Racebred front splitter install notes

[i3igpete]

supplemental tool notes:
-10mm drill bit (dont screw around with a step bit)
-14mm drill bit (ditto, I'll explain later)
-harbor freight rivnut/nutsert tool doesnt have the required m10 head. Gotta get one from amazon. this is the one I bought.

Notes based on step (see pdf)
1. you will toss all 3 undertray plastics. no need to set the bolts aside. watch the verus youtube video for bumper removal.



2. the grill shroud is gonna suck to remove. remove these tabs by inserting flathead and twisting. you may snap some tabs. i got lucky on removal but not on re-install.

4. friendship ended with dremels. now oscillating multi-tool is my best friend. make sure you have a narrow plunger and a half-circle and you can do all the cuts on this install without a tiny disc shattering and flying off at your face.

10. brake duct tabs suck. you will need to shove your hand into the duct and press outward.

also be aware of a coolant hose clip on the passenger side.

11. lower bumper support may not come out without a fight, depending on the weld thickness. it needs to come straight down, since there is a vertical peg and the duct in the way of pulling it forward. i filed the weld smoother so that going back in went smoother.

12. step drill bit failed me. if you have step bit like this, it is too long and will bottom out before reaching the required diameter. Just go buy a 10mm bit.

14. despite what it says in the instructions, 1/2 inch is nowhere near large enough to fit the m10 rivnut. go buy a 14mm bit (note, my home depot does not carry this size).

if you are struggling to hold the support and apply pressure to the tool, you can get creative with your wheel like this. or don't be lazy fuck like me and get your sawhorse and properly clamp it.

17. later year mkv's have this plastic bumper thing that's not in the pictures. luckily it's made out of that same shitty brittle plastic that will snap off.

23. the best way i found to do this is shorten the cable juuust enough so the cotter pin hole is half-exposed. then push up on the splitter and shove the pin thru.

24. i didnt like how the cables rubbed the outer duct, so i v-notched it.

Sponsored

 

[Traxion]

In addition to that, for anyone else who runs across this in the future, the rivnuts that go on the crash bar I'd recommend moving forward towards the front by .25 to .5 inches. If you happen to go even too far slightly towards the back from the template then the bar may have clearance issues going back in due to the bracket that gets screwed into those rivnuts.

 

[i3igpete]

I'd recommend moving forward towards the front by .25 to .5 inches.

that's a good point, though i don't have a picture handy to show.

that being said, I'd rather have racebred update the template to reflect that. Don't want to eyeball it and fuck it up because you shifted each side by a slightly different amount. that's an expensive mulligan (if you can even source a replacement bar from a dealer).

 

[Traxion]

that being said, I'd rather have racebred update the template to reflect that. Don't want to eyeball it and fuck it up because you shifted each side by a slightly different amount. that's an expensive mulligan (if you can even source a replacement bar from a dealer).

That's a great picture that gets the point across. I emailed racebred about it since I did have that issue. They were receptive to the feedback but I don't know if they're going to update it or not which is why I wanted to comment it here. I ended up drilling out the holes on the bar to gain the extra couple millimeters of clearance. I was on the cusp of ordering a new bar before I gave drilling the holes a shot.

 

[i3igpete]

hmmm it's possible that mine is a revised template. When did you receive yours? I ordered mine during the Black Friday sale but didn't get it until last week.

 

[Traxion]

I got mine November 20th and installed it during the next two days. I emailed them the feedback on January 16th.

 

[i3igpete]

closing thoughts.

The front of the splitter does flex a bit when you step on it, so an option of sending another set of support cables forward through the grille would have been nice. However, i do understand that this use case is purely for vanity purposes (stepping on the splitter for a photo op). the current position is fine since it supports the center of pressure (vacuum?), which is rearward.

I am also curious on racebred's decision of making you rivnut into the lower support beam, rather than using the existing bolts. Battle Aero brackets use these bolts, though they can't adjust for angle. in theory, no load would pass through the support bracket at all, and this is ultimately where the bracket load is going anyway. Would also save about 30-60 minutes of install time as well.

finally, I used an clinometer app on my phone and it says I'm at 1.2 degrees nose down, w.r.t. the garage floor. Mike @ BossBoss said his came out to 1 degree nose down in his youtube video. waiting for a digital inclinometer to arrive so i can take a couple measurements across, but ultimately this is a dynamic measurement with the body pitch and the splitter itself flexing a bit

 

[SlickRicATL]

Bravo! I needed you a few months ago. I spent about two days doing this install with MULTIPLE trips to Home Depot/Harbor Freight.

 

[i3igpete]

Bravo! I needed you a few months ago. I spent about two days doing this install with MULTIPLE trips to Home Depot/Harbor Freight.

yeah that whole drill bit thing PISSED ME OFF so much that I had to make this thread.

also, is your rubber edge trim kind of squeaky where it touches the bumper?

 

[SlickRicATL]

yeah that whole drill bit thing PISSED ME OFF so much that I had to make this thread.

also, is your rubber edge trim kind of squeaky where it touches the bumper?

That rubber edge thing is tucked under about 50% of the bumper lip. Not noisy or anything just tucked under. I think I could have done a better job on that portion of the install.

 

[Traxion]

That rubber edge thing is tucked under about 50% of the bumper lip. Not noisy or anything just tucked under. I think I could have done a better job on that portion of the install.

A small note about the airdam it comes with, if you hit any bumps or this is being used on track and you go 4 off and the splitter compresses upwards it'll kill the airdam and bend and break it if its underneath the oem lip. I broke mine and the replacement cost was $149+25 shipping. I ended up replacing the airdam with a self-made one that is is taller and sits in front of the OEM lip and rises above it.

 

[i3igpete]

Could you guys measure your airdams or snap a quick picture? Mine is 3.5" center and outer edge, and 2.5" under the headlights, and it sits entirely in "front" of the bumper. Maybe they changed the dam profile and hole locations since the first iteration?

 

[Traxion]

Could you guys measure your airdams or snap a quick picture? Mine is 3.5" center and outer edge, and 2.5" under the headlights, and it sits entirely in "front" of the bumper. Maybe they changed the dam profile and hole locations since the first iteration?

Well I guess it should be noted that there is adjustability for where you place the mounts onto the splitter itself. You can slide the splitter slightly forward or backward. I had originally made it where the air dam was just in front of the oem lip because I could pull up on the splitter and it'd be in front. But when I went off track, it caught ever so slightly and jammed the splitter backward so the airdam went under the lip.

 

[i3igpete]

some notes on adjustment.

step 17: the holes have some slop in them to adjust pitch angle, it measures out to ~2 deg magnitude (peak-to-valley).

Going from hole to hole gives you 6 mm vertical jumps if you shift all 4 bolts, or about 6 deg of tilt if you move a pair. I wish racebred provided a torque spec for these, since you will need to crank down on these to keep the splitter blade from moving.

Definitely get all your adjustment done before putting your bumper back on. You want the splitter blade to be angled nose down. Professional awesome recommends 0.5-2 degrees nose down, AJH says anywhere between 1-2 deg is fine. if you opted for the splitter ramps, then the angle is not as critical.

https://www.professionalawesome.com/diy-downforce/




step 23: one downside of the quick release hooks is that there is some micro-slip when you start adjusting the other cables. its not much, but just enough to release tension. you will need to fiddle with the length a bit to get the cable tensions even all the way across. if the clamp refuses to hold in the exact position you need, you may need to rotate the cable by 90 or 180 degrees.

I may switch these to old-fashioned threaded rods if these quick-releases lose tension over time due to this micro slip. AJ hartman also has a neat compressible rod solution. does it matter at speed, considering how much the wood will flex? probably not, but it still bugs me to see one randomly loose support cable.

 

[i3igpete]

Just a heads up that the support cables might microslip over time and cause your splitter to droop. I've already had to pull off my bumper twice to re-tension the cables. mike @ bossboss confirmed the same issue on his side when i messaged him.

I've already contacted racebred, and they said they have a revised quick release hook that should hopefully hold on tighter. Will report back once those arrive. If they won't hold, then I'll probably switch to AJH or PA rods as a last resort.

Sponsored