aarrow

The other day, I was talking to a friend while we were standing around the car, and I found myself touching/pinching the rain gutters. When I wash the car, I give special attention to them to make sure the top and bottom side are nice and shiny. And when I drove in the rain for the first time, I rolled down the windows and was just smitten by their effectiveness!

Forgive the off the wall analogy but when I "pinch" them, it reminds me of when I pinch the GF's arm or leg. I know she hates it, and might think I'm trying to insinuate that she's got a little extra going on, but its nothing like that at all! Its 100% unadulterated love!

I've seen a few posts that mention removing them and smoothing out the profile...but WHY!? It's one of the things that make the 911 so neat! Cute almost.

P-daddy

You pinch her rain gutters? I go straight to the wide hips

zr1

Lock up your sheep!!!!!!!!Another 993 "enthusiast".

Mike J

Yeah, I mentioned the positives of the gutters on the list before - having a Targa for 10 years, which do not have gutters, was a practical learning on where they are useful - in the rain. On the Targa, open the door in the rain, and lots of water from the top of the roof will drip off the top of the door opening and right on the seat. If you are sitting, its center of your left thigh.... so yes gutters are good!

osugasman

You drive in the rain??!!??!!

Stealth 993

He lives in Vancouver! If he never drove in the rain, his car would only be driven 4 days a year!

polaris 993 sport

I drive in the snow!

Phil

oh the horror of this. the car good melt.....LOL\

Mike J

So speaks the man from Seattle...

Yeah, it rains lots here, so you just have to accept driving in the rain. Its no biggie, I do avoid corrosive salts and crap so it does not go out when its icy or snowy - that is what the big truck is for.

Stealth 993

YUP! I drive mine in the rain and show! We don't salt the roads down here. Just got home form driving in the today.

You were the one who talked me out of a Targa, something about water dripping onto your crotch every time you get in and out of the car when it's wet out.

os993

Form follows function! Funny topic, but oh so true. Nice to give kudo's to our beloved rain gutters!

So, how do new Porsche s deal with this (ie no rain gutters)? Did they toss the gutters for exterior styling and lost the beloved effectiveness of gutters, or is the design such that this is a non-issue?

ca993twin

I think of my archaic rain gutters as aero devices... they keep the air over the roof from spilling down to the sides. Please don't disabuse me of this idea. I'm quite certain that the 993 was the last of the automobiles with the old school construction technique that resulted in rain gutters.

solomonschris

I never understood why RUF removed the rain gutters on some of his cars. Could they be any sort of problem even at the high speeds his cars can achieve, or is it just a styling cue?

Akerlie

ca993twin, don´t read this

I think Ruf found that deleting the rain gutters gave something like 4% less drag/wind resistance.

Once their web page claimed that the A-pillar "spoilers" reduced the drag/wind resistance by 3% and increased the top speed by a couple of miles :

http://epages2.euro-web.net/epages/7...%20559%2000%22

ca993twin

My "Guess" is that narrowing the a-pillars (by removing the gutters) is how they get an improvement. Most of that can be gained with those a-pillar fairings (which I already have). I still believe that the gutters on the roof help more than hurt aero. You really don't want that roof air spilling down the sides, you want it directed over the rear of the car... into the engine and over the spoiler/wing. IMHO. Which is likely just a fantasy.