Spoiling for a Spoiler

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RacerZX
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Spoiling for a Spoiler

Postby RacerZX » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:43 pm

I love my Pathfinder, but I gotta be honest, it's a box. First off I did the grill guard up front, and now to balance things I've installed a spoiler on the rear hatch rim.

Picked up from 4x4parts.com, it isn't too crazy big, and has a nice downward curve on the underside of the wing to force air over the rear window, presumably to keep the window clean and break up the drag inducing vacuum that forms behind a big square box when you try and shove it through the air at high speeds. Painted to my color key it was just $205, and was delivered well packaged and in spotless condition.

Once I started to get it mounted though the problems started...first off, no directions, even though their website specifically says "with directions", and an email to their customer service people got no reply.

With no directions or template, where do you drill the two holes in the trunk? I laid out masking tape on the corners of the hatch, had a friend help me situate the spoiler just where I wanted it and drew an outline of the spoiler feet on the masking tape.

In this process I found that the spoiler was not entirely symmetrical. It's made of hand laid fiberglass, so I don't expect total precision, but the way the curved feet grab the trunk lip there really is only one way to fit it on right, and that way has the driver's side a bit too close to the hinge compared to the passenger side. You'll see what I mean in the pics below. It's not a visible problem as you stand back and enjoy the look, but it is another annoying little detail when you look closely.
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Next I put the two screws that hold the spoiler directly into the spoiler, and conveniently the heads poked out beyond the feet by just a bit, so I put grease on the heads and gently placed the wing where I wanted it by hand and then took it back off, leaving two nice grease marks on the masking tape where the holes should go.

On the passenger side, the hole I drilled had to go through *3* layers of steel. Not a big problem, but the screws they provided were not even an inch long. A trip to OSH for a longer screw that's the same size and thread pitch solved that problem.
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The driver's side should have been easier, but I was stupid and didn't stop to really think about where the other side of my drilled hole would go. By amazing luck I missed all the trunk wires and shot through the rubber boot and into the body. Oh am I lame. :roll: A little bondo goop and some touch up paint and it looks fine. Doh.
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So here's how the finished product looks. I know it's subjective, but personally I love it.
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Lastly, for fun I decided to see if there was any measurable effect on the Path's gas mileage. I really didn't expect any, but why not try it for fun while the holes are fresh and it's easy to test right? Cruising on a roughly 40 minute long test route at 70MPH on the freeway, I was totally shocked to find my mileage went *DOWN* by 1.5MPG!!! I tested it twice to make sure and the results were the same... :x

So, yeah, I love the look, but trading off 1.5MPG on the freeway is a painful pill to swallow to say the least. For me, the truck isn't my daily driver, and cleanly filling in those holes I just drilled would be a PITA to say the least, so I'm not taking the spoiler off. For anybody else though I would suggest before you buy this (or any other) spoiler, weigh the pros and cons carefully and make sure it's what you want before you bust out your drill.
Last edited by RacerZX on Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:15 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Postby krnnerdboy » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:14 am

hey the MPG findings are similar if not exactly what I noticed w/ my yakima load warrior rack. I was getting a consistent 16.5 MPG on the highway w/ it on and after removal, not only did I notice less noise and sway but my MPG went up by at least 2 to 18.5-19 mpg

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RacerZX
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Postby RacerZX » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:51 am

Heh, great, considering how the spoiler is below the rack cross bars I bet the Yakima rack (which I do intend to get at some point) will cut another 2 MPG off :roll:

Just_Visiting
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Postby Just_Visiting » Fri Aug 18, 2006 5:48 am

By the time it's all said and done, RacerZX gonna get about 3 miles to the gallon :lol: ........but his ride is gonna be fly. I like the spoiler. It looks like it should have been there from the factory. Very similar to what's offered on the 4-runner. I helped a friend do a similar setup on his Lexus SUV.

I like-I like

Sully55
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Postby Sully55 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:13 am

I personally like the way it looks, but losing 1-1.5 mpg's is hard to swallow. Thanks for the pics, and heads up


John

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mtbpath
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Postby mtbpath » Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:10 am

RacerZX,
I would like to know if it has helped with keeping the rear window clean of water splash?
I guess there is a compromise here. Either lose a few gallons of gas or keep the rear window/door clear.
Considering myself living in So. Cal., it doesn't rain too much until winter and I am really big on keeping the Pathfinder detailed well.

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mtbpath
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Postby mtbpath » Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:27 am

RacerZX,
I forgot to ask, what was the shipping cost and the matching paint is included in the $205 price?
thanks.

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RacerZX
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Postby RacerZX » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:50 am

$205 includes the paint, no tax, and shipping was free.

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Postby SHAWNATGERBROCK » Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:49 pm

Looks way Cool !! To bad it killed mileage .... I would be all over it ...but to spend $$ to loose $$ in Gas .... Its not worth it to me !

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Postby RacerZX » Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:40 pm

On the 'does it keep the rear window clean' question, I'm not really sure how to quantify a proper comparison. My rear window doesn't seem to get dirty any faster than the side windows, but I honestly didn't notice it being any worse in this regard before I put the spoiler on. So....???

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mtbpath
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Postby mtbpath » Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:26 pm

I went ahead and order mine. I will also post pics of before and after.
I am going for the looks vs. gas mileage.
I will try to see if the rear is kept clean after installing the spoiler.
thanks RacerZX.

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mtbpath
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I got mine

Postby mtbpath » Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:56 pm

This was installed about 3 weeks ago. I am now taking pics.
Its not the best since its not factory. You will see imperfections in the spoiler and the way its mounted.
install is very frustating and can get on your nerves. A helper is a must.

basically, you get what you paid for. I like the look. hopefully people won't notice the small imperfections.
don't worry. I can take your honest opinions.

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RacerZX
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Postby RacerZX » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:05 pm

Looks good! :D

Just_Visiting
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Postby Just_Visiting » Sat Oct 14, 2006 5:40 pm

ditto that...........

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Postby boogyman » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:47 am

You can't see the warping to bad. It's very slight and 99% of the people wouldn't even see it if you didn't tell them. Have either of you noticed if it's helping keep the rear window clear? I know this winter will be the true test. I would like to put one on the wife's if it works.


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