thoughts on Spoiler - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

porsche986spyder · 03-06-2007, 06:25 AM

Yep, he is right. That is where I bought mine from. And mine cracked after a few months. They told me that there was a bad batch that went out and that the problem has now been fixed. You can take you chances, BUT BEWARE! I BELIEVE THIS SPOILER WAS THE CAUSE OF MY ACCIDENT LAST YEAR. I was driving in the rain and sped up to change lanes, granted I should not have been going over 75, but when the spoiler came up, it did not create enough down force to keep my rear tires on the ground, giving me good tracktion. My car began to fishtail and hydroplane all over the road. I did a complete 360 and my front bumper hit the gaurd rail before I finally stopped. It could have been worst. I still think that if I had the factory O.E.M. spoiler on it would have prevented me from hydroplaning out of control. My tires were brand new, so it deffinately was not the problem. The spoiler did NOT begin to crack until months later after the accident. The spoiler's poor design was the reason the fiberglass cracked. Hope this helps.

CJ_Boxster · 03-06-2007, 06:32 AM

Are you sure you didnt say "I NEED NOS!" then shift into R for RACE and floor it?

MNBoxster · 03-06-2007, 06:50 AM

Hi,

Well, technically, it's a Wing not a Spoiler. It uses a different priciple to deal with Lift. A Wing counteracts Lift, while a Spoiler prevents it.

As such, it will be different. How different? Better? Worse? I can't say, but we have at least one opinion that it provides less effect which makes some sense as a Wing is dependent on surface area, airfoil shape and angle of attack, and just from observation, it looks a little small to provide a large counteracting force. But, you'd need to do some measurements to be sure. They're calling it a Wing Spoiler, which again is technically incorrect, no such animal...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

CJ_Boxster · 03-06-2007, 07:01 AM

Jim is right. I still wouldnt expect my stock spoiler to protect me from hydro plaining in the rain ever. I consider the stock spoiler more of a "looks" peice on the car more than an actual functional peice even while it does help in the slightest bit.

03-06-2007, 07:55 AM

I call 300 pounds of downforce more than "helping a little". For all we know, that extra John Goodman on his rear trunk could have kept his tires on the ground better, maybe not. The only way to find out is take it to a wind tunnel and see.

CJ_Boxster · 03-06-2007, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boggtown

I call 300 pounds of downforce more than "helping a little". For all we know, that extra John Goodman on his rear trunk could have kept his tires on the ground better, maybe not. The only way to find out is take it to a wind tunnel and see.

Speculation, Im just saying... Why bet all your chips on a spoiler. Not all of us can drive a car like the Stig....

Thumper · 03-06-2007, 08:17 AM

I bought one from the seller in the eBay link and I am having it painted along with my rear bumper diffusers, GT3 bumper and side skirts next week. I'd be interested in knowing if those who have had problems with theirs if they purchased their "wing" from this seller or if it was purchased from someone else. The quality of the wing that I received appears to be good. No waves or warpage noted.

I really like the look over the Aerokit spoiler, as it gives the look I want without overwhelming the rear of the car.

Chills · 03-06-2007, 08:31 AM

I thought about getting that wing but decided against it. I have a lot of faith in the Germans that designed and engineered the Boxster, and if they designed the stock spoiler to be a certain way then I'm going to trust they knew what they were doing. (MNBoxster, notice how I used "wing" and "spoiler" properly?

). Besides, the stock piece looks pretty cool IMHO.

300lbs of downforce? I didn't know it was that much. Way cool.

A friend of mine suggested that the spoiler only gives 20lbs, where he came up with that figure I have no idea.

porsche986spyder · 03-06-2007, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thumper

I bought one from the seller in the eBay link and I am having it painted along with my rear bumper diffusers, GT3 bumper and side skirts next week. I'd be interested in knowing if those who have had problems with theirs if they purchased their "wing" from this seller or if it was purchased from someone else. The quality of the wing that I received appears to be good. No waves or warpage noted.

I really like the look over the Aerokit spoiler, as it gives the look I want without overwhelming the rear of the car.

It's more of a poor desing where the wing actually mounts to the factory poles that rise up and down. Not so much quality in the overall craftsmanship. You will see what I'm talking about when you mount it. It comes with NO washers to go between the surface and the metal holes that the screws go into. BAD DESIGN. Over time enough vibration will crack the fiberglass. I fixed mine and added 2 rubber washers as shock absorbers and 2 months later it started up again. I have some pictures of it where it cracked. I will post them so everyone can see.