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A quick review for those of you wanting to see photos:
Step 1: remove the bumper (a great reference thread here). Cliff notes: remove ALL of the OEM splitters, the center plastic tray underneath the bumper and all push pins, along with the two bolts and push pins on top of the bumper near the radiator and the two bolts hidden in the wheel wells... don't forget to disconnect the windshield wiper reservoir tubing and plug it with a 1/4" vacuum hose plug to keep it from draining out.
** Estimate 5-6 hours for install time, measuring thrice before cutting or drilling!
** You WILL need additional bolts, washers and nylon lock-nuts than was supplied by ARP. Make sure you source these prior to installing the splitter.
Step 2: Figure out where you want it, and how far you want it to project forward:
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I used the width of painter's tape (about 1 1/4") as a nice aesthetic reference point, keeping the splitter more appropriate in size and front overhang when flush to the wheel well.
ETA: You WILL have to cut the "tangs" off the bottom of the bumper where the splitters attached for a flush appearance. I used a dremel cutting wheel to make easy work of it - just be careful to avoid scuffing or cutting through to the front side of the bumper.
I also reused the OEM center piece to avoid a gap between the bumper and the APR splitter, this is not necessary but also requires some hand (or dremel) sanding to take a few millimeters of thickness off so it's flush. Trial and error until you get it right, then hit the center piece with some plastidip for a nice look (or optionally wrap it with carbon vinyl wrap).
Step 3: Tape off the edge and use a saw to cut (wear gloves, eye protection, and long sleeve shirt/pants to protect against the Carbon-Itchies):
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Step 4: Mock it up again with the bumper off the car, over the splitter - I put painter's tape along the edges of the bumper for alignment AND under all the places where I'll want bolts, so I can easily mark the bolt hole locations with a sharpie or other material:
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Some of the bolts at the front of the bumper near the grill opening are really hard to reach, so I used some of the Warden's nail polish and a pointer to "dab" the location, since a Sharpie won't fit!
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Here are the locations of the holes I drilled for the bumper itself:
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Step 5: you need to measure for the two REAR bolt holes, that allow two more bolts to secure the splitter to the aluminum frame of the front cradle in the same location as the plastic center tray (this will help keep the splitter from pulling off at high speeds!):
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** I drilled these final two holes AFTER the bumper/splitter was reinstalled, as I used the edge of the aluminum undertray as my reference point **
Step 6: Expoxy all of your exposed edges to prevent delamination of the carbon fiber over time. Larry Arizona can skip this step since his V never sees the wrong end of a sunny day. This includes the cut edge, and all bolt holes. It doesn't have to be pretty, but make sure the carbon fiber has a "wet" look to ensure saturation. I used a standard 2 part epoxy from any hardware store:
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Shot of the rear bolt holes and all the epoxied holes:
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Step 7: Enjoy the finished product, once the bumper is back on the car:
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Step 8: Optionally, measure and drill for the aluminum rod supports. You'll need to figure out where you want the rod supports to attach, either to the front grill or the sides of the bumper.
I chose to mount them to the grill, and used some make-shift aluminum brackets behind the grill to bolt the rods to, then I measured TWICE on the splitter, drilled / epoxied and mounted the rods:
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Ta-da!
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Note: ground clearance is actually improved over the OEM splitters by around 1/4", however you need to show caution on parking bump stops - though I actually clear these for the most part. Also, I would NOT use this splitter in conjunction with the V2V or D3 style splitters, as the front clearance would be horribly reduced for typical driveways or parking lot entrances!
Finally, the bumper is now easier to remove: no longer are you messing with plastic trays or push pins! You just remove the two rear bolts from the underside of the splitter, the two bolts and push pins on top of the bumper near the radiator and the two bolts hidden in the wheel wells... along with disconnecting the windshield wiper reservoir tubing and the bumper is off in under 10 minutes.
Step 1: remove the bumper (a great reference thread here). Cliff notes: remove ALL of the OEM splitters, the center plastic tray underneath the bumper and all push pins, along with the two bolts and push pins on top of the bumper near the radiator and the two bolts hidden in the wheel wells... don't forget to disconnect the windshield wiper reservoir tubing and plug it with a 1/4" vacuum hose plug to keep it from draining out.
** Estimate 5-6 hours for install time, measuring thrice before cutting or drilling!
** You WILL need additional bolts, washers and nylon lock-nuts than was supplied by ARP. Make sure you source these prior to installing the splitter.
Step 2: Figure out where you want it, and how far you want it to project forward:
I used the width of painter's tape (about 1 1/4") as a nice aesthetic reference point, keeping the splitter more appropriate in size and front overhang when flush to the wheel well.
ETA: You WILL have to cut the "tangs" off the bottom of the bumper where the splitters attached for a flush appearance. I used a dremel cutting wheel to make easy work of it - just be careful to avoid scuffing or cutting through to the front side of the bumper.
I also reused the OEM center piece to avoid a gap between the bumper and the APR splitter, this is not necessary but also requires some hand (or dremel) sanding to take a few millimeters of thickness off so it's flush. Trial and error until you get it right, then hit the center piece with some plastidip for a nice look (or optionally wrap it with carbon vinyl wrap).
Step 3: Tape off the edge and use a saw to cut (wear gloves, eye protection, and long sleeve shirt/pants to protect against the Carbon-Itchies):
Step 4: Mock it up again with the bumper off the car, over the splitter - I put painter's tape along the edges of the bumper for alignment AND under all the places where I'll want bolts, so I can easily mark the bolt hole locations with a sharpie or other material:
Some of the bolts at the front of the bumper near the grill opening are really hard to reach, so I used some of the Warden's nail polish and a pointer to "dab" the location, since a Sharpie won't fit!
Here are the locations of the holes I drilled for the bumper itself:
Step 5: you need to measure for the two REAR bolt holes, that allow two more bolts to secure the splitter to the aluminum frame of the front cradle in the same location as the plastic center tray (this will help keep the splitter from pulling off at high speeds!):
** I drilled these final two holes AFTER the bumper/splitter was reinstalled, as I used the edge of the aluminum undertray as my reference point **
Step 6: Expoxy all of your exposed edges to prevent delamination of the carbon fiber over time. Larry Arizona can skip this step since his V never sees the wrong end of a sunny day. This includes the cut edge, and all bolt holes. It doesn't have to be pretty, but make sure the carbon fiber has a "wet" look to ensure saturation. I used a standard 2 part epoxy from any hardware store:
Shot of the rear bolt holes and all the epoxied holes:
Step 7: Enjoy the finished product, once the bumper is back on the car:
Step 8: Optionally, measure and drill for the aluminum rod supports. You'll need to figure out where you want the rod supports to attach, either to the front grill or the sides of the bumper.
I chose to mount them to the grill, and used some make-shift aluminum brackets behind the grill to bolt the rods to, then I measured TWICE on the splitter, drilled / epoxied and mounted the rods:
Ta-da!
Note: ground clearance is actually improved over the OEM splitters by around 1/4", however you need to show caution on parking bump stops - though I actually clear these for the most part. Also, I would NOT use this splitter in conjunction with the V2V or D3 style splitters, as the front clearance would be horribly reduced for typical driveways or parking lot entrances!
Finally, the bumper is now easier to remove: no longer are you messing with plastic trays or push pins! You just remove the two rear bolts from the underside of the splitter, the two bolts and push pins on top of the bumper near the radiator and the two bolts hidden in the wheel wells... along with disconnecting the windshield wiper reservoir tubing and the bumper is off in under 10 minutes.
