It’s a fact: aerodynamic design has always been crucial to the automotive aftermarket. As early as 1920, Model T aftermarket aerodynamic kits were already being produced, catalogued, and marketed to Tin Lizzie owners, demonstrating how effortlessly they could slice through the air if they weren’t afraid to push their venerable new machines beyond 45 mph (70 kph).
And while the automobile and aftermarket industries have evolved considerably in the century since the Tin Lizzie, the fundamentals behind aerodynamics haven’t changed at all. Muscling an automobile through the air only works to a certain point, though. Eventually, you have to find an efficient way to coerce the air around it; and fortunately, that’s precisely what modern aftermarket body and aerodynamic kits excel at.
A Solid List of Aerodynamic Advantages That Custom Body Kits Have to Offer
It’s no coincidence that even here in Australia, where aerodynamic design used to be just a niche industry catering strictly to racers, it’s now the cornerstone of aftermarket tuning. The development, testing, and quality behind today’s aerodynamic packages are on par with factory-level engineering, making the range of custom body kits Australia has to choose from some of the best components of their type in the world. In fact, many of the best aftermarket body kits on the market are manufactured right here in Oz, ensuring that local performance expertise is an effective part of helping Aussie drivers get the most out of their cars.
Unlike the aerodynamic designs from only a generation ago though, the know-how going into today’s premium quality body kits isn’t focused on one-off looks, or purely incremental gains from individual parts. These kits are designed to work as comprehensive aerodynamic systems that are capable of:
· Increasing your car’s energy and fuel efficiency;
· Extending your travel distances and ride quality; and,
· Improving stability, handling, and overall high-end performance.
The fact is: modern car body kits, especially the ones created for high-performance vehicles, are modelled to maximize the aerodynamic envelopes they already have. Innovative powertrain and suspension combinations are useful, but it takes a solid aerodynamic package to get the fullest benefit of what those combinations have to offer. This is where aftermarket car body kits make all the difference.
Selecting the Right Body Kit Components for Your Type of Driving
The sky’s the limit when it comes to buying top-quality aftermarket body kits online, and you can expect to find a full range of standard aerodynamic package offerings consisting of the following:
· A revised front bumper, or combination bumper / front spoiler;
· A rear diffuser, and/or rear spoiler; and,
· Left and right side skirts.
And where higher degrees of aerodynamic downforce is required, you’ll also find a solid selection of higher-performance body kit options which, in addition to standard components, will also include:
· Front lip, or side skirt splitters;
· Rear spoiler extensions; and,
· Front, side, or rear winglets.
In short, modern aftermarket body kits for sale contain everything you need to give your car an aerodynamic advantage; and these are advantages you’ll see in the curves as well as on the straights.
Kits and Materials That Give You the Performance Edge
You can buy body kits for a broad complement of the most impressive high-performance cars available in Australia, including:
· BMW F20s, E82s, E92s, F82s and F83s;
· Ford, Mk1, Mk3s, Mk4s, and XR5s;
· Volkswagen Mk5 – Mk8 Golfs, Polos, and Sciroccos;
· Toyota 86s, GR86s, and A90s; and,
· Subaru WRXs and Levorgs.
But while your choices in body kits for sale may be fairly extensive, your choices in materials are going to be a lot more exclusive. They have to be lightweight and durable; and here’s where impact-resistant automotive-grade ABS plastic and ultra-strong carbon fibre hold the clear advantage.
ABS’s ability to withstand the kinds of hard, sudden impacts that kerbs and speed humps can dish out to low-slung front spoilers and side skids makes it a natural body kit option for urban environments. For more controlled and specialized performance environments, however, carbon fibre takes the lead with a range of qualities that include:
· A dimensional weight reduction of up to 50% over like-sized materials;
· Incredibly high tensile strength with remarkably low density; and,
· The ability to add extraordinary directional rigidity where needed.
Carbon fibre’s rigidity also maintains the performance edge when it comes to reducing aerodynamic drag. It’s not a benefit that’s likely to be your most prominent consideration initially when looking at car body kits for sale, but when you understand how integral defeating drag is to put a successful aerodynamic together, then it all becomes very clear.
Understanding how body kits help you defeat aerodynamic drag
Aerodynamic drag is the opposing force every object faces when moving through the air, and you’d be correct to assume that it’s also the biggest inhibitor to your car’s performance. Your tyres, grill, and even the angle of your windscreen all have an effect on how air moves under, around, and behind your car; and a premium quality car body kit, right down to the material it’s constructed from, is absolutely vital to ensuring that air movement doesn’t become a liability.
When you’re shopping for high-performance body kits, you’re looking for components that, beginning at the point of stagnation, are designed specifically to decrease automotive drag by doing the following:
· Absorbing in the number of protruding, and large cross-sectional surfaces that create airflow instability both at the front and rear of the car;
· Directing airflow around the side of the car (instead of under it) and away from even greater numbers of protrusions and recesses that it can become trapped in; and,
· Ensuring that the air that’s been directed around the side of the car continues to flow smoothly around it and isn’t violently drawn under it aft of the front tyres.
It’s important to remember too that reducing drag isn’t just about controlling airflow. If your car is battling to overcome the effects of drug-induced resistance, you’re burning considerably more fuel than you need to. It means that in addition to improving airflow, a high-performance body kit for cars is going to give you the upper on saving petrol, as well as help lower your carbon dioxide emissions.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, aerodynamic design is more crucial to automotive engineering now than it’s ever been. It’s not just an exercise in raw speed anymore: it’s about assembling a total package that also includes comfort, economy, and reliability.
The modern range of custom body kits Australia has at its disposal is the epitome of aftermarket aerodynamic design. They combine head-turning good looks with unparalleled performance, and they’re helping to reshape every aspect of the automotive industry.
