Lexi.Laron: Aero Block-off Plates for the DC5

Tactical Art EG6 with Aero Block-Off Plates-- Photo from The Chronicles

Aero Block-Off Plates for Project DC5

Hello all.

Welcome to another addition to the site. In today's article I will be going over a new project for the DC5 which will be relatively low cost and partially for my own enjoyment and boredom.

Living in the country is no simple task for the semi-urban Philly Area boy that I am. There is a lot of corn, there is plenty of beer and good fried food, a bunch of friendly people, some motor heads here and there who thoroughly enjoy the American muscle car, yet the atmosphere is much more relaxed than where I'm from.

And well, aside from coffee, the one thing that can help me speed things up a bit is cars. However, cars cost money, money is a necessity, and necessities are...well, necessary. So of course, there are always low cost projects and modifications that I'm looking for when it comes to my DC5.

Photo courtesy of Tahrek Nassab of Secret Society

It just so happens that racing encourages that type of attitude. It is a sport in which slight modifications are encouraged to make the most out of your car while still staying in the same class.

Yes, whether you're in auto-x, road racing, NASCAR, Formula 1, or on the Bonneville Flats, small changes can make big differences. And that's what brings me to my next project-- fabricating aero block-off plates for the Lexi.Laron DC5.

Aerodynamics are extremely important for racing. The faster you go, the more important aerodynamics become. Things such as drag, down-force, and lift factor into how well your car can perform at the track. And there are many modifications which one can do to change the way their car behaves aerodynamically.

Take a look at the big wing on the back of the Loi-Spec ITR. A wing can be used for added stability and extra down-force.

Photo courtesy of Honda Tuning

Since I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to aerodynamics I will use the help of some members from one of my favorite sites, K20A.org. Therefore, I would like to thank BlackNDecker for his help before going any further with this article.

In a road racing thread on the forum meant for sharing track pictures, BlackNDecker and I began talking about the benefits of aero block-off plates. In his response, he stated that these plates are used to prevent excess air from entering the engine bay which would increase drag, therefore slowing the car down, and would also increase frontal lift, decreasing front-end traction at high speeds.

A closer look at the Loi-Spec Aero Block-Off Plates-- Photo Courtesy of Project Onethirty

Another solution to this problem would be to route the air from the front of the car to a part of the car that needed the air for cooling. This concept would apply to brake ducts which use frontal air to cool the brake rotors so that brake fade will be reduced. In my opinion this is a better option than the block-off plates, but I like my fog lights and so I would like to avoid removing them for brake ducts.

Brake ducts on a Miata-- Photo Courtesy of MiataTurbo.net

Another added benefit for me would be that these block-off plates will prevent rocks from kicking up and cracking my fog light lenses. This is extremely useful for people who buy OEM fog lights or things like the JDM ion fog lights which cost around $300 on the forums.

So, why wouldn't I do this? It's a relatively cheap project, it serves a purpose for function, and it will protect my fog lights.

With all of that being said, let's get to business. I began with some poster board and started cutting away at it to try and get the right fitment on the front of my DC5. Here's what the poster board looked like after a little while in the freezing cold with some scissors, some tape, a marker, and lots of clothing:

You'll notice that after I created this rendition I marked parts that needed to be changed for the next rendition. After doing that I got some cardboard out and cut out the second rendition. K is for Kelloggs (and K-Series)!

Then after some cutting, I test-fitted the second one on the car and made a third rendition to account for errors made on the second one. I traced the THIRD one on a Cheerios box!

Then I added a little meat around the edges to ensure I'd have enough mounting space to get this to fit onto the bumper.

I was going to add these little round nubs to the edges of the block-off plate, but I decided that they wouldn't look good, so I just added an extra quarter inch or so to the edges.