Is There a Rear Spoiler That Works?

Hot Air

E85 and S.E./Carolinas Moderator
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Nov 11, 2002
Stock GN spoiler is very small and probable does nothing but look cool. Does anyone know where I can get one that actually puts downforce on rear tires at speed?
Conrad
 
You could look for a hurst olds rear wing. Lauren manufacturing makes one. And some other different wings also.


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I'm no aerodynamics expert but I think there's more downforce problems with the front end than the rear end. Our cars get very floaty in the front end over 100 mph that would be helped by a proper front spoiler or air dam much moreso than a rear wing. That probably comes off sounding ironic because my car has a wing, I believe it's based on a Fiero wing from the same approximate year and it matches the trunk lid lines quite well. I just asked my dad about it now and he said he remembered having it custom-made. It was based on the Fiero wing, but probably wider, as the Fiero is narrower at the rear. It's a one-off and he said it cost quite a bit at the time. My dad had it installed when he first bought the car new in '86 and I've always loved it, because it's different from all the other GN's.

I doubt it does much for downforce at the rear, though. :cool:

It looks almost exactly like this:

fiero_side_view.jpg
 
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There is no where for the air to flow that hits the front of the car. The air enters the engine compartment and has no where to go but under the car lifting the front end. gnx vents help. Hood vents or lager side vents. Try to keep air flowing over the car not under the car. Aerodynamics are tricky.


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I'm no aerodynamics expert but I think there's more downforce problems with the front end than the rear end. Our cars get very floaty in the front end over 100 mph that would be helped by a proper front spoiler or air dam much moreso than a rear wing...............

I am not an aerodynamics expert either, but do know at 140 MPH+ in a stock GN is not where I want to be, a ride in a back-half GN closer to the ground is a blast at 160 MPH!

A local friend has built his GN and others cars as well for top speed running, and the first thing needed is to lower the front end.

He has done a few other chassis mods and with a stock engine ran at the local 1/2 mile track and a modified 2013 modified Shelby was only 1 MPH faster, and he was in the top 5 fastest cars that day, and the others were $100k plus rides. :)

Conrad, you should contact Scott W. here as he could help with info and parts, if you need them.
 
I've noticed for 30 years that most of the times I've seen a Camaro or Firebird with a spoiler or a Grand National,they all tend to sit a little lower in the back if they have stock springs. I've never noticed this when I've seen a Camaro,Firebird,or Regal without a spoiler.
 
I've noticed for 30 years that most of the times I see a Camaro or Firebird with a spoiler or a Grand National,they all tend to sit a little lower in the back if they have stock springs. I never notice this when I see a Camaro,Firebird,or Regal without a spoiler.
That would make sense...at least the wing that was installed on my car is a pretty solid, heavy unit. When you turn the key to pop the trunk lid, you have to lift the lid up, it won't pop up by itself. It stays up on its own, though.
 
That would make sense...at least the wing that was installed on my car is a pretty solid, heavy unit. When you turn the key to pop the trunk lid, you have to lift the lid up, it won't pop up by itself. It stays up on its own, though.
I'm talking about the stock GN spoiler and am not referring to the weight of the spoiler but the downforce that it creates. If I wanted to create more downforce on a GN,I would extend the lip of the stock spoiler or buy an aftermarket duplicate and modify it.
 
You said they tend to sit lower in the back...that made me think you were looking at parked cars, where downforce wouldn't play a role. :) I honestly doubt the original lip spoiler has much of an effect on downforce. I read another topic posted by a member here who was designing a spoiler extension that extended the original lip spoiler outward, but it looked like a bolt-on...and only ran the length of the trunk-lid, not to the corners. I'm no expert but our cars tend to nose-up far too easily, and some modding of the front end would have more of an effect than adding a bit of rear downforce. Lowering the front end, extending the front air-dams downward or adding a chin spoiler--while still allowing for air intake to the intercooler--would make a significant improvement to aerodynamics.
 
From what I’ve read on here a rear wing isn’t needed until you get over 140 mph.

D
 
At 140 mph, our GNs would need a nosecone like the Charger Daytona/Plymouth Superbird had even more than a wing. :)
 
I am surprised that someone hasn't taken a deck lid from a parts TB and tried to increase the height of the lip of the spoiler with fiberglass to see how it looks. A good body man should be able to do this , I would think. Don't have to go overboard with it, but it would be a fun experiment. Not a whole lot to lose as it would be a spare deck lid anyway and if it didn't turn out well, chalk it up to just trying something new. I have read that a first gen camaro with the spoiler exerted about 50 pounds of downforce or so at 70 mph. Just a thought.... It might not even look too bad.
 
I am surprised that someone hasn't taken a deck lid from a parts TB and tried to increase the height of the lip of the spoiler with fiberglass to see how it looks. A good body man should be able to do this , I would think. Don't have to go overboard with it, but it would be a fun experiment. Not a whole lot to lose as it would be a spare deck lid anyway and if it didn't turn out well, chalk it up to just trying something new. I have read that a first gen camaro with the spoiler exerted about 50 pounds of downforce or so at 70 mph. Just a thought.... It might not even look too bad.
There used to be a fiberglass one available back in the early 2000s. I can't remember who made it(probably out of business now), but it was similar to the stock one and 1" taller for improved downforce they claimed. I'd never seen it in person, but contemplated ordering it for my Limited. Something Industries.
 
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I am surprised that someone hasn't taken a deck lid from a parts TB and tried to increase the height of the lip of the spoiler with fiberglass to see how it looks. A good body man should be able to do this , I would think. Don't have to go overboard with it, but it would be a fun experiment. Not a whole lot to lose as it would be a spare deck lid anyway and if it didn't turn out well, chalk it up to just trying something new. I have read that a first gen camaro with the spoiler exerted about 50 pounds of downforce or so at 70 mph. Just a thought.... It might not even look too bad.
The spoiler is a separate part from the deck lid.
 
Years back when Kenne Bell had his TR Catalog, this was one of his product line, a rear spoiler.
Here are a couple of pictures of my TR with Kenne Bell rear spoiler installed.
 

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I bought a Holley 390cfm 4-Bbl carb & a set of the Red Hot Turbo Wires from Kenne Bell for my '68 CJ5 back in the early 90's.

Prior to the I'net, he was the only game in town for folks that relied upon magazines for up to date info.
 
Years back when Kenne Bell had his TR Catalog, this was one of his product line, a rear spoiler.
Here are a couple of pictures of my TR with Kenne Bell rear spoiler installed.
I actually like mine much more...that one is too narrow and sits too low for my tastes.
 
Does anyone know how to get in touch with Ding Bat, I mean Wing Nut?
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