[fattirewilly]

I know several folks have removed the spoiler and stated that it doesn't generate any down force. I used the search function and didn't find any evidence one way or the other as to whether or not the spoiler is functional.

Is this an opinion or has any seen/heard credible evidence that it doesn't do anything? For example: "I read in Road and Track that.... or my bro's friend designed the spoiler and he said.... or Hey willy you dumbass, Pontiac's homepage says the spoiler generates...."

The reason I ask it that the car felt a little light at 120. If the spoiler is doing anything, I'll leave it on. If it truely does nothing, it may come off.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SilverGoat]

When I asked about this before, Groucho had some pretty good knowledge about this stuff and he's taken his off as its a useless piece of plastic. (He's in aerospace something having been part of the team that developed the first private venture into space.) My car feels pretty solid at high speed (not admitting any number hopefully keeps me out of trouble), even on roads that are not meant for any speed.
The cars sold elsewhere don't come with this as standard so I really think this is some crappy plastic piece bolted on to keep the industry happy after Pontiac unclad most of their other vehicles. Now I realize some people like their spoiler, but I like the look without it and I can see the cars behind me and there is no more glare in the rear window from the stupid thing.
Now I realize that I gave you no hard numbers and others should feel free to disagree, but I am happy being spoiler-free and encourage others to become free as well.

 

[Gotagoat]

What kind of repair was necessary to the trunk deck?

 

[EEZ GOAT]

either fill the holes and paint or get color machting plugs for the holes left behind after the delete:cheers

 

[Cadsbury]

I got the plugs from www.topshelfperformance.com. $30.00 and they'll paint them to match. I wanted to see what my car would look like without the spoiler before I had the holes welded up and the had to have the decklid repainted.

All the pictures on the forum got me interested in doing it to my car, so I went with the plugs.

Hope that helps...

Chris

 

[Clueless]

I think the only function of the spoiler is the extra 3rd (4th?) brake light. And to stockpile a layer of grime on the trunklid underneath it.

 

[chrisGTO]

the www.topshelfperformance.com plugs look great, pita to get mine in, had to file the trunk lid a tad, but the plugs look nice.

 

[enjracing]

i can give u a clear answer on this............. when you have the rear spoiler lower (much lower in the GTO's case) than the top of the roof line, you get almost no air to the rear wing. therefore, no downforce. in order to get effective downforce, you need to have non turbulent air hitting it directly. notice how the ozzy V8 supercars have the rear wing WAY HIGH up in the air above the roof line? the reason..... to get the non turbulent air. 11 years of professional racing taught me all about wings and air!!!

 

[banshee]

I'm not a know-it-all, but I know this.....Fact. the C6 Corvette spoiler is functional and you hardly even notice it's there. different style spoilers serve different purposes. some stop the car from becoming airborn (Bugatti Veyron), some reduce tailwind or drag (porsche, C6 Vette) thus keeping your car stable and avoiding loss of control, some just look good and would be functional if the car could actually generate the speed for its use (Monte Carlo SS Nascar spoiler). so as far as the tall spoiler theory.....sorry but that's false. I don't know if the GTO spoiler is functional, but being the nerd I am, I will find out as soon as I get a clear night with no wind. I have a fog machine and a fan. its a really simple experiment. personally, I think it's functional. it contours the shape of the car and is raised, which indicates it generates a streamline effect which reduces the drag coeficient. I can tell you it does not produce downforce though. it would have to be angled and/or raised. remember, spoilers serve more than one purpose.

 

[fattirewilly]

Decent comments so far, but not much based on facts, more seat of the pants stuff. I agree the spoiler can be functional aside from providing downforce, but if its purpose is to provide a cleaner airflow, what's the cd (coeffecient of drag) with verses the cd without.

Not playing down anyone's comments, but I'm hoping someone with some concrete info eventually pipes up.

 

[b_a_betterperson]

CDx for the Holden Monaro (no wing) is .31. CDx for the Pontiac GTO (with wing) is .31. Personally, I like the look -- but do not think it does anything.

 

[enjracing]

bro. please don't tell me that the tall spoiler theory is false. you don't know what you are talking about. i raced professionally for 11 years. www.enjracing.com and for 6 months when i raced f-holden (f-300) in australia, i was also a V8-supercar test driver. i couldn't be more correct. if the wing is below (especially extremely below like the gto) the roofline, it gets very turbulent and useless air. end of story. there is no argument here. i spend much of my life with brilliant engineers and aero specialists. i have also soent time in many wind tunnels.

 

[enjracing]

why do people with zero factual knowledge, put down others comments? especially with such conviction. makes me laugh.

 

[Cadsbury]

Dude, give it a rest with your pro racing back ground... You like to stoke yourself way too much. You may know what your talking about, but please don't throw it down our necks anymore.

We could benefit from your knowledge if you didn't get so defensive in your posts. They start to sound as if your putting people down...

 

[enjracing]

couldn't be further from the truth. that guy was completely calling me ignorant and straight out told me that i was wrong. i was just clarifying the fact that HE was wrong. the only reason that i "throw it in your face" is that without the proof of my background, my opinion would not have a solid foundation to it. if my answer to the original question was just simply a guess, like his was, then i wouldn't be effectively answering the question for the guy who originally asked the question. no need to be a hater, guy. peace.

 

[ShoddyHog]

enjracing - spoiler post

There was a thread where you made the argument that the rear spoiler does nothing on the GTO, but I cannot find it. Today I was trapped in a thunderstorm, and once I broke free from the traffic, I had two lanes wide open to me, and a big, black cloud chasing. I had her up to nearly 100, and kept an eye on the raindrops on the spoiler...not a one of them moved, and the drops on my rear glass barely did. Maybe I should have taken her up to 140 or so for testing, but from what I saw, it would support your statements.

I have to add that I've never, ever taken someone's credentials as a 100% guarantee that they are correct, so when you toss out yours for justification in an answer, it puts a bitter taste in my mouth. Too many times in my aviation career I heard the words, "Sarge, I've been working on these Cobras for 15 years and bla, bla, bla..." When people start saying stuff like that, I go into auto-BS sensing mode and doubt everything said thereafter. Just because someone does it the wrong way for 15 years doesn't make it the right way.

I owe you an apology, because that's exactly the way I thought about you when you posted the spoiler thread. Plus, I keep trying to put a NASCAR car in my mind next to a GTO and wonder why they have spoilers. Perhaps ours would be effective at higer speeds? Don't know, but wanted to comment. Maybe if the admins find your post, they will move mine to the appropriate thread.

 

[enjracing]

thanks buddy. i appreciate it. i hear what your saying about the bla, bla, bla with people's BS. i hate it myself. that is kinda why i spoke up the way it did. i hate to throw around my credentials, but sometimes it is the only way to get people to shut up and listen and stop preaching nonsense as if they are experts!!!! even if our stock wing had a big kick on it that stood up a few inches like a stock car, it would not be hugely effective. although, it would at least help to settle the car a bit. take a look at the wings on the www.v8supercar.com.au site. that is where you need to place them to work to the full potential of the air. also check out the wing on http://www.rodmillenstore.com/prodinfo.aspx?partID=RMRGTO04.com

that would work wonders!!!

 

[05GTO]

Maybe if the admins find your post, they will move mine to the appropriate thread.

Done!

 

[Groucho]

The only downforce the spoiler provides is via the attraction of the fugly PoS to the center of the Earth's mass at roughly 32 ft/sec^2.

Aerodynamically, it does neither jack nor sh1t, except possibly as an experiment in just how useless a parasitic drag-generating device can be.

The only function it provides is to break up the clean lines of otherwise sexy sheetmetal, and to impede a good 15% the rear view from the driver's seat.

 

[EEZ GOAT]

good 15% the rear view from the driver's seat.

that what iam talking about. that damm treee came from nowhere and hit my back bumper:willy: