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Speedster Rear Spoiler


Aldo

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Hi All,

My Speedster is going in for a respray on Monday and I was wondering if I should remove the un-original high brake light/spoiler while it is there. I will be keeping the un-original tear drop mirrors as I love them but am not sure about the spoiler.

 

Reasons I feel it should stay.

  1. I drive in London stop/go traffic and think it is important to have a high level brake light.
  2. I kind of like the look of the spoiler.
  3. I can always remove it at a later date.
  4. I do not plan to show the car, I plan to drive it.

 

Reasons I feel it should go.

  1. I think I should try and keep such a rare car as original as I can for other peoples enjoyment as well as my own.
  2. I'm not sure, but I think it may not complement the clamshell turbo bodied, rounded lines at the back of the car.

 

 

Please take a look at the image and help me decide,

 

Cheers,

Al

post-3584-1250961270_thumb.jpg

Edited by Aldo
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I could be totally unhelpful and say it's your car so do what you feel works best.

 

but... Why do you feel in London you need a high level spoiler? Could you get some higher intensity LED bulbs to try and see if they make the brake lights more visible maybe? I have to confess I love the lines of the Speedster without the spoiler.

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I think a high level brake light is most during motorway driving when you're nose to tail and you want to make sure people know you're breaking, not around town. I drove my first 3.2 around London without any problems.

 

I'd keep it 100% original in the looks department and make the improvements to the performance.

 

But that's my opinion, the choice is yours.

 

Greg

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I say keep it. I had enough near misses in my Cabriolet to know some people need something RIGHT IN THEIR FACES. The little brake bulbs on a 911 are just not enough some times. I run a high level light in the orange car and find it reassuring.

 

Plus it looks good IMO, really suits the back. I definitely don't regard it as any kind of spoiler and not at all jarring.

 

Do you have a garage for the car or is it going to live in that underground car park? Are you sure it needs painting - my experience says London cars get trashed in car parks?

 

The other thing you could do is get a proper Porsche third eye brake light from the US. They are quite smart also IMO.

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I could be totally unhelpful and say it's your car so do what you feel works best.

 

but... Why do you feel in London you need a high level spoiler? Could you get some higher intensity LED bulbs to try and see if they make the brake lights more visible maybe? I have to confess I love the lines of the Speedster without the spoiler.

 

Thanks Tebbs,

It's not the high level spoiler I think I need in London, I just think people get distracted/bored in stop/go city traffic and the brighter/higher the light in front of then the more chance that they will see it, I had someone bump into the back of my Z1 (no damage) a few weeks ago because "they did not realize I had stopped"

 

Cheers,

Al

 

I think a high level brake light is most during motorway driving when you're nose to tail and you want to make sure people know you're breaking, not around town. I drove my first 3.2 around London without any problems.

 

I'd keep it 100% original in the looks department and make the improvements to the performance.

 

But that's my opinion, the choice is yours.

 

Greg

 

Cheers Greg

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I say keep it. I had enough near misses in my Cabriolet to know some people need something RIGHT IN THEIR FACES. The little brake bulbs on a 911 are just not enough some times. I run a high level light in the orange car and find it reassuring.

 

Plus it looks good IMO, really suits the back. I definitely don't regard it as any kind of spoiler and not at all jarring.

 

Do you have a garage for the car or is it going to live in that underground car park? Are you sure it needs painting - my experience says London cars get trashed in car parks?

 

The other thing you could do is get a proper Porsche third eye brake light from the US. They are quite smart also IMO.

 

Thanks mate,

I am with you on the safety thing but also with Greg when it comes to keeping it original which is why it is not a simple decision,

 

The car park is the one for my development and we have 24 hour security so it should be OK, there are a number of Porsche's etc here and nobody has ever touched my Z1 or 5 series so it should be fine (touch wood), that said I am not sure that it needs painting I just want to make it as good as I can get it,

 

Cheers,

Al

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when I wrote spoiler, I meant brake light :rolleyes: I must have looked a bit daft there.. needing high speed stability and a reduction in lift is hardly necessary in a city with an average speed of 12mph :P

Have you sold the Z1 now? Cool cars, I had a black model of one which sat just behind the red Carrera when I was a kid. Awesome doors!

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when I wrote spoiler, I meant brake light :rolleyes: I must have looked a bit daft there.. needing high speed stability and a reduction in lift is hardly necessary in a city with an average speed of 12mph :P

Have you sold the Z1 now? Cool cars, I had a black model of one which sat just behind the red Carrera when I was a kid. Awesome doors!

I would love to be able to get up to an average 12mph, it is more like 7mph most days,

 

I still have the Z1 (see below) I love it, it is not super fast but it is a unique driving experience (with the doors down) and it gets a ton of attention,

 

Cheers,

Al

post-3584-1250972510_thumb.jpg

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nobody has ever touched my Z1 or 5 series so it should be fine (touch wood)

I don't mean vandals, I mean door-denting neighbours and people dragging their handbags, shopping, big coats, prams, kids scooters etc down the side. My R5s used to get dented all the time, drove me nuts.

 

I think if it doesn't *need* new paint, just get the dent devil guy in for a morning and then pay for a proper car valeter to give it a freshen up. But hey, it's your money ;)

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I would say keep it, too.

 

I feel very exposed in mine when braking (especially with the dismal standard of driving over here) and have been debating he installation of a snorkel or an LED since I bought the car.

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I don't mean vandals, I mean door-denting neighbours and people dragging their handbags, shopping, big coats, prams, kids scooters etc down the side. My R5s used to get dented all the time, drove me nuts.

 

I think if it doesn't *need* new paint, just get the dent devil guy in for a morning and then pay for a proper car valeter to give it a freshen up. But hey, it's your money ;)

 

Sorry mate,

Forums are like emails, sometimes the true meaning can get lost in the text :)

 

I agree, but there are not too many residents using the car park so there is a fair bit of space between the cars, I have moved the Speedster out of the space that it was photographed in because the golf was a bit near,

 

We are house hunting at the moment so hopefully I will have a nice garage for it soon and it will only be put in the car park when staying in London and then only if I bring it with me,

 

Cheers,

Al

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Beauty mate, just trying to save you some cash so you can come off road-tripping with us in the future ;)

 

Keep posting, looks like a babe of a car.

 

Rather than scrap the brake light thing, why don't you get a plain metal engine cover and have that repainted to match the car, then you get the choice of which one to use.

 

Looking at the thing in more detail, not sure I like the fit of it inboard from the edge of the engine cover and I don't like that the LEDs seem to face down rather than horizontal.

 

edit: actually scrap that, I still really like it.

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edit: actually scrap that, I still really like it.

 

I think it looks terrible, like a handle on a coolbox or something.

Though I don't have another solution for a centre brake light. :D

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I would love to be able to get up to an average 12mph, it is more like 7mph most days,

My :twocents: stay original

If they're only doing 7mph its not gonna hurt much if they do hit you!!

Why pander to what some unknown moron might or might not do, with no guarantee its ever gonna happen, and no guarantee that the extra light is gonna make a blind bit of difference anyway?

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I like it but then that is the best angle for a 911 pic. They are "all about the arrrr5e", as Jamie says.

 

Take a shot of it from another direction if you get time Aldo ;)

Only have this one, it is a bit out of focus but saves me getting dressed and going down to the car park :)

post-3584-1251015042_thumb.jpg

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Why pander to what some unknown moron might or might not do, with no guarantee its ever gonna happen, and no guarantee that the extra light is gonna make a blind bit of difference anyway?

If it looks OK then what's the beef? Better to be there and never have to deal with a rear ender.

 

When you see some phone-gabbing soccer mom coming towards your stopped 911 at 25mph in her Landcruiser, you'll be glad of that coolbox handle. Been there done that.

 

From that angle it looks rank, maybe keep an eye out for the ET light.

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I think it looks terrible, like a handle on a coolbox or something.

Though I don't have another solution for a centre brake light. :D

Tea Boy you have done me in (see imgs below) LOL,

 

After all the educated and balanced opinions that this thread has generated from a great bunch of knowledgeable Porsche enthusiasts it takes one slightly snide comment and all I can think of when I look at the spoiler is a cool box handle. F--k it, it's going, who wants to buy a great handle for their cool box?

 

Not sure that I like the ET eye thing they bolted on for the US cars so I will think of a way to get some LEDs hidden into the engine grill (this is not going to be easy as the grill faces upwards but I have plenty of time to sort this),

 

Thanks for the input chaps, this place is great :),

 

Al

post-3584-1251023763_thumb.jpg

post-3584-1251023810_thumb.jpg

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I will think of a way to get some LEDs hidden into the engine grill

This is a really nice idea on lots of fronts. Yay for fresh thinking. I am going to have a look at that with the Varmint.

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This is a really nice idea on lots of fronts. Yay for fresh thinking. I am going to have a look at that with the Varmint.

Geoff Booth gave me the idea a while back when we was thinking about the problem so I have to give him the credit but there must be a way, the only issue is that the vents point straight up which makes it hard if you do not want the LEDs to show and are more concerned with cars knowing you are braking than you are aeroplanes,

 

I will post here if I get any ideas and if we all do the same we may get somewhere with this,

 

Cheers,

Al

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Would a LED high intensity foglight, used as a brakelight, hidden under the grille, work?

 

Bert

Cheers Bert,

I have air con so there is a radiator under the grille so I do not have the room but it maybe OK for the chaps that don't have air con. The only other issue is that the grille slants are at about 45 degrees from the ground and about 10 mm long and 15 mm apart (this is from memory as I have never measured them) which means you would be lucky to see the light if you was directly behind the car in the same way that it is hard to see out of a window that has Venetian blinds shut at the same angle,

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