Wind Deflector Prototype
A I discovered soon after taking delivery the Aluminium Chassis Plus 8 seems to be very good at collecting road dust inside the car and if the road is damp, picking up moisture and dumping it inside the cockpit and one the inside of the screen.
I had a Williams wind deflector on the Roadster and it seemed to help. But a Plus 8 is rather wider, collects more muck and so an alternative solution was needed.
Step 1 was to have Aero Racing fit the roll over bar they developed for Aeroman.
Step 2 was to make a prototype wind deflector and road test it.
These photos show the evolution of the screen and the finished card prototype. The fitting, using zip-ties is temporary, the final version will clip to the roll bar frame.
The hole, covered by fly screen mesh, was put there for two reasons:
1. So I could see behind
2. To see how much air comes through this space. The answer was "a lot"
The cat is removable amd simply there because he likes sitting in the sun. He is, of course, nicely colour coordinated!
A road test today shoiwed it is promising..the Co-Pilot said that the cockpit was quieter, her knees didn't get cold and she needed neither scarf nor at lower speeds, a hat.
So, the next step is to make a second prototype, check for fit and then have a final version made.
Initially I'm going to get one made in plexiglass, for three reasons..
1. It will be all but invisible..
2. It is a lot cheaper than a custome made "frame and net" one, about £120 and the maker is near Southampton.
3. I think it will work better, based on the prototype road tests.
The finished version will be in use by mid June..., I'll report further.
Oh yes, if you want a roll bar for your modern Plus 8/ Speedster it will be about £800 plus VAT from Aero Racing and they need your car to fit it.
