more questions about the wind deflector

[SoCal]

OK, I'm close to placing an order. I don't think I want the clear plastic wind deflector, but I'm still not 100% sure. Can anyone answer these questions?

(1) If I don't get the clear plastic wind deflector, can I still get the two black wind-blocking roll-bar loop inserts? Do those black inserts fit into all roll loops, even if the car is ordered without a wind deflector? Or is some kind of special prep required so that the black inserts will attach inside the roll loops?

(2) If I get the Bose system without wind deflector, does anything change regarding storage compartments in the trunk or behind the seats? (Another way to ask: if I get Bose with wind deflector, is there a storage slot for the wind deflector somewhere?)

(3) If I get the wind deflector and don't use it, and want to remove the permanent "clips" from the roll hoops, is it easy to do? Just a couple screws? Or are there rivets that would mess up the roll hoops if I tried to remove the clips? Has anyone taken the wind deflector clips off the roll hoops? How are they attached?

(4) If I don't order the wind deflector, and change my mind later, how hard is it to attach the clips afterward? Would the roll hoops have to be drilled? For anyone who doesn't have a wind deflector, what do the roll hoops look like where the clips otherwise would attach? Any small screw holes visible to accommodate the attachment of the clips?

[MLegere]

Originally Posted by SoCal

OK, I'm close to placing an order. I don't think I want the clear plastic wind deflector, but I'm still not 100% sure. Can anyone answer these questions?

(1) If I don't get the clear plastic wind deflector, can I still get the two black wind-blocking roll-bar loop inserts? Do those black inserts fit into all roll loops, even if the car is ordered without a wind deflector? Or is some kind of special prep required so that the black inserts will attach inside the roll loops?

(2) If I get the Bose system without wind deflector, does anything change regarding storage compartments in the trunk or behind the seats? (Another way to ask: if I get Bose with wind deflector, is there a storage slot for the wind deflector somewhere?)

(3) If I get the wind deflector and don't use it, and want to remove the permanent "clips" from the roll hoops, is it easy to do? Just a couple screws? Or are there rivets that would mess up the roll hoops if I tried to remove the clips? Has anyone taken the wind deflector clips off the roll hoops? How are they attached?

(4) If I don't order the wind deflector, and change my mind later, how hard is it to attach the clips afterward? Would the roll hoops have to be drilled? For anyone who doesn't have a wind deflector, what do the roll hoops look like where the clips otherwise would attach? Any small screw holes visible to accommodate the attachment of the clips?

SOCAL


Get the darn deflector you wont be sorry.


P.S. You can always take it out if you feel you are not getting enough air at 80 MPH

[aglsteven]

Definitely get the deflector! If you want the breeze you can always take it out afterwards. There are loads of Boxsters in Melbourne, and I think I've only ever seen about two of them without it. It just takes the edge of the blustery wind that comes through the cabin, and allows you to have the hood down in colder temperatures as well.

Last but not least, the ladies prefer not to have their hair blown around all the time. It may sound soft, but it's a factor.

[Rail26]

Gotta go with the wind deflector. It's a 80 mph hurricane if you don't...remember those pictures of the Weather Channel people standing on the beach waiting for the hurricane? That could be you. Ladies don't dig the hurricane.

[SoCal]

Well, it's recommendations like these that have me of two minds, and led to the questions in my initial post.

I've read opinions such as the above, which appear to be in the majority. But there is a sizeable minority, especially in warm climates, who say they never use the clear plastic deflector and that 1/2 to 2/3 of the wind blockage is accomplished by the black inserts inside the roll loops.

IMO, the clear plastic wind deflector looks cheap and uglies up the car. Complaints I've heard include: it rattles; it smudges easily and is a burden to keep clean; you can see vibrations and glare on the deflector through the mirror; it can come out at high speed and cause damage; and finally, according to one unverified source, the image of ex-girlfriends can appear in the plastic and ******************** at you about your music selections and hair loss.

But, I won't know how to balance the pros/cons until I drive it myself under different conditions. If I don't end up using the clear plastic deflector, I don't want those clip attachments sticking out of each roll loop. But again, I don't know the lesser of evils . . . IOW, how hard is it to take off those clips, and how much a mess it leaves, vs. how hard it is to put on the clips for a car ordered without a wind deflector.

If the clips are very easy to take off without leaving a mess, and perhaps reveal only two small unobtrusive screw holes (guessing) on each roll loop, then I probably would get the wind deflector. If, on the other hand, taking off the clips leaves a series of large ugly holes or other marks, that would be a problem (do the wind deflector clips attach only onto the metal roll loops, or do they attach through the padding?). In that case, I might just have to live with the unused clips on the roll hoops, but I'm trying to sort out the alternatives. Including, how easy is it to retrofit a wind deflector on a car ordered without one? Good as factory installed, or problems?

Hence my specific questions above, to try to make a final decision of whether or not to order the wind deflector. Sorry to be so wordy, but I guess I'm fixated on how bad I think the wind deflector looks. People complain about the chrono "wart," but IMO far and away the cheapest and ugliest looking part of the car is the clear plastic piece of crap wind deflector.

[Ronzi]

It is probably a small point, and perhaps of no particular importance to you, but you might want to consider the salability of car when you decide to get rid of it. By far the majority of Boxsters have the wind stop, and you have seen the testimonials from those that have it.
At some point in the future it could be the difference between a potential buyer choosing your car vs another one with the wind stop.
Also, it does give you a good place to paste your PCA club sticker.
Get the wind stop and leave it in the bag if you don't like it.

[RandallNeighbour]

SoCal, I do not think you should buy it with all your ranting and long posts. No amount of posting by owners who enjoy less turbulence in the cabin at speed are going to change your mind.

I don't mind your posts... after all, I am the king of verbose posting here! I just think you've made up your mind and you need to go with it.

Hey, if you change your mind you can always order them aftermarket and install them and be done with it.

[TOM986]

So far mine has been no bother. No rattles, hasn't fallen out at over 120MPH. How would anyone know what kind of car I own?

[JackG]

The attachment points are under the padding on the hoops, so you can remove the clips by drilling out the rivets. The padding just pries off, and after you drill the rivets and remove the clips the padding presses back on. No one will ever know.

I think you'll keep the windblock once you get it, however.

[SoCal]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

SoCal, I do not think you should buy it with all your ranting and long posts. No amount of posting by owners who enjoy less turbulence in the cabin at speed are going to change your mind.

I don't mind your posts... after all, I am the king of verbose posting here! I just think you've made up your mind and you need to go with it.

Hey, if you change your mind you can always order them aftermarket and install them and be done with it.

Ranting? OK, maybe. I never used the "barf" smilie in a post before.

As long as the dealer-installed deflector is indistinguishable from a factory install, then it doesn't matter -- I can change my mind and add it later. And that would satisfy Ronzi's good point about potential resale value one day -- again as long as there are no downsides to a dealer-install.

[Pablito]

Hey SoCal....I understand your concern, the wind deflector is a good idea, Bose audio system , definitely yes, dealer installs (of these types of attachments) usually are of very high quality. When I got my 98' there was no deflector and I added it and don't regret it at all, as far as the mesh grilles for the hoops they just pop in place and unless you have a 987 (I don't know if the design changed) they fit any year from 97 to 2004...The ones that I have were from a wrecked 2000s. The reason the plastic deflector I believe it's because dealing with a plastic piece on a day to day basis is less cumbersome than if it were glass or tempered glass, also probably weight savings.

[98Boxster98]

If you really wanted tempered glass on a 986...

http://www.designevolutionllc.com/

[Brucelee]

Simply from a resale perspective, the WD is a good idea.

[RandallNeighbour]

Do you all feel boxster owners would buy aftermarket windscreens and roll bar inserts that were just as good as factory and half the price or less?

I'm thinking of paying the big bucks to have molds created with new compatible designs. I think I could cover my investment costs inside a calendar year and have enough product made to make a little side money.

Everyone here would get a discount, of course! What do you think? Is there a need in the marketplace?

[Ronzi]

If I were you, I'd do a pretty careful survey to identify your potential market size.
I don't have any numbers, but from what I have seen looking at used Boxsters, almost all of them had the wind stop as OE.
I have a hard time imagining that somebody would spring for $50 - $60k for a new Boxster and not get the sport pkg or the touring pkg or whatever it is that has the wind stop included.
But then again I thought mood rings and pet rocks would never fly, either.

[deliriousga]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Do you all feel boxster owners would buy aftermarket windscreens and roll bar inserts that were just as good as factory and half the price or less?

Oh yeah. They're available at places other than the dealer, but they're still Porsche so they are $400+ for a piece of plastic.

I'm sure others have done like us and pulled it out over the winter then it gets scratched, but it's not even close to being worth $400 to replace it for a scratch. Half of that is even ridiculous considering the material it's made of and how easy it is to scratch, break or lose it. If someone could get one done for around $50-80 it would probably do quite well, especially as the Boxsters age.

With the roll bar inserts, they sound cheap clacking around. We took ours out, but I'm thinking about inserting a felt pad where they clip in so they don't shift around and make that cheap plastic sound. I would only replace them if I could get them for around $30-40.

[SD987]

I’ll relate my experiences with the wind deflector that may answer some of your questions. If I repeat what others have said, my apologies.

My 987 base, was not equipped with the windstop on date of purchase, but having driven a BMW convertible with a windscreen for some time, I realized that not having some sort of shield is tantamount to committing wind-tunnel seppuku. (It amazes me how many domestic convertibles don’t have any wind protection available.)

During the purchase haggling phase (the point during the transaction where you think you're getting concessions but the dealer is only guiding the transaction on its inevitable course toward their “secret price point”) I managed to get the dealer to "due bill" the windstop and colored wheel crests on top of his $2000 discount. However, I had to wait for the windstop for two weeks as they seemed to have the plastic stop in place, but no brackets were anywhere to be found on the premises (an emotional roller coaster of false hopes and dealer screw-ups that may be related in a different post).

Anyway, I appreciated the "clean" look of the seating area without the windstop during this waiting period ( I did not see any visible holes or attachment points during this time, as I can recollect). However, as I suspected, living without the windstop even for this short time was untenable. At 40 mph + the wind starts to pick up, hitting it's apex at about 80. At these speeds, without a windstop, your coif is obviously history and gets bad enough to where you will definitely lose a ball-cap unless it's secured to your head with a chinstrap (not a good look). North of 80 it doesn't get any worse, but at this point you're already in the "eye of the storm".

I’ll reiterate that this is in a 987, which I understand to have improved cockpit wind buffering compared to the 986. It’s also important to note that I’ve driven with the plastic insert out…and you need it, as that center gap between the seats seems to act as a natural wind tunnel.

To some of your other questions:

I don’t think you can factory order the black inserts without the windstop, but they are clipped on from three points and may be easy to find aftermarket. A dealer I’m guessing would be reluctant to break up the windstop kit, but I might be wrong.

I don’t think rear storage is affected by separate purchase of the Bose system, but I think when Bose is purchased with Preferred package or Preferred package plus you get the enhanced storage pullout in the back and cd inserts in the center control. No storage space is designed especially for the unused windstop, but it comes with a bag and fits handily if not elegantly in the back seat map holder.

It looks like the roll clips could be removed quite easily from their three attachments leaving no mark, however, the center clip assemblies look drilled in.

Post-purchase install of the windstop by the dealer was a two hour job (or whatever amount of time will discourage the customer from saying “OK, I’ll just wait over here until you guys are done”.)

I’ve had no issues with rattling at any speed but it does smudge rather easy. But there’s really no reason to touch it after getting over the initial paranoia that it’s going to pop out.

Relative to BMW (e36 – e46) windstops I’d say that Porsche’s is slicker, better integrated, less of an eyesore, of higher workmanship (has a sturdy heft – definitely not flimsy), slightly less effective but harder to remove cleanly (BMW’s just lifts out of the car leaving no trace, except for an extremely dirty back seat).

However, to summarize previous posters, the windstop purchase issue is a non-starter, you need this.

[SoCal]

Originally Posted by SD987

I’ll relate my experiences with the wind deflector that may answer some of your questions. If I repeat what others have said, my apologies.

. . .

However, to summarize previous posters, the windstop purchase issue is a non-starter, you need this.

Thanks for the info.

OK, I'm beaten into submission and accept my fate. I'll go peaceably, and order the wind deflector for my own good.

Anyone know where I can get a checkered flag embossed on a 987 deflector?

[BuffaloBoxster]

Just two weeks ago I was doing over 100mph with no windstop and didn't lose a ballcap. Honestly, I don't notice all that much of a difference until the weather gets cold. Mine's been out for a month now.

[SD987]

Admit it, you were wearing a chin strap ! :dance: