Wind deflectors behind headrests
 

Do these come as standard? I have the perspex one between the "roll bar" things, but the don't have the mesh ones which i've seen other Boxsters have.

I see they are quite expensive (£150+) are they worth it? do they make much difference to the wind noise (which isn't massively bad anyway to be honest (it is my first softop as well as first porsche)

cheers

Yeah... they're not inexpensive. Look for a used set... paint them if necessary.

I haven't paid much attention to the noise reduction... but it upped my cool factor by 5. I'm now sitting at a solid 6. ;)

I paid full price for a new OEM set :eek:, after a year without them. However, I have never run the center without the sides installed. Given their price, I was very happy with the how well they work.

I can't tell any difference with them on or off. I do have them on as they look cool and zip tied in so they don't blow out and not as easy for someone to try and swipe off the car if I happen to make a quick run into the gas station.

Yes... that.

Additionally, I positioned upon the tabs some 3M tape. They're not going anywhere. :dance:

Thanks guys. I think I will hold off then . Seems a bit of a excessive expense for the few months a year where its top down weather for the difference they might make.

Check the classifieds, ask woodie if he has a set. I got a good set used for like $80. And yes, zip tie them in place, otherwise they will blow out. While they may not make a difference for noice, they look nice. It's the center plastic piece that makes a difference.

There is also an aftermarket plexiglass option that replaces all of the OEM wind blockers. I’ll likely go that route in the next few months.
Shawn

I keep the original plastic ones stored in a box. I made the set on my car by cutting perforated aluminum with a rubber strip on the edge. They work just as well and I like the color better.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1557661843.jpg

For me I certainly can see difference while going relatively fast ~150km or so. Plus, I think that without them it seems like something is missing - while looking the car form behind. Used one should do the trick!

great idea and yes, looks great. how much did that end up costing you? what were the specs of the sheet (thickness, size of holes etc) also how do you secure them? i keep reading people using zip ties but i'm guessing that looks awful, especially when you're having them there to look nice!

Also....
 

....they make a great mounting spot for car badges.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1557693838.jpg


:cheers:

The zip ties don't look awful, really. Almost not noticeable. That's the easiest part.

However, making your own can be costly, and very time consuming. By hand you must measure out each hole, mark them, and then comes the drilling. You can't use just any old drill, no sir. You must use a Dremel tool, and with the expensive diamond-dust carbide-aluminum tip. Then, meticulously you must drill out each hole and... here's where it can get really expensive: one drill-bit per hole. Further each hole diameter must be measured with a micrometer and, again, not just any off-the-shelf-micrometer... for it must be able to meaure hole diameter down to .000000000000000000000000000000001 of an inch for, if just one of those holes isn't perfectly drilled, well, you can imagine the shame and ridicule by fellow Porsche owners. Finally, the rubber edging must be sourced from Indonesia, as it is made from a special "Rubbercone", a hybrid material from the rubber tree and hard-to-find silicone tree.

That is why many people just break down and spend the money for the set.

1. Ordering a set from the Internet will take ~10 minutes, and ~$325 brand new.

2. Making your own will take ~375 man hours and $3K-$4K in tools. It's all those ****************ing holes.

I bet 78350 will just buy a pair next time.

Post a pic of the pair that you purchase. Likely 300-400 members closely watching this thread.












:rolleyes:

I can't agree. The material for the screen is available at any big store or even online, and a rubber gasket can be had at McMaster just by looking for it. In fact, I think I will make a set just for S&G, I bet I don't spend more than $20.
The metal can be cut with either a bandsaw, a handheld grinder with a metal cutoff wheel or a pair of hand shears. The rubber can't be more than $8 for a .063 U-channel, I'm sure this easy...Sounds like a fun project for next weekend, might even powder coat mine to match rims.

uh huh:confused::dance:

You obviously have not tried it yourself. :rolleyes:

A Dremel leaves the edges too rough even with the diamond tip. I used a flat bed CNC with a Co2 Laser, available here: https://www.bosslaser.com/boss-lsr-hybrid.html

The Indonesian rubber is too sensitive to UV radiation and fades to a grey after a few months of full sun. The Melanesian rubber is the one to go with.

I sourced the uncut titanium hyper-alloy aluminum sheet here: https://www.customcargrills.com/Perforated-Grill-Mesh.asp

And the carbon fiber infused UV resistant rubber edge here: https://www.customcargrills.com/Grill-Trim.asp

I have lots of extra material and I will not share.

There may be cheaper sources, but if you were looking for the cheapest source, you'd be driving a 1990 Miata, not a Porsche Boxster.

I had a 1990 Miata for about two years. (A tree fell on it during a tropical storm.)

It was great car for the money- $2000. The shifting was much more precise than my 986.

*Moderators, can we get a Ban for Kevin. I don't think he's really one of us and probably belongs on the GrassrootsMotorsports.com/forum instead.

*Also, is there a way to keep Canadians from reading my helpful posts? I hear that they cheapen the value of my intellectual properties by about 30%. Fred, James, Paul, and TRK are still okay though.

Starter986 is right. Matter of fact you didn't even notice/mention the zip ties used in the picture of the person you quoted.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1557661843.jpg

Mine came with them, I installed them a few times and used zip ties to keep them from blowing out or being easily stolen. However, I found the passenger side screen blocked my blind spot, sounds stupid in a convertible with the top down, but combined with them being too fragile and expensive I decided to quit using them, no difference in wind noise, just looks. Maybe I will build a pair like 78F350, I would be using zip ties anyway.

The center windscreen on the other hand makes a noticeable difference in cockpit turbulence and noise and is definitely worth having. :cheers:

Deleted because I no longer recommend using tape.

Well I thought it a bit rude to... manners and all that. I'm British after all ;-)

With some 3M on the tabs, that eliminates the need for the zip tie on the top. My tie is in the middle bottom, near indiscernable. Those things aren't going anywhere with the 3M tape.

78F350, When I source all those tools definately I'm going with the Melanesian rubber. Thatks for the tip.

what do you mean when you say "on the tabs"? i don't see any tab looking things.
I just realized that my having red leather interior means the roll bar things are red leather at the front (black plastic at the back) so whatever colour ziptie i use it will look crap from one side. so zip ties are out of the question for the top parts (the bottoms would be ok as you can't really see them)

Are we referring to the same thing? I was talking about the black grilles that go behind the headrest. If you're referring to the same items, then they have 3 tabs that lock them (although loosely) to the roll bar.

I want to caution that if you use 3M tape to hold them down, you'll most likely never get the back out in one piece, as they are VERY brittle. I learned that the hard way. In fact, I no longer recommend using tape. Thank God for JB Weld for plastic, I was able to mend the broken pieces.

If you're talking about the clear plastic that goes between the humps, if the car didn't come with it, you'll have to buy the mounting kit and rivet it onto the roll bar. I did that with mine and if you need help let me know.

The front red pads can be removed or pried loose enough to fish a ziptie between them and the roll bar. This way you can use a black ziptie to match the roll bar and you won't see anything in the front. In the back, they would match the black roll bar so they will not be as noticeable.

yeah i was talking about the perforated alu within the rollbars. have bought some sheets and rubber and going to attempt to make my own when they get delivered.
great news about being able to prise them off.. that makes matters a bit easier :)

thankyou

This vid will help. If the little black plastic anchors come off with the pad, simply unscrew them off the pad and push them onto the roll bar before you put the pad back on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSB4hYjucH4&t=549s


Yes, if you make your own they probably won't have tabs :cheers:

Here's what the OE screens look like and the 3 tabs:

Here's a pic that shows the tabs on the original wind deflectors:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1558616687.jpg
I do not recommend allowing an elephant to sit on the original deflectors.

When I first made mine, I was going to have a folded edge to fit inside the rollbar. It was unnecessarily complicated.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1535558858.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1558618518.jpg

My recommendation is to just use a flat sheet cut from the perforated aluminum. Make a cardboard template that rests against the rollbar slightly within the curvature of the back. I didn't have to remove the padding to apply the zip-tie, but just slid it underneath. A thin strip of 3M tape applied to the rubber edge will secure them and be less visible than the zip-tie - I may do that later.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1558619065.jpg

I sold every set I had and never missed them. Free money. Just saying


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wasn’t happy with the amount of air coming thru the stock units so I added curved plexiglass sheets I found online. They fasten to the stock units.

Clickman +1
 

I, too, have purchased and installed the plexiglass wind blockers into my OEM mesh inserts.

Works great.

:cheers:

ooops, im repeating myself LOL

You're still using Melanesian rubber?! Wow. No. What you really want is the super-rare "Pleistocene Bog Tar."

finished.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cdMJTB4iuaEQ1tfM7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yH3jsfkWnVW3YSaX7

look ok tbh, they'll do instead of spending £150 on them (cost about £20 all in)

in retrospect i think i should have maybe gone with less metal between the holes (not sure of terminology of that)
ended up painting it black since it looked a bit weird being aluminium coloured when the car is dark gray and nothing really alu coloured anywhere on the car.

They look great! And the zip-ties blend in nicely! :cheers:

They do look good as well as the 'fuzzy dice' hanging from the mirror

Hehe thanks guys. The furry dice are a little ironic statement...I've had them for a number of cars now from when I had a bit of a boy racer type of car (mk1 cupra)

Those look great! Especially with your color.

With mine (Seal Gray)? I still like the black.