Joec500

That Geico Billboard though!! Perfect product placement LOL

Churchill

Well aware my friend -- have driven on those roads myself Was just talking about the US. Where the tail actually is useful isn't on the Autobahn or in street driving, but in high-speed turns like a sweeper on the track. Even on the Autobahn, you're not turning at the limits of adhesion at 150MPH, where a couple hundred pounds on the rear wheels is going to make a difference.

cug

You can easily get into a situation like the one in the video above where the driver lost control at high speed on the straight.

I lived in Germany more than 35 years and have driven there most of my driving life. Had quite a few highspeed runs ...

randr

When the tail lifts or you activate it there is extra air to the engine courtesy of the air dam (at least thats the case on the 991.2

Valvefloat991

On the new GT3 it's 155 kg, or 340 lbs, at top speed. Since aero forces vary with the square of speed, that means about 49 lbs at 74 mph.

Dennis C

Interesting. I expected the GT3 to produce even more downforce than that, given the size of the rear wing.

erdrff

I never understood the hatred towards those that leave the wing up like this. Yet people are okay with the duck tail, GT3 spoiler, and TT/TT-S backends. I think it makes the car appear a bit more aggressive (just like the higher end models). Instead of hating on or picking on others, let's just play well together and encourage and lift each other up. We are all part of a rare and exclusive club when considering the many in this world who can barely even afford necessities for basic life.

Porsche_nuts

Dennis C

Welcome to the Porsche forums, where people find an argument in virtually any topic. It has always been this way, and it always will be. Part of it is human nature, part of it seems to be unique to Porsche owners.

For example, there is a recent thread in the 997 forum that is now 4 pages long where people are arguing about whether the 991 is "bigger" than the 997, even though the numbers published by Porsche show that it is not. Even when faced with data and facts, people in these forums will argue.

Try not to take any of it personally!

Churchill

Should I remove the engine tray?

Sorry, wrong forum.

Drifting

Good info.

This also means that the base 991 produces nowhere near 140kg of downforce that someone else posted.

Zekiel

From the 2012 991 press release:

The rear spoiler extends to different heights and at different angles depending upon vehicle speed. It also features a flow element on its leading edge. The element is controlled by a special pivoting kinetic mechanism to assure optimal airflow over the spoiler blade. As a result, downforce approaching 200 pounds can be applied to the rear of the vehicle at maximum speed when equipped with the optional 20 mm lower Sports Suspension.

StormRune

Nice find! But it had me wondering about the "flow element" part of the description. Using some of those words, I was able to find the patent for this. Basically it seems it is talking about the part under that wing that stretches up to fill the gap so wind doesn't get caught under the wing and in the body cavity the wing sits in. I had previously assumed it was just there for cosmetics.

Here is a link: http://google.com/patents/US20090286461 It's a bit of a hard read, but the most readable explanation of the flow element is found in the detailed explanation of the drawings section near the end of the document.

Dennis C

Link doesn't work for me.

StormRune

Sorry. Fixed it, try again!