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May be...
So I wanted a small rear wing spoiler for Lexie. Nothing too racecar, or too big. The factory lip spoiler just didn't do it for me. After a long hard search I finally found this spoiler on ebay. It's just the right size IMO, & fits the contour of the XK8 *almost* perfectly. Looking straight down, it's not quite as curved as the decklid, but that doesn't detract from the looks. I had to re-work the mounting surfaces to fit (it's made for a flat deckild). It's plastic, of course, so I'm thinking of pulling molds & making them in fiberglass. What do you folks think?
LOL! Yer funny. No need to paint until I finish the body mods. Plan to remove the CHIMSL (relocating a new one to probably above the tag), do something with the headlights (at the very least paint the inside body color, but I'd like to convert to round headlights in the fender more like the XKE), round taillights, shaving all the side moldings & emblems, maybe removing the antenna. Just generraly smoothing out everything for a clean & more retro look.
The only person that matters is you and whether you like it. It's not for me, but that's not my car.
I get that, & it's fine. A lot of folks only like completely original cars. I'm a lot more radical usually - things like my '90 VW Cabriolet with Fiero drivetrain & a mid-engine SBC & big flared fenders..., & my Z car with SB Mopar & flared fenders & huge rear wing, & my off-road Baja bug with 1300 mudders, or my street baja bug shortened 14 1/2 inches...
But with the XK8 I just love the clean retro styling - I don't even care for the newer models with the more aggressive styling & ground effects & such.
You have given evidence that you aren't an "originalist". Props for that.
We haven't heard yet what you're going for here. Actual down force? Just something different? A reason to work with your hands? Show car style?
Tell us your goal.
You have given evidence that you aren't an "originalist". Props for that.
We haven't heard yet what you're going for here. Actual down force? Just something different? A reason to work with your hands? Show car style?
Tell us your goal.
Both downforce & styling. With the profile (think inverted plane wing), I think it will give at least as much - but probably more - downforce than the tiny factory lip spoiler. With being so far behind in my projects I don't need "a reason to work with my hands".
And yeah there are a lot of cars that I would keep original. No mods on the Indy Fiero, for example. Well except changing out the wheels for a better looking set...
Last edited by Tha Driver; Mar 26, 2025 at 02:20 PM.
If you want downforce and a wing, then the thing that drives its effectiveness is the underside of the wing, where it is high velocity and low pressure. Those large mounting blocks are not helping at all. That's why everyone is going to end or top mounted wings these days.
Next is drag. If you want to minimize drag, you need to have both a rounded leading edge and a knife edge on the back.
All of that is why lip spoilers are so popular. The rules are simple. bigger is better. If you go big enuf, they even work at 60 mph. Look at the autoX winners.
LOL! Yer funny. No need to paint until I finish the body mods. Plan to remove the CHIMSL (relocating a new one to probably above the tag), do something with the headlights (at the very least paint the inside body color, but I'd like to convert to round headlights in the fender more like the XKE), round taillights, shaving all the side moldings & emblems, maybe removing the antenna. Just generraly smoothing out everything for a clean & more retro look.
No don"t remove the antenna! For a real retro look, move it to the front fender and add a fox tail. Sorry, just not for me.
If you want downforce and a wing, then the thing that drives its effectiveness is the underside of the wing, where it is high velocity and low pressure. Those large mounting blocks are not helping at all. That's why everyone is going to end or top mounted wings these days.
Next is drag. If you want to minimize drag, you need to have both a rounded leading edge and a knife edge on the back.
All of that is why lip spoilers are so popular. The rules are simple. bigger is better. If you go big enuf, they even work at 60 mph. Look at the autoX winners.
Well, I understand how a wing works. If I wanted to race it, I'd put a bigger wing on it. I've autocrossed before (a little, in a formula V), & have a couple first place trophies. If I autocross anything, it will be the Z. I'm just trying to add a little style & a tad of downforce along with it.
So, if we agree that this wing has horrible aeroD, then it seems you are willing to use drag to produce your downforce. (adding drag at the upper rear of the car will produce downforce by simple geometry)
Next, if you have the skills/time/tools to make a spoiler or wing, why not do that? It will like work better and look better. (sorry, but close is only OK for horseshoes and hand grenades, and atomic devices) The curves do not match. (you said you want style, not BFU) And I'm not that picky.
BTW, you asked.
Did I find the perfect rear wing for the XK8?
