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Looking at the detachable front clip idea from a manufacturing point of view. I am not sure if a strong enough joining structure could be formulated. The biggest hurdle the engineer has to overcome in chassis design is torsional rigidity. The cockpit of any race car is the weakest section of the car from a pure design standpoint. The open area where the driver must be and be able to work is almost like cutting the car in two. This large opening amplifies the twisting during extreme cornering, acceleration and braking imposed on the chassis. By attaching the entire front clip (which includes front suspension and the front wing element) at one point you force the front edge of the tub to support too much force. In the event of a wreck this would most likely be the first place to fail and leave the driver terribly exposed to injury. Short of being able to replace the entire front clip in the event of damage, I think there is little to be gained from it in major forms of open wheel racing.
The wing-to-tire contact problem is one that will never be solved in CART/IRL/F1 unless the front wings are removed. The closeness of the front wing to the track surface creates more traction and downforce. Also, it keeps the tires from coming into contact. Contact between two tires, not on the sidewall, will almost always result in one of the cars being vaulted over another. All of the sanctioning bodies have instituted rules that require the teams to have blunted edges on the front wing plates, thereby limiting the number of wing induced punctures we used to see.
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