Download all test results here.
Title: Air Diverters—Small Parts, Big Impact? Our Surprising Aero Test Results
By: Nine Lives Racing
Are air diverters just flashy bits of metal, or can they actually shift your aero balance in a meaningful way? We wanted to find out. So, we hit the track with a controlled test comparing three setups:
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Baseline (no diverters)
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Small “J-hook” style diverters
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Large and extended diverters
What we found was not only measurable—but in some ways, shocking.
🧠 What’s Actually Happening?
Air diverters work by controlling turbulent air around the front wheels and channeling flow away from sensitive aero zones (like the splitter and undertray). The small J-hooks were enough to redirect that high-pressure wake, but the longer diverters actively extended the front’s effective pressure zone, like adding a miniature canard or a winglet without the drag penalty.
That said, the drag does creep up with size. The large diverters started to cost us top-end speed, and the front-rear balance became noticeably front-heavy, almost to the point of requiring a rear aero adjustment to match.
📊 Data snap shot
| Front Downforce | Rear downforce |
Balance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 571 | 885 | 39.2 |
| J hooks | 573 | 863 | 39.9 |
| Large Diverters | 633 | 844 | 42.9 |
🏁 Takeaways
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J hook air diverters make a measurable difference.
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Larger diverters can shift your aero balance dramatically—possibly too far without matching rear adjustments.
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Use diverters as a fine-tuning tool for aero balance—especially when working around splitter, canard, or fender setups.
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Don’t just “add and pray.” Test, feel, and tune.
Download all the test results HERE