCA historians shed some light on this?
When the competition TR6s did carry spoilers (in SCCA DP class I believe),
they were completely different to the spoilers the production cars wear, and
are more like a skirt to exclude any drafting under the car. JK Jackson's
car wears a spoiler like this.
Having said all of that, I am sure a really fast TR6 will need some sort of
aerodynamic aid to prevent front-end lift. As an anecdote, some years ago I
hit 130mph in the Pantera on the long left-hand sweeper going up the hill to
Torrey Pines Reserve in San Diego when suddenly, the reassuring pull on the
steering wheel disappeared, and felt like power-steering just clicked in. I
slowed down very carefully, not wishing to repeat the Mercedes Benz
triple-somersault flip at Le Mans of a few years ago. Front-end lift is a
problem in the Pantera. I ordered an air-dam that was fitted to
Euro-Panteras, and tried the same run. I saw 141 on the speedometer before
I chickened out (hell, I was in a sweeper!), but the steering feel was solid
and comforting. Wheel and steering alignment was set up for a run between
Ely and Las Vegas.
So the long-winded answer to your question is: Yes, a front spoiler on the
TR6 probably will help, but likely not at the velocities most of us drive.
I'm sure it was just a macho-design thing to improve sales.
Shane Ingate in Maryland
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