Shred Jesse had a Time Attack event on his summer schedule with OnGrid, and with the day consisting of two back to back days of pretty similar weather... it seemed like the perfect time to test out his DIY WingLogic setup versus the podium proven 9LR C5 Corvette offering.
We tested two rear wing setups back-to-back on the same car, same track, and nearly identical weather conditions. The setting was Time Attack as well, so no better opportunity to get clean laps and really see what the car could do. If you're unfamiliar with Time Attack, since there is no advantage to getting in each others way, everyone is exceptionally considerate of each others space. Also, since the grid is staggered based on previous sessions times, as long as drivers remember to not dog pile each other on the outlap, then everyone generally goes most of their session not seeing anyone else!
The plan: On Day 1, we'd run the home-brewed DIY "Winglogic" setup. On Day 2, we'd swap it out for a 9 Lives Racing (9LR) wing and CFD endplate setup. Would the 9LR wing show why it's podium proven, or would it meet it's match with the WingLogic DIY setup?
Setup & Comparison:
As we have tested the WingLogic wing to a notable extent already, we wanted to ensure both wings got the same angle in order to ensure the comparison was fair. We verified they got the same angle using a LevelBox angle gauge. We started both measurements by zeroing the gauge on the deck, and then we would take the angle of the wing with a camber plate going from the wicker over the leading face of the wing.
And the 9LR wing Angle verification:
Some important notes since people are likely already chomping at the bit on these details:
- These measured angles are not angles of attack! This measurement was taken SOLELY to confirm that the two wings were comparably mounted. These angles are just relative to right in front of the chassis mount as it meets the rear deck. The ground we were on was not level to utilize for an actual AOA measurement. We did not verify that where we zero'd the angle meter from was actual level relative to the car either.
- The 9 Lives Racing wing does not have a Gurney flap / Wicker while the Wing-Logic has a built in 1/4" one. When we reached out to 9 Lives Racing about this for comparison, they said it wasn't necessary, their wing produces more downforce for less drag at any given angle and a wicker would just be overkill. If you disagree with that, take it up with 9LR.
No other aero changes were made between days. No other suspension adjustments were made, and tires were rotated so as both days enjoyed similar levels of worn Vitour P1 tires. The comparison is about as fair as a privateer can reasonably get!
Test Parameters:
- Car: Fully caged and gutted SCCA Max 2 prepped C5 Corvette track car. LS1 with HCI and Full Exhaust, 9LR splitter and the wings as tested.
- Track: The Ridge Motorsports Park
- Only Change: Rear wing setup (DIY on Day 1, 9LR on Day 2)
- Data: Logged via RaceBox GPS (25hz) + G data, 2-3 time attack sessions per day
- One day 1, session 3 was black flagged all early due to an oil spill, but with increasing temperatures the time was not going to improve.
What We Looked At:
- Fastest lap time (Overall performance)
- Top speeds(to assess drag + corner exit and cornering)
- Max lateral Gs (to assess cornering grip)
9LR Vs Wing Logic Results
| Metric | DIY Winglogic | 9LR Wing | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Lap Time | 109.92 sec (1:49.92) | 109.36 sec (1:49.36) | 9LR |
| Overall Top Speed | 139.28 mph | 140.08 mph | 9LR |
| Max Lateral Gs | 1.36 G | 1.36 G | Tie |
Section Top Speeds: (based on clean laps under 1:55s)
| Segment | DIY Winglogic | 9LR Wing | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| T2–T5 | 87.39 mph | 88.62 mph | 9LR |
| T5–T7 | 115.63 mph | 116.37 mph | 9LR |
| T8–T11 | 114.88 mph | 117.26 mph | 9LR |
| T10–T11 | 98.31 mph | 99.25 mph | 9LR |
Lap Time: The 9LR setup edged out the WingLogic wing with a quicker best lap time. While the margin isn’t huge (~0.56 sec), that’s meaningful in a competitive time attack class and it's not unheard of for a smaller margin to be the difference between first and being off the podium.
Top Speed: As expected, the 9LR wing produced less drag with it's CFD endplates and lack of wicker. There was a bump in overall top speed on every section.
Lateral Gs: Average peak lateral grip was the same between setups in filtered clean laps, showing no loss of cornering capability with the reduced-drag wing. The limiting factor was more than likely the 200TW tire requirement, and folks running slicks may find they get entirely different values.
Section Analysis:
- T2-T5: 1.3mph gain. Slight but critical gain for the 9LR wing.
- T5–T7: Slight but consistent speed gain with 9LR wing.
- T8–T11: Most pronounced speed difference here, likely from better exit speed out of turn 8.
- T10–T11: A short segment with a clear and consistent speed edge for 9LR, even with limited distance to accelerate.
Seat of the Pants Feel:
The car felt more composed with the 9LR wing. The DIY wing got the job done, but exceeding the traction limit was always a very engaging situation. The 9LR wing delivered a more confidence inspiring and controlled experience, which translated to slightly better speeds.
Conclusion:
The 9LR wing improved top speed, exit speeds, and lap time — all without any downsides that could be felt. For anyone running a C5 competitively, this is one of those bolt-ons that just makes sense.
The flipside of all this, is that the DIY Winglogic option performed admirably next to the 9LR wing. While a loss is a loss... when something Honda Priced goes up against something Corvette priced, just how big is that win?
For the average track day enthusiast... both are solid options that you'll likely decide on based on your goals (winning vs fun vs price) and your ability/willingness to do a DIY install.
If you’re looking to upgrade your aero, check out 9LR’s offerings for the C5 Corvette for the fastest option, or if you're looking to do something yourself for a lower cost and pretty comparable results, checkout Wing-Logic, or Shred Jesse's article on how to do a DIY chassis mounted wing.