more downforce or less lift? porsche says…

some of you may remember the eternal discussions regarding whether the rear spoiler created downforce or simply negated lift. well, porsche seems to have made a clear statement.

from the new boxster microsite: "The rear wing is not only a visual treat, it deploys automatically at 75 mph (120 km/h) to reduce lift."

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MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

So, what's the physic's lesson? You can reduce lift without increasing downforce by disrupting airflow, but wouldn't increased downforce also reduce lift? Seems like a chicken and egg type of issue and has always confused me.

... they called it a wing.
A WING creates lift or downforce (depending on how it is positioned).
A SPOILER reduces lift by spoiling the airflow which would cause lift or downforce.
The Porsche wedge is considered a wing (flat bottom and curved top) which creates lift with speed.
It needs a spoiler to spoil the airflow and reduce the lift.
In the case of extreme speeds such as in the Cup Cars, GT3s, etc, an upside down wing is installed at the rear to create downforce.
Happy Porscheing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Smoooooth

and in the body text it says "spoiler." It goes on to say in the down position it forms a seamless transition (or something like that) to the part molded into the taillights. Seamless? The only thing I know of that can do that is the spaceship's door in the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

but the boxster's is much smaller.

BTW folks, in my original post, I didn't say anything other than quote what porsche's website says. I'm not saying one thing or the other do don't shoot the messenger!

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

on the downforce/lift/spoiler issue is you don't know the expertise of the author...is the writer a marketing type or an aerodynamics engineer? What is good enough for one may well be not precise enough for the other.