How crucial is the WING!!
01-06-2005, 04:39 PM
#19
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Originally Posted by fibinochi_si
Whats up,
ive been reading posts on this site forever and now that i am finally about to purchase an STI once i graduate in May, i wanted to ask a question! If i was to take the wing off of the sti how would that affect the stability and performance of the vehicle? I really like understated sport vehicles, therefore if the sti did not suffer any performance loss i would probably get rid of the rally wing. before the sti i was dead set on buying a wrx wagon because i love a sheeps in wolf clothing, but i just cant pass up the overwhelming perfomance of the sti. (modding a wrx is not an option)
ive been reading posts on this site forever and now that i am finally about to purchase an STI once i graduate in May, i wanted to ask a question! If i was to take the wing off of the sti how would that affect the stability and performance of the vehicle? I really like understated sport vehicles, therefore if the sti did not suffer any performance loss i would probably get rid of the rally wing. before the sti i was dead set on buying a wrx wagon because i love a sheeps in wolf clothing, but i just cant pass up the overwhelming perfomance of the sti. (modding a wrx is not an option)
I've been thinking of taking off my wing, but what are you gonna do about the holes, anyone have a low cost solution?
01-06-2005, 04:40 PM
#20
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You swap the entire trunk, then swap lock cylinders. See the "Mad Max" Project STi article in SCC for some details. There's also a thread about it in the conversion forum.
01-06-2005, 04:45 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by dyonkim
I've been thinking of taking off my wing, but what are you gonna do about the holes, anyone have a low cost solution?
Just find a matching WRX without wing or with the WRX stock wing, and swap trunks, and lock cylinders. Leave the "wing spring" for some turbo wing action!! (Seriously, don't do this...I had a friend smack his jaw beacuse of this...)
01-08-2005, 08:14 PM
#24
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Well keep the wing because the 05 STI Hood scoop is bigger than 04 STI. so if you remove the wing then your car is much more unstable. I was talking with a Subaru technician in Dallas he showed me the difference by getting a 05 STI and a 04 STI side by side. In other words a 04 STI works ok with a WRX trunk but a 05 STI needs the wing to compensate for the wind turbulence generated by the hood scoop.
Rest is your decision.
DD
Rest is your decision.
DD
01-08-2005, 09:32 PM
#26
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Originally Posted by ddalvi
Well keep the wing because the 05 STI Hood scoop is bigger than 04 STI. so if you remove the wing then your car is much more unstable. I was talking with a Subaru technician in Dallas he showed me the difference by getting a 05 STI and a 04 STI side by side. In other words a 04 STI works ok with a WRX trunk but a 05 STI needs the wing to compensate for the wind turbulence generated by the hood scoop.
Rest is your decision.
DD
Rest is your decision.
DD
Theres no way the wing will affect your stability below around 80, and I doubt there is a tremendous difference below 120.
01-08-2005, 09:44 PM
#27
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Originally Posted by ddalvi
Well keep the wing because the 05 STI Hood scoop is bigger than 04 STI. so if you remove the wing then your car is much more unstable. I was talking with a Subaru technician in Dallas he showed me the difference by getting a 05 STI and a 04 STI side by side. In other words a 04 STI works ok with a WRX trunk but a 05 STI needs the wing to compensate for the wind turbulence generated by the hood scoop.
Rest is your decision.
DD
Rest is your decision.
DD
01-18-2005, 09:47 PM
#28
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 36
Wing Fix?
Hi Guys,..or gals,
I have a '04 STi (wht/sil) and w/in 1 week of picking it up (sept. '03) I took the honda magnet off and went stealth by making my own custom caps for the lower wing. It still looks great, keeps those stupid honda's from looking and the cops too and does the same job as if it had the top part on. The top is pure show for the most part, it does not possess enough curvature on the bottom side to induce downforce (at anything approaching under 135 mph) and the top of it is not angled enough to do it either. As for the guy with 250 pounds of downforce I would say that is super optimistic because if you put 250 pound in the rear of your sti it will drop noticeably and at speeds it does not drop that much (4 track days worth of trial and error). The real provider of down force comes from the lower portion which is angled correctly to provide some force (actual amount would need some real scientific data) but it is the work horse of the rear of the vehicle. The top may at most "clean" up the airflow to help stabilize it at the rear of the car but true downforce is generated by the lower half. I am going to make and sell the caps for the lower half which will be paintable to match and easily installed. I still install the top half for track days, but for the rest of the year I live in stealth mode. If you are interested in my caps please email me and I will email pics. (trying to see if there is enough interest to truly produce them?)
I have a '04 STi (wht/sil) and w/in 1 week of picking it up (sept. '03) I took the honda magnet off and went stealth by making my own custom caps for the lower wing. It still looks great, keeps those stupid honda's from looking and the cops too and does the same job as if it had the top part on. The top is pure show for the most part, it does not possess enough curvature on the bottom side to induce downforce (at anything approaching under 135 mph) and the top of it is not angled enough to do it either. As for the guy with 250 pounds of downforce I would say that is super optimistic because if you put 250 pound in the rear of your sti it will drop noticeably and at speeds it does not drop that much (4 track days worth of trial and error). The real provider of down force comes from the lower portion which is angled correctly to provide some force (actual amount would need some real scientific data) but it is the work horse of the rear of the vehicle. The top may at most "clean" up the airflow to help stabilize it at the rear of the car but true downforce is generated by the lower half. I am going to make and sell the caps for the lower half which will be paintable to match and easily installed. I still install the top half for track days, but for the rest of the year I live in stealth mode. If you are interested in my caps please email me and I will email pics. (trying to see if there is enough interest to truly produce them?)
01-20-2005, 05:31 PM
#29
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Originally Posted by WRX Rush
From what I have heard, the STi wing only offers minimal downforce at higher speeds, other than that I believe it is a social status to have a big wing on your car. You shouldn't feel anything.
And remember if you are taking it off you are losing 25+ lbs in the rear . . .
Rush
And remember if you are taking it off you are losing 25+ lbs in the rear . . .
Rush
01-20-2005, 08:59 PM
#30
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according to subaru's sales training... the wing is a combination of spoiler/wing combination. the wing which aids in keeping the rear straight at high speeds while the spoiler section provides the majority of the downforce(similar to that of a camaro/mustang) in all reality spoilers create more drag than anything. below 60 mph that is.... if you notice a few german cars where the spoiler stays in until a certain mph..like 40+)
now all that sales mumbo jumbo aside- i like the wing, even though i have only used it to its full potential maybe 3 times- and all those times i did FEEL the difference. how i know this is that a friend of mine switched cars and drove together(his was wingless).
sorry that i have no techie info but i'm sure if you email PRODRIVE maybe they will be kind enough to send you some info on the tech specs of the wing- thats one of their talents in their multi-million dollar operation- studying the STi that is.
aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*
now all that sales mumbo jumbo aside- i like the wing, even though i have only used it to its full potential maybe 3 times- and all those times i did FEEL the difference. how i know this is that a friend of mine switched cars and drove together(his was wingless).
sorry that i have no techie info but i'm sure if you email PRODRIVE maybe they will be kind enough to send you some info on the tech specs of the wing- thats one of their talents in their multi-million dollar operation- studying the STi that is.
aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*