Y2K5SRT
Enthusiast
I\'M BAFFLED! (pics and review)
Well, I finally got to check out one of the latest SRT-10 mods for myself: The Windstream air baffle from Wind Baffle. Now one of our other club members has the Windbaffle version which goes behind the roll hoops (towards the trunk). As the Windstream seemed a little smaller and a little less "obvious", I went that route. It mounts in front of the roll hoops right behind the seats. Installed it looks like this:
Now, some notes on the installation and results. The install should be and is very, very simple: Basically line up three Velcro straps on each roll hoop and fasten down tightly. On my installation I kept loosening the straps a little so as to better position the Windstream evenly across the back. Not easy if your Velcro straps are tight. I also noticed that the two sides were just a little too close together as compared to the cutout and straps. The result was that while the tops were snug, the lower notches and straps were all forced a little bit to the inside. The result was that the strap was not pulled in evenly and had a small gap towards the "stretched" side:
Note that the cutouts are also straight up and down while the bar itself is at an angle. Makes for interesting Velcro action. Ideally the lower holes would like up a little better and be angled similar to the roll hoops. Now before you say it, YES, mine is riding a bit high in the saddle and perhaps if it was lower it would have helped. It would have made it better on the inboard straps and worse on the outer straps (see below). So why didn't I have the baffle all the way down? Well, there is just something about those edges that I do not want up against my interior material. Now the lowermost edges have a softer rubber trim piece which tucks on nicely. You can see it clearly in this picture:
You will then note the "unprotected" edges by the center console and outside edges by the roll hoops. I decided that there was no way I would have these same edges pushed up against the interior piece. Too expensive to fix or replace if the baffle cut into the interior material. As it was, your seatback puts a little additional pressure on the baffle when you put them back. I was even a little nervous about the "rubberized" edge getting shoved against that back (haven't looked to see if there have been any side effects yet). The end result was a little bit of a gap at the bottom. I think that even if I pushed it down lower that the spacing of the straps would eventually pull it back up. The "safety strap" was easy to attach, although I question it's value for safety or security (thin). Still nice to have in place.
What it all boils down to is this: Performance. Does it perform as advertised? You betcha! I was skeptical at first and so was my wife. She has long hair and always has to tie it back when the top is down. Not this time! While there is still some breeze in there with the windows down, it was reduced an easy 75-80% over an "unbaffled" car. At city speeds (<55 MPH) it is almost quiet as far as wind noise. It immediately got two thumbs up from the wife with the statement: Don't you DARE take this off!
Was it perfect? Not totally. Besides the placement of the straps and the unprotected edges, I have one other gripe: Thickness. Oh, it does what it is supposed to do just as it is designed. Still, with that little extra gap at the bottom it can get shaking pretty good at highway speeds. I suspect if the material were thicker that the "vibration" (seen but NOT heard) would decrease dramatically. Even at speeds up to 80 MPH I never worried about the straps coming loose. However I did worry that it would snap in half - despite what are undoubtedly very true statements about the "unbreakable" Lexan used. The thing looks a little cheesy, but I don't know how you get around that. Perhaps thicker Lexan would make it look a little more purpose-built.
Bottom line? I would happily recommend this product for those that want reduced wind in the cabin of your SRT-10. It is a MUST if you or your passenger has long hair that you don't want to tie back every time. The one performance downside is that if you have a warm cockpit (as I did today), the baffle works almost too well, as there is little circulation to get rid of the excess hot air. We tried it with the windows up and it REALLY got quiet in there with almost no wind at all. But it looked too dorky (to us anyway) to continue in that setup for long - windows back down! With their recently announced "May Madness" sale, I think this is a good upgrade for most folks and their SRT-10's.
Chris
Well, I finally got to check out one of the latest SRT-10 mods for myself: The Windstream air baffle from Wind Baffle. Now one of our other club members has the Windbaffle version which goes behind the roll hoops (towards the trunk). As the Windstream seemed a little smaller and a little less "obvious", I went that route. It mounts in front of the roll hoops right behind the seats. Installed it looks like this:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Now, some notes on the installation and results. The install should be and is very, very simple: Basically line up three Velcro straps on each roll hoop and fasten down tightly. On my installation I kept loosening the straps a little so as to better position the Windstream evenly across the back. Not easy if your Velcro straps are tight. I also noticed that the two sides were just a little too close together as compared to the cutout and straps. The result was that while the tops were snug, the lower notches and straps were all forced a little bit to the inside. The result was that the strap was not pulled in evenly and had a small gap towards the "stretched" side:
You must be registered for see images
Note that the cutouts are also straight up and down while the bar itself is at an angle. Makes for interesting Velcro action. Ideally the lower holes would like up a little better and be angled similar to the roll hoops. Now before you say it, YES, mine is riding a bit high in the saddle and perhaps if it was lower it would have helped. It would have made it better on the inboard straps and worse on the outer straps (see below). So why didn't I have the baffle all the way down? Well, there is just something about those edges that I do not want up against my interior material. Now the lowermost edges have a softer rubber trim piece which tucks on nicely. You can see it clearly in this picture:
You must be registered for see images
You will then note the "unprotected" edges by the center console and outside edges by the roll hoops. I decided that there was no way I would have these same edges pushed up against the interior piece. Too expensive to fix or replace if the baffle cut into the interior material. As it was, your seatback puts a little additional pressure on the baffle when you put them back. I was even a little nervous about the "rubberized" edge getting shoved against that back (haven't looked to see if there have been any side effects yet). The end result was a little bit of a gap at the bottom. I think that even if I pushed it down lower that the spacing of the straps would eventually pull it back up. The "safety strap" was easy to attach, although I question it's value for safety or security (thin). Still nice to have in place.
What it all boils down to is this: Performance. Does it perform as advertised? You betcha! I was skeptical at first and so was my wife. She has long hair and always has to tie it back when the top is down. Not this time! While there is still some breeze in there with the windows down, it was reduced an easy 75-80% over an "unbaffled" car. At city speeds (<55 MPH) it is almost quiet as far as wind noise. It immediately got two thumbs up from the wife with the statement: Don't you DARE take this off!
Was it perfect? Not totally. Besides the placement of the straps and the unprotected edges, I have one other gripe: Thickness. Oh, it does what it is supposed to do just as it is designed. Still, with that little extra gap at the bottom it can get shaking pretty good at highway speeds. I suspect if the material were thicker that the "vibration" (seen but NOT heard) would decrease dramatically. Even at speeds up to 80 MPH I never worried about the straps coming loose. However I did worry that it would snap in half - despite what are undoubtedly very true statements about the "unbreakable" Lexan used. The thing looks a little cheesy, but I don't know how you get around that. Perhaps thicker Lexan would make it look a little more purpose-built.
Bottom line? I would happily recommend this product for those that want reduced wind in the cabin of your SRT-10. It is a MUST if you or your passenger has long hair that you don't want to tie back every time. The one performance downside is that if you have a warm cockpit (as I did today), the baffle works almost too well, as there is little circulation to get rid of the excess hot air. We tried it with the windows up and it REALLY got quiet in there with almost no wind at all. But it looked too dorky (to us anyway) to continue in that setup for long - windows back down! With their recently announced "May Madness" sale, I think this is a good upgrade for most folks and their SRT-10's.
Chris
Thanks! 
Okay, maybe I’ll just stick to the tried and true little-velvet-box gift strategy again this year and save the windbaffle idea for a lazy Saturday afternoon surprise. 
