Plastic Flaps under car ??

[m3f_MDS]

hey all..



:nixweiss:





last night i noticed i hav some plastic flaps infront uf the rear wheels, from under the car...



Are they there for some sort of deflection, or merely to protect the tires or something.. ?:nixweiss:





One is torn... shall i remove them both or is it realy worth fitting a new one...

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

i think its for some kind of aerodynamic purpose.. so therefore if you were to remove it its no biggie i guess.. they are a pain to replace from what ive heard

[m3f_MDS]

They seem to be Bolted on :banghead:

[m3f_AMPowerJ_e8f979e5cd]

I have the same issue and have wondered the same thing. I think they are there to deflect water spray from the front tires away from the rear tires to avoid hydroplanning in heavy rain. That is the only thing I could think of. That being said, I will still probably remove mine one day when I am bored with nothing to do.

[m3f_uansari1_aad8ea3205]

They direct wind away from the front of the tire to reduce drag. I like having mine on there, and am going to replace one in the spring, but it's not necessary if you're driving under 100mph.

[m3f_Sirius_880bd69485]

I have asked several techs at work before this same question and noone knows what they are actually for.

[m3f_99Blk&Tan_6738c76028]

Yeah I have been wondering what those are for as well. :nixweiss: Mine are cracked and look like they are about to break off. Looks bad so I guess I'll replace them if they aren't expensive

[m3f_sameguy]

they are genetic mistakes left over from when the m3 used to be a spacecraft, they are rudimentary thrust vectoring devices. Sort of like the tiny leg bones found in cetaceans. (whale, dolphin, porpoises)

[m3f_MDS]

Yeah... I think my left onw is almost breaking off after having hit the remains of a dead "something" a few months ago...



I missed one part and hit the rest... anyway...



I think it can be something to do with the underbody airlow .. I gotta try and get a new set...

[m3f_C-MoneyM3]

the flaps are for aerodynamic purposes, they keep the car stable at higher speeds, if you have a 95 M3 they are two seperate pieces. Mine were hanging down it was like $10 for them from the dealer. 96 and up are integrated toether and cost more to replace.

[m3f_Sirius_880bd69485]

I find it amazing that a small peice of plastic can accomplish something like that.

[m3f_uansari1_aad8ea3205]

Even small pieces of plastic can alter airflow, Sirius. Think about the LTW style front splitters, or the rear spoiler... it's the same concept.



The areas of a vehicle with the most drag are those with a vertical, perpendicular angle with the road. The fronts of the tires, front bumper, headlights, windshield, and side mirrors are the largest drag areas on the car. The way these plastic pieces work is that they split the air before it hits the front of the tire, so that the airflow is directed to the sides of the tire.

[m3f_Avus Blur_f64e36e460]

I was thinking of replacing mine this summer since they are beat to hell, but if they cost a lot, I am just going to let them be.

[m3f_MDS]

A fine example of how small things deflect wind for aerodynamic purposes.



Did you knwo what the glass blobs above the later E36 headlights are for ?



or what about the plastic little blobs on the inner part of the later e36 (non-M3)mirrors are for ?



All for wind deflection n so on...



Cool little facts huh ...