Cougar Skid Plate

[Snappy]

OK, this evening I've just put together my Cougar SV and noticed the way the undertray is held on is a similar configuration to the CAT SX.

I found myself replacing this on the CAT SX fairly often so I've been running a rear skid plate for some time now (haven't had to replace a rear bumper since fitting over 6 months ago).

I'm interested to learn if Cougar SV owners are having to replace the rear bumper due to wear?

Also I was thinking a front mont skid plate would possibly be worth while. Does the undertray bottom out at the front and cause wear on the undertray?

I run on hard clay tracks that seem to wear though rear schumacher bumpers fairly quickly.

[moth898]

front last a long time, the rear will wear out quicker. But if your bottoming out so much that you wear them out so fast, I would adjust your setup. raise the ride hieght and stiffen up the springs a touch. That being said, this sort of bottoming out and wear are normal.

[slow bob]

i disagree the rear bumper on the cougar sv wear out far to fast for my likeing i only run on carpet with a competitive setup and i have had to replace my rear bumper once already i have only raced in 5 meeting so 20 5min races ...

can i get a pic of the fix as i dont understand what the skid plate would look like/how it would work ....

[frogger]

Rob, that's because of our track and our jumps that it wears out so quick. I had my SX rear bumper only last 1 meeting there, already on my second and I am sure the Cougar's will wear out too. A skid plate is mighty fine idea. Is there one for the Cat?

[Snappy]

I've been running my own version of a skid plate on the CAT for over 6 months now as I used to replace rear bumpers fairly often. Haven't had any issues so far.

I'll try to make something similar for the Cougar this weekend if I have the time and post some picks. I feel it will be much easier to build than the one I came up with for the CAT.

[moth898]

Originally Posted by frogger

Rob, that's because of our track and our jumps that it wears out so quick. I had my SX rear bumper only last 1 meeting there, already on my second and I am sure the Cougar's will wear out too. A skid plate is mighty fine idea. Is there one for the Cat?

whats the surface made of....sandpaper

I run on hard packed dirt and have found the rear bumber has started to wear down a little. But then again if everything was made to last for ever manufacturers would go out of buisness. Things are engineered to be replaced or break every so often, so you'll have to buy a new 4 dollar bumper every month or two......no big deal.

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by moth898

whats the surface made of....sandpaper

I run on hard packed dirt and have found the rear bumber has started to wear down a little. But then again if everything was made to last for ever manufacturers would go out of buisness. Things are engineered to be replaced or break every so often, so you'll have to buy a new 4 dollar bumper every month or two......no big deal.

I agree - no big deal on this issue. Just something that seems to be an obvious value add to the car if people are sick of buying new ones every now and then.

The jumps at my local track are pretty big so you cant really setup for them only as it will be detrimental to handling on the rest of the track. I've run skid plates on different cars since the 80's so it's an obvious choice for me.

[Mr. Red]

I did a skid plate to my Rb5 before (brass). Mounted it on top of the stock one. Just took away 1.5mm from the ground clearance but added some 22 grams of weight. Made the rear even more settled. Think I will do one for my cougar. It will take some ware of the bumper and add that extra weight I need on the dirt.

[frogger]

It's more the fact that it's quite thick and blunt where it curls under the chassis (and over the under tray). If it extended a bit further and a lower angle I don't think it would be an issue. The wood jumps we have at Taplow don't all have smooth landings, there are some seams in the wood where these rear bumpers get's hooked up on. If someone does a skid plate I'll definitely buy one for both the SX and the SV.

[simoncrabb]

I snapped my rear bumper on the concrete at EPR in my first 10 minutes on the track...

I now just run it without one.

The rear of the undertray can just be stuck on with double sided, or rely on it being attached to the bodyshell holding it up.

[Snappy]

Well here is the one I made over the weekend. Took a bit of time to get it right but I'm pretty happy with the result. I've been running something similar on the CAT for the last 6 months with no problems.

[Snappy]

Here is a brass one I made recently. I feel the car handles better with the extra weight low down.

[The Doctor]

I've broken 2 rear bumpers in 6 weeks of racing indoors on carpet (it breaks when hitting ramps at speed) and so have simply resorted to holding the undertray on with a small square of servo tape between the chassis & undertray. Problem solved.