Bike Drifting Done the Right Way

Recently Icon made this car vs bike drift video. Cool! Its pretty good, and I highly respect the skills of both operators in their incredible machines.



Wait, incredible machines. Professional film crew. Angle gimmicks... this is cool, but is it THAT cool?

Is there a "Hi-Kick" alternative? Hell yes. We don't need your fancy pants literbike supersports or your super LS powered drift machines, expensive video equipment and expensive editing.

For much less, much more awesome 2 wheel sideways action. Enjoy!

New wheel/tire package - 6ULs and Hankook R-S3s

I recently mounted my new tires onto my new used wheels.  Off went the R1Rs that were on there and on went the R-S3s.  The tires are Hankook R-S3 tires in 225/45/15. The new tire/wheel package isn't any heavier than my old one, despite being 30mm wider and the wheel being an inch wider.  This is mainly due to the new wheel being so light, and the Azenis being an old, heavier tire for its size. 

Total diameter for the old Azenis/Konig package is 58.6cm.  Diameter for the new RS3/6UL package is 58.35cm. Thats a 0.4% gearing advantage. The tread is almost gone on the Azenis though. My math shows that with tread gone, the tires should be at about 579.7cm, so the felt (if any) gearing advantage from the last time I drove the car should be gone.  Also, mass of the wheel goes up 1.76%.  That doesn't mean that toque loss is 1.76%, since the entire rotating mass is not going up 1.7%. Either way, the advantage of added grip should be pretty immense. Based on what I read on forums, the tires should not rub at my ride height.  

Azenis RT-615, Toyo R1R, Hankook R-S3 comparison

• 949 Racing 6UL mk1 15x8" et36 -12.8lbs
• Konig Rewind 15x7" et40 - 14.5lbs
• Hankook R-S3 225/45/15 - 21.8lbs
• Toyo R1R 225/45/15, 50% tread left - 20lbs
• Falken Azenis RT-615 205/50/15 - 19.5lbs

RT-615 - 205/50/15, Diameter 58.6cm
R1R - 225/45/15 but they seem to run a bit wider than R-S3. Diameter 58.35cm
R-S3 - 225/45/15 Diameter 58.35cm

New wheel/tire package weight - 34.6lbs

Old wheel/tire package weight - 34lbs

Part weight database has been updated. I can't wait to see what these tires will do.  I hope I get very close to my target time.  The R1Rs are sold, going on a GRM 2011 challenge car.

Do Vortex Generators actually work? - YES!

I've been toying around with the idea of Vortex Generators for a long time. I finally got around to testing them in both "lab" and "track" conditions.  I've found some interesting findings, but the verdict is that they are worth it.

There are a lot of VG designs out there.  Delta wing, bent aluminum, dimple designs..  But I was reading up a low-velocity low-drag VG design patented in the 80's.  Well expired patent, of course.  From what I read, that particular design seemed ideal for low drag, low velocity applications such as it would be for cars.  Ever since I read that, I wondered how I could fab up a set without spending too much money or time.  I couldn't think of a solution.

I didn't have to.  Few months back, I found a company called Airtab® who makes that design and sells them for a good price.  Installation is a breeze too.  Good price point, good value; sounds like something this blog can use, eh?

Its always a risk sending your product out so some web blogger to test your product.  Especially for a smallish blog like this one; it might seem that there isn't much to gain, but a lot to lose.  And a non-professional enthusiast may make mistakes with installation, testing, etc and many things can go wrong.  Bad news travels fast right?  So I very much appreciated when Mr. Jack Latimer from Airtab, LLC sent me a bunch of his Vortex Generators for me to try out.

First Test

The test rig

Lets cut to the chase.  I first did a "lab test" using a differential manometer.  This manometer works by measuring the air pressure differences at its two nodes.  I mounted one 3.5 inches away where the spoiler edge meets the trunklid, and another node at the rooftop.  Now, I have no idea if the rooftop is an accurate representation of ambient pressures or whatever pressure that acts with the spoiler pressure to generate negative lift, so I won't be able to calculate accurate lift figures.  But it would conclusively tell me the differences between the two tests.  So, in short, it is perfect for comparisons.

My first test was a failure.  I mounted them 2.5 inches apart (thats 6.5 inches apart from center-to-center), about 13 inches from the rear edge of the roof--at the maximum manufacture recommended parameters.  The test results weren't that great.  I found out position of the VGs are pretty critical.  Aerodynamics gets pretty complicated in this area; separation points differ depending on the shape of the surfaces and that dictates where the VGs should be mounted.  Although the first test showed that the VGs were not working,  I've seen this particular design work from different tests on the internet (link), so I wasn't convinced.  I had to do another test with adjusted mounting positions.

Unfortunately I had to return the manometer before I could do another test.  School was starting soon too, I was running out of time.  I decided to do the second testing on the track.

Second Test
At the last track event, I ran two consecutive sessions on the same aero settings, one with and one without four Airtab® VGs installed much closer to the rear edge of the roof, about 2.5" apart between the VGs.  The VGs are supposed to be installed 0.75" apart, but I just wanted to do a quick and dirty test.  I placed them in the center 2 feet of the roof, and ignored the edges since my spoiler probably generates the most pressure in that area.

Picture of the rear aerodynamic layout in the second test

Because I don't drive at pro-level, it was really hard to analyze the data from my amateur-level DAQ setup.  Fortunately, temperatures, fuel levels, tire wear were all at a similar level because I didn't waste much time between sessions.  Unfortunately, and probably because of my inconsistent driving, maximum velocity of both sessions and best laptimes are equal.  What to do? After staring at my charts for a long time, I decided to look at a sector laptimes for turns 2 and 3.  These turns are constant radius, and I am fairly consistent here, and I take the same line every time I go through it.  Perfect.


   Sector times, Averaged

• Session with no VGs: 13.22
• Session with Airtab® VGs: 13.15
• Samples were from six runs each with and without the Airtabs®, with one or two outliers removed from when I was doing warm-up and cool-down laps or when I made a big driving mistake.

The 0.07 second difference in this section means there was an appreciable amount of lateral force generated.  Calculations based on this data show that the increase in lateral force, or grip, was 1%.  I got the answer of the question I've been asking for months; They work!

Conclusions - They work!
If anyone is curious, my best time with VGs installed was 1:02.1, and without was 1:02.8, with driving lines, and tire pressure adjustment variables included.  Inconclusive, but I do have one conclusion from this: My best use of the VGs was not necessarily to make an huge difference in available traction through radically increased downforce levels.  Yes, the Airtab® Vortex Generators made the car faster, but it also allowed me to adjust the car's balance to inspire more confidence to drive more consistently.  More consistency = more improvement!

This may not sound like much but it really adds up; remember, this is just one part of the course, and I only used 4 of them at less-than-optimal spacing.  And if you do, say, 20 laps, you've gotten almost 2 seconds in turns 2, and 3 alone, and even more ahead when you count time saved everywhere else.

If you think about how little you have to spend to get these parts, its hard to convince yourself that you should not get these. Remember, the Airtabs® are to be installed 4 inches apart from center-to-center.

Closing Notes

Installation is very simple.  Plot out your mounting points, mark them (I use painter's tape), remove backing and stick them on.  They can be painted also.

Note the modified airflow to the rear foil
on this hillclimb truck with Airtab VGs
installed

Remember the original intent of the Airtab® vortex generators.  They are supposed to reduce drag.  I'm sure they are doing exactly that on my car for a certain extent, but a car with a spoiler is not the best platform to test that on.   These VGs are used on commercial trucks, consumers seeking to improve fuel economies on their cars, and other race cars to improve drag profiles of their cars.  Furthermore, they can be mounted on the undertray for cars with less-than-ideal underbellies to help airflow stay attached; the effect of that would be to decrease the pressures under the undertray as well as help accelerate airflow at the diffuser.

Links:
For more information on Airtab® vortex generators, please click the logo below or here: www.airtab.com
To buy Airtb® vortex generators, please go here: www.buyairtab.com

Articles and related posts:
US Patent Number 5,058,837 - Low Drag Vortex Generators
White paper on VG effects on a Lancer Evolution
Autospeed article on VG effect on fuel economy
Paper on VG effects on drag reduction on a Honda

Photo Credits:
Airtab® logo is a registered trademark of Aeroserve Technologies, LTD.
The hillclimb truck is a picture of Mike Ryan MotorSports truck at the 2005 Pikes Peak Hillclimb

Hi-Kick Racing Sponsors for this season!

I've recently been fortunate enough to receive contributions from two great companies. Since I'm a hobbyist and I am not a business venture, I have the luxury of being able to "say no" and solicit all of my sponsors. This means the companies that contribute to this blog have personally communicated with me and create great products that I recommend.

Small but very appreciated contributors: One Greek Store and Airtab® LLC. www.onegreekstore.com www.buyairtab.com

I'll mention them in other posts, but recently two companies have given me contributions for my blog.  First is One Greek Store; they made the kick-ass shirts that I wore today.  I will post more pictures of them sometime.  Second is Airtab, LLC.  They make low-speed vortex generators I tested today.  I solicit sponsors only if their products are in line with the Hi-Kick Racing philosophy of good quality and great value at a decent price point.  I highly recommend the services of One Greek Store for all your apparel logo needs and Airtabs to source your VGs. 

Please visit the websites for contact information.  O.G.S. makes durable T-shirt logos for a really kick-ass price ;)

Track Day Report - Gainesville Test Course - 01/08/11

What a day! After some mishaps early on in the morning, I have gathered some good results.  I got there late, at around 9:00am.  Fortunately they hadn't started the drivers meeting or anything yet.


Conditions: 52 degrees at 10am, 65 degrees at 12:30pm.

• Changes from previous event:
• Tires a bit more worn
• Hi-Kick Racing design front splitter and rear spoiler (Both 7")
• Airtab® Vortex Generators
• Passenger seat was still removed

Session 1

Spoiler at the third highest setting and tire pressures at my 36f and 31r, I went out.  Two bad things happened here.  I a lot of oversteer due to lack of rear downforce, and I was putting my brakes through hell.  Months before, I had replaced my Hawk Black pads to Axxis ULT pads, which were rated "track worthy."  The brakes got spongy after a lap or two, and I could smell fumes from outside the car.  I did a few more laps and I pit back in.


Fastest Time: No laptimes were recorded because I messed up the settings on my laptimer.


I went home and changed the pads back to my worn down Hawk Blacks in a hurry. They had about 20% of life left in them.  Took me an hour to drive, change, and drive back.  I arrived at noon, and asked Grant to drive my car.

Session 2

I adjusted the spoiler to its second highest setting.  No other changes were made.  I went right back out and did a few more laps than the last session.  Handling balance was a bit better, but I was still loose around transitions and kept scrubbing off speed with the end kicking out.  Two problematic areas were the transition between turns 2 and 3, corner exit at turn 4+5, and after the second apex on the chicane at turn 7.  I decided to pit in after a short cool-down run before I boiled my brake fluid.


Fastest Time: 1:02.8
Average Time: 1:03.3

Session 3 - Vortex Generators (Airtabs®) 

I taped four vortex generators in the middle of the rear edge of my roof.  Both had the same laptimes.  Its hard to quantify the exact effect but comparing the best sector times between the VG run and the non-VG run (session 2) in the constant radius turns (turns 2 and 3), the VG installed car seems have slightly higher average lateral acceleration.  My driving in this session with the VGs is also much more consistent.  Furthermore, the car felt more stable.  Objectively speaking, it could be just because I was more used to the car, but I really think it was the VGs that made the difference.  I didn't adjust my driving very much in this run and I drove much cleaner.  I will make a separate post about my experiences with the Airtab® vortex generators.


Fastest Time: 1:02.8
Average Time: 1:03

Grant's run

Grant driving my car

Because I missed out on a lot of track time changing my brakes, I asked Grant to do a short stint.  I dropped the rear tire pressures about 1.5 lbs.  He says he can go faster with a few more laps and even faster with a better driving position.  Grant barely fits in my car.
Benchmark time was 0.4 seconds faster today than his last record of 1:01.8.  His time was 1:01.46

Session 4

With VGs installed, spoiler at second highest setting (man, I need to number the positions), and rear pressures the same as when grant drove the car, I did a 1:02.1. Woohoo! Personal record.  Some of its due to better driving, some of it is due to lower temperatures (should be about 5 degrees lower than my previous record) and some of it is due to the aero mods I put on my car.  The tires have been aging each event, but I guess the changes to the car and driving made up for it.

Driving Notes

Even if I dive-bomb into the chicanes, turning in early and hitting the initial right-side apex allows me to bleed off speed and properly later-apex the left side apex.  Mimicking grant's driving, I accelerated off of that apex into turn 9, but I have to make sure I am positioned correctly on the far left side of the track in order to make it into turn 9 without coming out too wide.  Smooth inputs with steering and throttle are critical in order to not oversteer in turn 9 entry.  This is even more applicable because my car is more neutral.


With aero mods, I can get on the gas way earlier than usual; carefully dialing in throttle allows very good acceleration off of turn 9. Trail-braking into turn 1 and 4 works very well also.

Conclusions

I can say with good definiteness that the front and rear aero mods and the Airtabs® had a net positive effect on the performance of the car.  Top speed of today was 1.5 miles higher than my past top speed, even with a lot of fuel in the car.  Even if I account for the cooler temperatures, this is pretty good.  This means that putting down more power with the increased aerodynamic grip on the exit of turn 9 overcame the drag penalties of my splitter. Vmax: 75mph!

Some more pictures from the event. Pictures seem to be of all Mazdas today!

By the way, I attended the 24 hours of Lemons in PBIR as a crew member. I'm still working on the report; stay tuned!

Aerodynamic Modifications to the car

The LOHP Miata (AKA Brokecore car) received aero mods this winter. It was a long overdue project that I finally got around commencing. I haven't track tested this yet, but I will make an update on it after my track event this weekend.

So what did I make? I made a splitter and spoiler on my car. I went through two spoiler designs because of aesthetic reasons. Ironically, the uglier one worked better. I still have that one if anyone wants it, but your car will look like the Corellian Corvette from Star Wars.

I tested them on the freeway up to 80mph, which is about 7mph faster than my maximum velocity at my home track. They held up fine. The splitter scrapes every once in a while when I drive around town, and the spoiler flutters a bit around the edges but it won't affect the durability at all.

Here is the picture of the modified car:

Links

Front Splitter build

Rear Spoiler build
Test Results

Laptime improvements will be at the next track report.

Aero Test Results (Splitter, Spoiler)

Test Results

I got a lot of funny looks that day. 

I tested the splitter and spoiler at speeds up to 80mph. The alumalite is known to hold up to 160mph if braced correctly. I am confident that it will hold up to my car's current maximum speed. I noticed my car was a bit lower in the front without the spoiler installed, and there was definitely much more front end grip at speed.

Splitter extends 7" from the R-package lip. Splitter is 4 inches off the ground. Measured about 6" away from the centerline of the splitter at 1.5" behind the leading edge. 

Spoiler is 7 inches tall at its longest (vertical) point, and smaller around the center due to the curvature of the trunklid.  I measured 3 inches away from the hinge edge right in the middle.  The other note was taped up to the center of the rooftop.

Test Tools

I used Grant's differential manometer. This type of manometer simply measures pressure differentials from two different spots. The two nodes were mounted on opposite sides of the splitter, right at the same spot. It is a very useful tool; if you want to do some aero mods I recommend that you get it. Not that expensive. One thing to note is that this is probably best used to compare one readout to another. The results are only going to be good for a ballpark figure. 

Results and Test Method

I took 25 samples, ditched the readings from when there were other cars around me, and ditched outliers (there weren't much), and averaged out the results. Temperatures were around 58-61 degrees.

Splitter: It created about 0.165 psi at 70mph, and about 0.222 psi at 80mph. 

Spoiler:  About 0.120 psi at 70mph, 0.145 psi at 80mph

Analysis

Grant's 5-6" splitter on his SRT-8 made about 0.177 psi at 80mph. His splitter sits 1 inch higher than mine. Splitter height seems to have a very drastic effect on net lift generated. 

A very approximate figure, using the entire area of the splitter is 73lbs of negative lift (downforce) at 70mph, and about 93lbs of negative lift at 80mph. The lift generated around the sides are significantly lower than the lift generated in the center, so the figure might be a little bit optimistic. Next time I will measure at more points. I think in reality, I think it will be close to 50lbs of negative lift. That is about 2% increase in traction, overall, ignoring the dynamics of my car, at 70 miles per hour.

The splitter actually curves in, so the effective area of the splitter will be greater than the spoiler, at least in theory.  The ends of the splitter are not sealed to the trunklid, the trunklid is curved, and lastly the splitter is only 48" wide.  I actually have no idea what kind of downforce levels to expect here.  To further complicate things, the airflow at the rooftop might not have been a good representation of the ambient pressure.  I'm just going to call it 55% of the splitter and throw out 30lbs of negative lift at 70mph on the splitter. 

Significant, but my cornering speeds at my home track is about 35-55mph, so I will have to see how much it will help with my laptimes. There is a real chance that it might not at all, because of the drag penalties of the spoiler I will be running.

Aero Mod: Rear Spoiler

Once again, pictures tell everything.  Only thing different is the need of a blind riveting tool.  

Things needed:

• Long door hinge. Get one as long as the one pictured. $9
• 10 feet of 1/16" steel cable $1.20
• 2 Cable crimps $3
• 8 four hole cabinet corners $5
• 6 two hole cabinet corners, the same one used on the splitter - $5
• 3 feet of flat aluminum rod, 1/8" thick. - $8 
• 4'x7" lexan, 0.93" - you may have to buy an entire 48x36" panel. (I have some leftovers for sale) - $60

Total cost: 91 dollars

Same tools needed as the splitter, but you also need a blind riveting tool.  I used a swivel head riveting tool from harbor freight; it comes with all necessary rivets.


I don't have to say much about this build; Just find center points for everything and mark them!  The tricky part is cutting the lexan and hinge to conform to the trunklid.  Take a piece of cardboard and trim it out until it conforms to the trunklid.  Find center points for the cardboard, lexan, and the trunklid.  When you cut the lexan, the cut won't be perfect so you have to keep trimming and fitting.


To align the spoiler, I measured from leading trunk edge to center, then from lead trunk edge to the ends of the trunk and then drew a straight line between the ends.  To find the correct distance from the rear trunk edge to the spoiler, you have to play around with the lexan at different angles to see what works.  I ended up about 1.25" away from the rear trunk edge.  


Everything on the trunklid gets riveted.  Everything on the lexan gets bolted.  Two two-hole corners need to be mounted onto the trunklid to snug the cable against; but not through it.  Run the wires as I did in the picture.


Also, one side (and only one side, as pictured) of the long hinges need to be cut in 3 to 4 places for it to conform to the trunklid.  Aligning it to the curved edge of the bottom of the lexan panel is difficult, but doable using duct tape. After you do the cuts, tape it to the lexan, drill the holes, then bolt it on.


For adjusting, first use the aluminum flat rods to reposition the spoiler through the holes you drill onto the rod, and then reposition the cable on the trunklid to keep the ends of the spoiler braced.  Note I only needed two points on the trunklid for the cable to tense against; the flex in the spoiler allows me to use each poitn on the trunk for three different positions on the aluminum rod.

The excess holes are from another design I was experimenting with. Be careful; the steel cable merely rests on the posts on the trunklid and does not get routed through the holes.

Aero Mod: Splitter

Building the front splitter

Material you need:

• Cabinet corners x8 - $5 for pack of 20
• Aluminum angle iron, 4 feet x1 - $8
• Aluminum flat rod, 0.75 inches to an inch wide, 1/8th inch thick, 4 feet long x1 - $8
• 1/16 steel cable, 4 feet x1 - $0.50
• 2 cable crimps and 4 wire rope clips, the ones with a nut on them. - $5
• 5mm bolts long enough to clear the splitter with washers installed, and nylock nuts, and washers x14 - $20
• 2 bolts, out of the bolts that bolt up the factory undtray to the subframe - $1.50
• Alumalite or Alumacorr, 62 inches by 24 inches - $100-120 for a sheet of 4x8' from a local sign store.

Total cost: 148 - 168 dollars.

Tools:

• Jigsaw or Reciprating saw
• Drill with 1/4 drill bit and another bit that is smaller
• Tape measurer
• Straight edge
• Sharpie or other marker

The splitter is pretty straightforward. Pictures tell a lot of the story so please look at the pictures as you read on. The splitter is mounted at 6 places, with 4 mounts doing the bulk of the work.

Steps

1. Cut the alumalite into appropriate size. It shold be cut to the length of the splitter and the width of the car. The splitter should extend under the bumper.

2. Remove the bumper, and trace out the outline on the alumalite. Mark center points and draw lines. Don't worry about marking the splitter up. You can remove the blue protective film and the marks will be gone. I left 5-6 inches in the centerpoint of where the lip would be, and left that much space all around. Draw the line so it will extend out to the width of the car. A tip is to take a tape measurer and put it against the front of the alumalite straight edge, and measure various spots. You will have to measure and mark horizontally first to make sure you are taking the measurements symmetrically. I marked every 6 inches out from the center point. Use the dots to trace a curve with your hand. Actually, while I drew on both sides, you only need to do it in one half.

3. Cut the splitter leading edge, on one side. Use the cut piece of alumalite (try not to mess it up) to trace and cut the other side. You also have to cut the rear corners out to make a mushroom shaped piece. Make sure it will not rub on your tires at full lock.

3. Find the two holes where the factory undertray mounts to. There are two on the subframe, right in front of the oil pan (might be behind, can't remember) that are in symmetrical locations. Measure from there to about 4 inches into where the splitter would begin. Cut the flat aluminum rod to that length. Drill two holes to the subframe mounting point and the other end down the centerline of the rod.

4. Using the rod as a template, mark the mounting holes on the alumalite and drill through it. The plastic core will gunk up the tip of the drill bit and give you a hard time before it drills through the aluminum sheet on the other side. After you drill through the first sheet and the plastic, clean out the drill bit tip. Be careful not to hurt your hands; unplug the drill when you do that.

5. There are two brackets where the radiator mounts to, that goes vertically. My radiator is repositioned, so it worked. With the stock mounting location, I am not sure if it will work. If it causes a problem, find another place to mount. It should be solid, stiff steel. You only need enough space to fit an open end wrench. Take the aluminum angle iron, use a clean end to press it up against the top of the radiator mount to find vertical and perpendicular. Draw a line, then mark two spots spaced as far apart as feasible and then drill a hole through the spots.

6. At this point, mount the splitter to the subframe using the two aluminum flat rods you drilled earlier. Be sure to use a washer to help distribute loads; the aluminum sheet gets pushed in easily. This should be enough to hold the splitter up where you can work on the other mounting points.

7. Sit in front of the car, and measure how long the angle iron needs to be from the radiator mount to the splitter. I used my knees to hold up the splitter a bit to make sure it is horizontal to the ground. Using the above holes on the radiator mount as a template, drill holes into the aluminum angle on one plane. Mount the angle iron. How you mount it is irellevant, just make sure that both angle irons are mounted the same way.

8. Take four of the cabinet corners and check if a 5mm bolt will go through it; it should be real tight. Some might not fit, if not, try another one. Take the corners and line it up to the angle iron, so that each one reaches outward from the angle iron in a 90 degree angle. Mark holes on the angle iron and the splitter, then drill. Mount using bolts and washers. These are the main braces. Three holes in each angle iron, and four holes total on the splitter. The nuts on the radiator support should be torqued tight.

9. After that, look for tabs where the radiator inlet would be on the bumper. These are steel tabs that are horizontal. Carefully and slowly bend them down, about 100 degrees.

10. Reinstall the bumper. After that, about 1/2 inch behind the leading edge of the splitter, mark two lines 10 inches apart. Take 4 cabinet corners and line them up so that one end of the corner is linear to the airstream (that is front to back). Two corners should be used at each point. Use the corners to mark holes for drilling (4 holes total) and drill. Mount the corners also, using washers, bolts and nuts.

11. Take the steel cable and secure each end to the corners and the tabs. Tighten them real good, and crimp the bottom end and clip the top end. 2 clips for each cable end. Clips go on top because it disturbs less air, and you do need the clips because the cables will eventually stretch with prolonged use and the tabs may bend further. When each of them happen, you need to loosen the clips and tighten the cable some more.

Thats it! You can find edging for the alumalite at home depot or lowe's; they will be good for protecting the splitter when it scrapes, and give a more professional touch. I left mine exposed. Drive very slowly over bumps and go up driveways at an angle!

The most expensive part of the build is the alumalite itself. I had to buy a 4x8' piece. A 4x8 piece should leave you enough material to do an undertray, if you leave the exhaust pipe part exposed.

Decals coming

Hey everyone.

I just got the equipment to make some weatherproof decals. They will be available for a donation of about 5 dollars. I will take requests for more Hi-Kick Racing decal designs if you have any good ideas! My email can be found in the "About this blog" page listed in the right column of this website.

So far, the decals are as follows:

They are about 4 inches tall and 11 inches wide. The finish is non-gloss. They aren't the best of quality but its best I can do with home equipment. The donation will help cover costs of the equipment I bought, which in turn helps me fund my hobby because I can now make magnetic logos for my contributors. Thank you for reading and thank you for your support! Please email me with any questions.

(note: there is a black border around the first decal as well)