Spoiler or not on '73?
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Just my opinion. I'm pretty sure no one (here) will agree:
I think they're ugly on any year of Cougar. Especially a convertible. So ugly that I'm embarrassed for whoever owns it. Has there ever been a test that shows what difference they make + or - ? Wind tunnel? Track? (oval, drag, salt flats, etc.) MPG? ET? Did Ford do tests? Did Myth Busters do any? Anyone here? At what speed, if any do they begin to help the car? 150 mph? They're unsophisticated, childish.
Obviously no one needs another person's approval. It's your car, do what you want.
I think they're ugly on any year of Cougar. Especially a convertible. So ugly that I'm embarrassed for whoever owns it. Has there ever been a test that shows what difference they make + or - ? Wind tunnel? Track? (oval, drag, salt flats, etc.) MPG? ET? Did Ford do tests? Did Myth Busters do any? Anyone here? At what speed, if any do they begin to help the car? 150 mph? They're unsophisticated, childish.
Obviously no one needs another person's approval. It's your car, do what you want.
I agree with their ability to hold the road any better at any speeds you could hope to achieve on the street or track. I personally never liked them on porsche's or Daytonas or Super Birds, for that matter, but think they are kinda cool on some cars.
I have to laugh when I see a kid in a little rice grinder with an obscene spoiler slapped on. It's as laughable (an annoying) as those aftermarket tailpipes they add on to make their car "sound" bad.
I do love them on the 71 Mach 1, and the original California Special- dorky cool.
I have to laugh when I see a kid in a little rice grinder with an obscene spoiler slapped on. It's as laughable (an annoying) as those aftermarket tailpipes they add on to make their car "sound" bad.
I do love them on the 71 Mach 1, and the original California Special- dorky cool.
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I like the front and rear spoilers and hood scoop on the 69 and 70, but I feel the 71 and up moved away from the sports car look and more toward the luxury car look. 71 and up I think look good with a hood scoop, but front and rear spoilers don't fit with the body style. I am well in the camp of "It's your car so do whatever you like with it" though. If you like how your car looks with a spoiler then go for it.
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On a 73 I don't believe a hood scoop or rear spoiler were an option but I don't know this as fact. Also a member of the its your car do what you want but i'm not a fan of spoilers and or hood scoops for looks not performance related. Which would be true on a 73 since it was only available with a 351 non ram air engine. :smoke:
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I've posted this before, but for those who missed it, there was a magzine article about the Boss 302 Eliminator back in 1969 or 70. I forget the name of the magazine. I had so many. The magazine got to use one for a few days and test drove it. Performance results were listed and also the things they liked or disliked about the car. Anyway they wrote that the hood scoop on the Boss 302 Cougar "is a genuine decoration"
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Dave....you are just plain spoilered.
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You have very nice cars. I'm missing the point abut me being embarrassed. I'd LOVE to come to your house and look at your cars. They are really cool! If I owned an Eliminator, one of the first things I'd do is remove the spoilers. I'd store them carefully for the next owner to have 30-40 years from now. If/when they get a repaint, there's no way I'd have stripes put back on.
I'd much rather have a Q code XR7 or Standard with Decor Group interior than an Eliminator.
And 1969XR7Vert, your car is super super nice, spoiler or not. Not a fan of convertibles. They're ugly with the top up and I wouldn't want to drive one with it down. It's like being in a fishbowl. I'm kind of quiet and (with the exception of the unpopular things I write here) don't like to draw attention to myself. I think convertibles are for parades, car shows, and museums. My Cougar, if I ever get another, will be a daily driver.
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That's kind of how I feel when I see spoilers on almost any street car. I equate it with the little boy who puts playing cards into the spokes of his bicycle. I still want to know if and when (what speed?) a factory rear spoiler makes a Cougar faster (or safer at given speed) and can a stock Cougar attain that speed?
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Personally I don't care if they provide any function, I just like how they look. Kinda reminds me of the guy that goes the movies and complains that he didn't like the movie because it wasn't realistic. I'm an electro/mechanical engineer. If I didn't suspend my sense of reality going to the movies, I'd never be able to enjoy a movie.
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We know of no tests on Cougar spoilers, right?
But one thing we know for sure is that less weight equals more speed potential. A spoiler lowers the power to weight ratio. Someone else wrote here several years ago "if it doesn't make it go faster, it makes it go slower". According to my guess without thinking about it, in a cross country (USA) race, Gumball Rally style, the extra weight of the spoiler will cost you eleven seconds and .009327 gallon of gasoline.
But seriously, I wonder if it's possible that a spoiler, weight side, actually hurts performance? Rather than creating downforce at high speed, does it increase drag?
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It's all good Larry, differences (of opinions too) are what makes the world interesting.
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I think anytime you drive a classic car, convertible or not you draw attention to yourself, but as been said different opinions in intelligent conversations make the world interesting. I get claustrophobic if I have to drive my vert with the top up (hardly ever happens)
I think I read or saw somewhere that the aerodynamic properties were so spot on with the daytona/superbird that no manufacturer even came close until BMW a year or two ago.
Also the new hellcats front end is so engineered to every square inch for cooling that if you put anything in front of the grill it will overheat. Aint technology great :smoke:
I think I read or saw somewhere that the aerodynamic properties were so spot on with the daytona/superbird that no manufacturer even came close until BMW a year or two ago.
Also the new hellcats front end is so engineered to every square inch for cooling that if you put anything in front of the grill it will overheat. Aint technology great :smoke:
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I'd never heard of a Hellcat. I Googled it. One in a Youtube video did a 10:86 quarter mile!
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Here's my vote for spoilers, scoops, shakers, stripes, hood pins, mag wheels, blacked out grills/tail lights, bright colors, whether they make a car go faster or not.
Sure, they bump up against the rev limiter of good taste every once in awhile, but it's what made the original Muscle Car era what it was :beer:
- Phillip
Sure, they bump up against the rev limiter of good taste every once in awhile, but it's what made the original Muscle Car era what it was :beer:
- Phillip
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