Jadz928

I believe the engineers figured it will rattle more that the hatch, thus taking attention away from your squeaky hatch.

heinrich

Nobody really knows what the folding wing is supposed to do. Washing ... I think not ... key ... not a strong enough reason ... wiper access ... nah, doesn't afford any more. Imo is corect, at about 150mph the folding wing will lock into place and scare the crap out of the driver. Been there done that.

tedward515

"A serious wing spoiler sprouted from the back of the deck lid. Initially this was configured to be folded forward to avoid damage in a car wash, but in the course of the 1988 model year folding was judged unnecessary and the spoiler was fixed in place."

Karl Ludvigsen
Excellence Was Expected

folding wing 5 speed

Why?! No one knows........

heinrich

Thanks for the reminder Tedward , I do not believe Karl. If that wing were flipped forward in a car wash, it would definitely flip back and probably cause damage to the car and perhaps the car wash equipment as well. The wing cannot really stay in the up position, its springs pull it back and it takes very little to flip the whole heavy thing back. UNLESS they have some sort of catch in there we all have been missing, that would lock it in the up position.

heinrich

Looking at Folding WIng's gorgeous pic ... THIS is plausible, especially in conjunction with Ludwigsen's statement:

Perhaps the mechanism is indeed to avoid damage in say a roller car wash etc.... like a pressure release or a lanyard so you don't hang yourself.... so, IF a roller were to tug on the wing, it would release and not get ripped up along with the rear decklid. This seems pretty far-fetched though, because the 911 Turbo WHALE TAIL is massive ... and Porsche made no such allowances for it?

tedward515

For some reason I have a memory for useless info like that. If I read it, I may not remember exactly what it is but I can always find it. I think it kinda shows the attention to detail that Porsche pays to everything, whether its needed or not.

FWIW, back in the 80s I remember one of the old car washes that had a forced air dryer thing with rollers that rested on the car, catch on my parents roof rack and tore it off.
I also had an 85 RX-7 that had the heck scratched out of my rear hatch glass in what would roughly be the same spot by the big roller things that come down on the car.

James Bailey

Any one who runs a Porsche through a contact brush car wash needs to be shot ! I think Porsche fixed the wing because too many hinges were breaking and they were like $300 for each hinge as I recall.

Gtaebr

It is to save your head from contact with the wing when closing the hatch or when kissing the babies behind!
Of course the 86.5 is superior as usual with a soft spoiler but the same kissable rear.

folding wing 5 speed

The only written reference I have ever found is from the Car and Driver preview test in the December 1986 issue. And I quote,

" one would have to be blind to miss the 1987 car's new rear spoiler. Instead of the previous small rubber spoiler, the 928S4 has a full-fledged wing trailing from its rear window. It's every bit as startling as the first 911 ducktail you ever saw, and according to Porsche it both reduces drag and increases downforce. To keep it from hanging up in a carwash, it can be folded forward to lie flat against the rear window- though only a philistine would take a 928 through an automatic carwash."

Imo000

Myabe, BUT the 86.5 has the indents to accept the S4 wing.

namasgt

I thought the rear wing on a S4 was useless and only for good looks, not for downforce and drag reduction ????
I also thought one reason for some removing the rear wing on their S4 was it being useless.
If Im wrong please correct me.

folding wing 5 speed

I have wondered about folding wings on ROW early S4's. Is there any one across the pond that knows how many, if any, folding wings were delivered outside of US? It seemed like the highest 87 vin was around 1400. So maybe 1400 to US and how many worldwide?

Imo000

Wings are never for drag reduction. Actually it's the opposite, every wing, because it has surface area it adds drag.

ew928

Wonder how many 928 wings are travelling not attached to the car.



So anyone hydraulicized/motorized the flippable rear wing and hooked it up to the brakes a la Merc SLR fashion?


The flipping wing does discourage owners from opening their heavy hatches by lifting on the wing.