Suicide Jockey

Pressing that button on the 981 Spyder merely results in the dash vents blowing harder, as you guessed. The defroster does work wonderfully to clear a fogged windscreen and/or side windows in a matter of seconds.

The rear plastic window does not have a defrost/defog element running through it (and I've never seen a plastic rear window on any convertible that did). After three + years of ownership, I've never had the rear window fog up.

hf1

I was just thinking that I need to clarify my objection about the Spyder roof. It’s not a preference for auto vs. manual per se, but more like a preference for sitting vs. dancing around the car. I’d be perfectly fine with a lightweight, fully manual top that can be opened/closed without leaving the driver’s seat, a la Miata:


I bet a similar Boxster manual top would be lighter than the Spyder’s. Plus, not having to leave your seat to open/close the top saves unnecessary extra wear on the seat bolsters, especially LWBS, even when using proper “levitating” ingress/egress technique.

Denny Swift

Thanks. So I guess the rear defog button is really a placebo since it does the same thing as the front defog button. Pretty funny (and ridiculous).

Agree, a manual top that is operable from the cockpit would be ideal. I'd prefer that over a power top. However, I can certainly live with the Spyder top mechanism the way it is. I just think the plastic rear window is pure, pointless idiocy to be blunt.

DNSGT3

Wow... that would be ideal for me. Could you share the source?

Suicide Jockey

I was wrong when I said above that pressing the rear defrost button results in the blower going to max level. Got my buttons mixed up. Apologies for the bad intel. To clarify:

The windshield defrost button when pushed results in the blower coming on full strength at maximum heat, as shown below:






The rear window defrost button does NOT result in the blower coming on, but according to the owners manual DOES activate heating of the rear view mirrors. The manual says it also heats the rear window, but as indicated previously that doesn’t apply to the Spyder that has the plastic rear window.





So the rear defrost button is not a placebo and it does not do the same thing as the front defrost button. Best I can gather, on the Spyder the rear defrost button just heats the exterior mirrors.

Sorry for the confusion.

RobMtz

I hope is made from a really really fancy plastic composite that can endure sunshine without getting "foggy" after 5+ years.
I mean all the other materials are carefully selected, I hope this plastic part has some sort of treatment up to standards. So it should not be a showstopper in the long term. owners would not be happy to replace the full folding roof after a few years due to the plastic window getting burnout by the sun...

hf1

Here and there on RL and the internet. Also wink-wink hinted in interviews with Porsche folks. Haven’t kept the links. Also, would make sense to use the newly developed engine to amortize its development cost and to boost 718 sales which have not been stellar. No reason to condition getting the best NA 718 engine and suspension with either a manual dancing top or a wing, especially the former.

Denny Swift

Thanks SuicideJockey. Interesting that they couldn’t print a Spyder-specific manual for that section. Even the drawing shows a pdk, which obviously wasn’t available in the 981 Spyder.

A really really fancy material that can endure sunshine without getting foggy after 5+ years is called GLASS.

RobMtz

even a MX-5 with the "gram strategy" was able to put some glass in the folding roof ... seems that Porsche likes to deliver this small inconsistencies so we can debate in forums and not get bored