When we start the R&D process, we approach it with the mindset that the purpose of the part (function) should be the starting point for its design (form).
Our drive to produce the S30 Aluminum Air Dam & Splitter Kit was inspired by each and every fiberglass, carbon fiber, and urethane air dam that hasn’t stood up to the durability demands of a driver's car.
And, in full transparency, we were inspired by our love for the profile of the S30 OEM lower valance. We still wanted a full air dam/splitter, but we wanted it to rake back a little. And we wanted to prototype something for the Skillard Z that was a departure from the underbite style of many of the other options available.
You've probably seen a few custom-built Zs with aluminum air dams from custom fab shops. Going with an aluminum air dam is a great solution for owners who need something strong and light.
Our air dam started as a prototype for the Skillard Z, and we're thrilled that we can offer it for sale.
Aluminum is strong and it's light, which is important for durability.
And in our experience, this durability pays off.
Generally, our front lip splitters can be added to all sorts of fiberglass or carbon fiber air dams. And even though their purpose is aero benefit, we hear from customers over and over that the Skillard splitter, in daily use, saved their air dam from getting smashed, or from ripping right off.
In our experience, it doesn't take road debris, tank traps, or ninja speedbumps to break a fiberglass air dam. Take them on and off a couple times or pull in your driveway at just slightly less than the perfect angle and chances are they'll break.
We knew we cared about installation simplicity. Ease of install/uninstall.
With our kit, you can unfasten the 8 screws in the headlight bucket mounts, unscrew the 2 screws in the splitter plate, unscrew the 4 screws holding the support brackets in, and the whole thing just drops off. You can access the whole front end of your car.
Whenever your tires extend past the protection of a body panel, you can end up with a lot of drag from the air flow hitting the tread patch of a rotating tire.
The splitter dams on our air dam (side pieces in front of the tires) are a flat surface, and flat surfaces can cause drag. But in this case they're protecting the air from hitting the rotation of the tire. It causes significantly more drag if the air hits the tire rotation.
We were intentional to implement this marriage of form and function, especially since many air dam options don't have any accommodation to protect the front of the tire from forward air.
The Skillard air dam and splitter kit also allows for getting your build lower to the ground.
Even though the air dam and splitter kit has a large splitter, its approach angle is better than most air dams that extend forward (without any added splitters).
The type 1 style air dam we had on the Z before was several inches farther from the ground than this, which wasn't the look we wanted. Additionally, for the functionality of a splitter we wanted it lower to the ground. Despite having more clearance from the asphalt, the fiberglass air dam would hit more often.
Our air dam kit gets us lower to the ground, and even with a larger splitter we have a better in and out approach angle than we did with the fiberglass air dam (which had no added splitter attached).
In 2021 we ran the Skillard Z in the ZCON track day at PPIR. The way the track was set up, we were at speed, hitting the bank on the oval, which bottoms out your suspension as you're going up on an incline.
Those kind of maneuvers at 100 mph put our splitter into the asphalt. We did it 6 or 7 times. Even after all the impact, we had just a few scratches on the bottom of the splitter.
If we were running a fiberglass air dam, we probably would have left it on the track.
The whole kit assembled is 14 pounds, and we can lug it around with one arm. It's a huge part to weigh 14 pounds that we can beat the snot out of, and it keeps coming back for more.
And last, we know that availability is huge.
We make our air dam and splitter kits in-house, so they're in stock (or have short lead times). As a comparison, not long ago we tried to source a composite air dam to do some testing on our 280ZX 2+2, and lead times were at least 3 months. And, to be honest, we felt pretty good about it. Some options were much farther out.
If you're thinking about sourcing one of our S30 Aluminum Air Dam & Splitter Kits, please take a look at our installation video (above). It takes a closer look at the form and function of the kit.
Skillard is driven to provide solutions for the Datsun/Nissan community.
This comes primarily in the form of fabricating parts that help solve problems.
We celebrate that each build is unique, and we expect that our customers will use our parts as a launchpad for their skills, creativity and vision.
Stay tuned! Follow along on Instagram to keep up with us.
