Just thought I'd share some pics and my experience with my newly installed CF Wing and front splitter. These are from Jon May (Composite Concepts, [email removed], [phone removed])... if you search a bit you'll find some posts from him.
FYI, I received no special incentive in exchange for this review... but like many of you, I'm a
Cayman
owner who debated these aero mods for a VERY long time, and finally pulled the trigger.
First - the wing... the value will easily beat anything else you come across... most wings are north of several grand, and usually will require painting too. This is a finished product ready to install as is... with a high quality carbon fiber weave and clear coat, and powder coated aluminum hardware. The hardware is straightforward, and other than finding the balls to drill into your perfectly nice/intact decklid, is actually very simple to self-install. I've been to the Glen and NJMP now since the install a couple weeks ago... major notable difference at the Glen in particular, with great stability through the esses (2,3,4) and the back straight predominantly, plus a noticeable increase in grip in the carousel. This is not just a cosmetic mod. That said, it does attract tons of compliments and inquiries, if that's your objective...
The splitter is pretty straightforward.... it has some flexibility to it (it's urethane, not carbon fiber), so is less likely to crack. The install is also simple... just screws right into the bumper cover, but is fully concealed. I also used 3M mounting tape, but I'm not sure it's needed. Functionally, my car remained very balanced... no noticeable increase in understeer despite the big wing, so I suspect this is doing it's job up front. Again - not just a cosmetic mod.
All in, these two are a pretty simple DIY, which look excellent, but more importantly are highly functional for us track junkies looking for some more grip. Jon was a pleasure to work with... very responsive / communicative, very willing to offer install tips by email, and stands behind his products (including shipping-related issues). Give him a call for more info, but feel free to PM me with any questions too.
Wow Todd, Thanks for this great review. This is why we do this. I really appreciate the kind words. We also have an exact duplicate of the GT4 wing, GT3 smile grill kit and a set of GT4 style side scoops for 987 Caymans. Coming soon a 981 front splitter. Please feel free to reach out for more information for 987's and 981's.
Jon
[email removed]
[phone removed]
Wing and splitter look great! When installing a rear wing what happens with the factory spoiler? Do you just pull a fuse so it doesn't go up/down?
My stock spoiler is still active. This wing doesn't interfere with the stock mechanism at all... plenty of clearance. I'm not sure if there's any benefit (or detriment) from a downforce perspective to leaving it enabled or disabling. There's info in the articles section on disabling your stock wing. If I recall, it's not just a single fuse to pull. The fuse affects a rear module which would disable the wing motor plus other things you need (like brake lights). I believe you need to open up the trim in the trunk to access a disabling point
Hi All, I appreciate the comments. My recommendation is to keep the rear spoiler active. It does provide some increased down force at 60 mph + and if you find you have too much down force on the rear you can always lower the angle of attack of our wing with a 5 minute adjustment. To date only one of my track junkie customers has disabled the small factory tail. The great thing about having tunability for the wing is you can get real adjustability for different track conditions where you want more or less rear downforce.
Jon May
Composite Concepts
[email removed]
[phone removed]
All, Thanks for all of the great feedback. I suggest leaving the factory automatic ducktail in place. It provides more downforce at speeds over 60 mph and if you find you have too much rear downforce you can easily dial in a little less angle of attack on our wing. To my knowledge only one of our customers has disabled the small factory tail and I feel that with the adjustability you can easily adapt our wing to varying track conditions.
Jon May
Composite Concepts
[email removed]
[phone removed]
Thanks for the responses guys!
Still loving mine.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Do you have additional pics of your car?
More pics of customer cars.
Jon
[phone removed]
Hi All,
I just did a custom install of our
GT4
wing on a
981
and I thought you might enjoy the pictures. John, the owner is a pilot and actively tracks the car. He wanted the winglet bolts to be hidden and the winglets painted Guards Red and was willing to pay the additional cost it took to do this. I think the result is amazing. He plans to install our new
981
Splitter when it is available. Of course this wing and our TrackMaster wing are available for all 987,
981
's and
718
's. The base price with all hardware and installation instructions for the exact duplicate
GT4
wing is $1050 and for the TrackMaster with
GT4
winglets $850. Both wings and winglets are in full high gloss Carbon Fiber.
Jon
[phone removed]
[email removed]
when do you expect the
981
splitter to be available?
We will be working on a final fitment
next
week. If all looks good we should have it available early September. I will post pictures on Planet 9 as soon as they are available.
Jon
[email removed]
[phone removed]
Hi All,
Good news.....WE SURVIVED IRMA. No real damage. We lost electricity and internet for a few days and had to clear some trees but we are back in business. A little delayed on our 981 splitter but the prototype is sitting in my office and I will try to do an initial fit yet this week. We are offering a 10% "hurricane clean up discount" until October 1. Consider ordering our wings, splitters, scoops and grills as a fall present to yourself.
Jon
Composite Concepts
[email removed]
[phone removed]
How about posting two clear pictures, one of each wing, to make it easy to see the differences?
Some of your previous pics don't show good detail (black on black in the shade, white on white in the sun), show us some pictures with good contrast and show us how the GT4 wing is different from the Trackmaster. Also, the dimensions.
Hi Brian,
Both wings are excellent choices. The second and third pictures above are of the Trackmaster wing. It was the original wing I designed for my own 987 to get more down force. It has been extremely successful on track based 987's 981's and 718's. It is 54" wide and has a somewhat different shape than the GT4 wing. It is about 2" narrower (front to Back) than the GT4 wing and as you can see in the pictures has a different contour. The winglets on this wing are cut from CF flat stock and identical in shape to the GT4 but are parallel to the motion of the car not angled in towards the rear like the GT4. If you are looking for the lowest cost product with great performance this is the wing for you.
The first picture above is of the GT4 wing. It was developed by Composite Concepts to meet customer demand for a wing that is identical dimensionally to the factory wing. It is 53.5" long and is approximately 2" wider along its front to back cross section than the Trackmaster and has a different contour. The GT4 winglets are the same shape but are molded in CF, like the factory winglets, and they angle in from front to back by about 3/4" like the factory wing. This wing will also give great track performance, is easily adjustable and is for the person looking for a wing that is identical to the factory product. The GT4 wing is more expensive because it is much more difficult to make and required a considerable investment by Composite Concepts in molds. Both wings use the same mounting hardware and unlike the factory wing can easily be adjusted in 5 minutes. The hardware is cast anodized aluminum with Stainless steel bolts and come with full installation instructions. Either wing can be optioned with a black SS hardware package and/or with 4" or 5" additional height risers. Unfortunately the black SS bolt package cost is $45 as I have to purchase these from a UK source and they are very expensive. I hope this helps. Please feel free to call with further questions.
Jon
[email removed]
[phone removed]
