To split or not to split?

[scouk]

Hey guys/gals,

Need some feedback on whether or not to put a colour matching front splitter on my bugeye.

The splitter did make a brief appearance dressed in satin black some months ago on a local meet but soon flew off in style [:$]  (I think I'll need some blue-peter style double sided sticky tape next time [:|])  Anyhoo, the splitter has been put back into one piece and had a colour change.  Got a single coat of Red Mica on it just to get an idea of how it looks.

The opinion polls are open... Yay! [Y] or Nae! [N]

Mostly worried about the car looking a little to "chav" /  "ned" like...  Oh and the active danger of multi-story car parks e.t.c. 

P.s. I'll be getting the side skirts colour matched in the near future too before there are any comments about that..

 

Ok, first off, here's how the front end looks just now without the splitter:

 

 

And here's the splitter:

 

 

 

 

[james666]

Sorry mate but big NAE fae me on the splitter, first speed bump its gonna get hit then as you say multi storey car parks will just pull it off and kerbs at driveways!!!. So i wouldnt bother putting it back on the car as i think you would be getting pi$$ed off with all the scratches that would appear on it and poss of buggering up your bumper then having to source a new one, but the choice is yours

 

p.s it does look chav!!!

[colzo]

Not sure if it suits your car to be honest mate. [N] Sorry.

[scouk]

Yep, that's pretty much my own thoughts too...

[euan_r]

i thought it looked better but would paint it black to match side skirts. angle on drivers side looks a bit down comaped to other side from the photos.

[scoobaroo]

Would like to see it in black matching the side skirts.

And remember the splitter does a good job of pulling the nose down when on energetic runs []

Suppose it will depend on the terrain you most frequent.

Marty.

[scouk]

Well the side skirts are getting painted to match the red in the near future so I'll maybe take a another few photos when I get that done.  It's not permanently fixed on there, it was just loosely bolted on for the purpose of taking a couple photos.  The driver side edge is just hanging which is why it doesn't look balanced with the passenger side.

It was fitted as black a couple months ago and certainly felt like it did the job! Seemed to turn in nicely, dont think it was all in my head.. 

 

In fact it worked so well that Just using thise plastic plugs through the 11 or 13 bumper holes to keep it on isn't enough! Never thought it would produce that much downforce force!! Will have to try a big splodge of silicone sealant to give it a more secure fixing if it goes back on again. It was producing enough downforce at 60-70mph that it ripped itself off while overtaking a transit van! EEP![:|] (Ended up in 3 parts at that point)  Ideally a removable one would be nice that you can just clip on/off when needed but that's not going to happen. There is the strong chance of dirt track driving up to forrest rally stages and the low splitter will definately get caught somewhere along the line.

Other option is to try a proper prodrive splitter which I don't think sits so low but still has a good effect on the car.  But they are pretty pricey, unless I find one from a breakers somewhere..  Maybe I should just start saving my pennies again, would prefer a proper Prodrive one anyway..

 

[fai17]

Looks alot nicer in black

[oobster]

I prefer it colour-coded - my splitter is, but i've had mine painted 4 times now (once to colour-code it, twice to remove stone chips then the 4th time when i scraped it off a kerb, 2 weeks after getting it painted the 3rd time!)

[thewelsho]

ON ON ON - colour coded or not. Finishes of the front end rather well. Granted, you run the risk of damaging it, just be more careful where you take the car.

[scouk]

Thanks for the mixed comments... Just what I was looking for!. (no really it was what I expected)

I'm not "that" bothered about the various damage that it may incur. I'm not in the habit of driving over kerbs e.t.c  and as long as it goes up the local multi storey I'll be happy []  So on that note I reckon I'll try slinging it on again.

Still stuck between whether to put it back or colour coded.   My feeling at the moment is to have it black.  Mainly because the style is similar to the "official" splitter on the blobeye/hawkeye and they tend to be left black.  And then finish it off with a central located "Prodrive" sticker..

The red does look smart, makes it look really low and more like a Touring car / street racer.  But with that it also starts to appear boy-racer ish which is not something I'm fond of doing. 

 
Definitely need to see once I get the side-skirts done, that'll probably give a different impression
(Also got a UK300 style prodrive wing to go on the rear end at some point once I get it colour changed)
 

[oletam]

Looks better in black.

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

I had one for 24 hours before it flew off on the A90 ( I never ebn noticed it come off). This was despite torquing all of the bolts nicely. Nae chance i will be firing one back on. Too much grief

Deffo paint yours black though. Mine was satin black too from HT Autos. I was undecided on the overall look of it. I think they look better on hawkeyes IMHO.

Cal

[thewelsho]

... I think they look better on hawkeyes IMHO.

Cal

Couldn't agree more!

[scouk]

the HT Autos splitter is a bargain and it does match the blobeye/hawkeye splitter really well.  But on the bugeye it gives the car a big chin!  The hawkeye was designed to have a splitter the lines on the bumper make it ideal!

Anyhoo, here's a quick photoshop of it in black with colour matching side skirts :

 

[frank c]

I can't really tell from the pics but I do prefer the Black one.