Just added pro wing extensions. I was driving an average of 80 mph yesterday and noticed that the steering was different, a little "squirrely", drifting and lighter. Then I remembered the extensions. It was on an interstate, into a 30-40 mph wind, hilly, and I drive this route every week, basically same conditions. Coming back (tailwind) I didn't notice it. Just wondered if it was my imagination or it could be the extensions. Anybody else notice a change?

 

I would go with imagination.

 

Me too. I would think the only difference would be in the "fuel consumption / drag reduction" camp.

Do you have the front spoiler winglets?
http://www.outmotoring.com/jcw-pro-f...s-f55-6-7.html

 

I test it further, like in sport mode. There would be more down force on the rear, obviously, in strong head winds.. The steering seemed to be a little more responsive, like after one adds more air to the tires when they are low.
My wife's 2013 coupe, with the rear auto wing, is the most stable car I have ever driven in these winds. You can see other vehicles drift in their lanes, especially on top of hills, and the coupe is straight as an arrow.

 

Pretty sure that there is no aerodynamic function to those. They are only a cosmetic add on.

 

+1

 

Besides that they are obscene overpriced, the support brackets and the actual flaps are quality parts and look nice. As long as you have the standard suspension brgs installed, you have at high speed other think to look at ! - Are there any spherical brgs for F56 available yet ?

However if you would enlarge them they certainly will produce some kilos DF

 

like! :-)

 

Guessing most of you guys are not into NASCAR. Do some research. Depending on tracks and regulations, even an inch of height at 80 mph can make a difference with rear down force....albeit, not functional until higher speeds and that is determined somewhat on vehicle design/size.

I have a 1st Gen John Cooper Motorsport rear wing from the John Cooper Works Series with adjustment increments of 1/2 inch. It's an original piece and was on the JCW which won series in 2005. See photos on Raven below.

On a MINI, around 80 mph is where aerodynamic mods can be felt. In fact, I had the M7 front splitter set up with rubber donuts at the fixing points making it fully adjustable and needed to be adjusted to increase down force commensurate with rake of rear spoiler....I had it nicely tuned in.

Same reason why I removed the rear Aero bumper....as nice as it looked being one inch lower than stock, at 78 mph and above it actually trapped air like a rear parachute and could be felt especially with hard suspension and fully urethaned sway bars, control arms and rear trailing arms.

Given that the F56 rear spoiler already creates some down force, could be OP is genuinely detecting the increase with those pieces when at 80 mph and above.

That said, I would not overlook the effectiveness of a one inch extension to a spoiler already set up to be functional at higher speeds...

 

At NASCAR speeds it could definitely make a difference. No argument there. The speedshop that I had install my splitter does wind tunnel testing of their ground defects parts. He said that all Minis start to lift at the rear without a wing. Now granted I'm talking about in excess of 100-130 MPH here. They are in the process of fabbing up an adjustable carbon fiber rear wing for the 3rd Gen cars. When that is ready he's going to use my car for the wind tunnel tests. Probably won't happen until the weather cools off though.

This is a video of a test run with their R56.

 

Called BMW yesterday and asked about tech data on the extensions (wind tunnel tests, etc). They were helpful and gave me a path to ask engineering, which I will attempt today. As soon as I get some info, I'll post it. By the way, they were helpful and actually understood what I was asking.

 

Thats encouraging! Yes, please let us know if they share any specifics with you. It would be nice if MINI sales people also knew about the JCW Pro options as I feel a bit cheated as when I ordered my '15 JCW HT there was no mention of the options & unfortunately I was new to MINI & the F56 JCW being new out if the box very little to no data was available! True enthusiasts want to know this stuff!

 

So the service manager told me that heard back from engineering. MINI has not done any testing on the wing extensions. No wind tunnel. They do not know the effects. It appears that they are just an add on-without know effects. Perhaps the is an app they use in the design. Who knows?
That is encouraging. (?)
Makes one wonder if aero kits are just a money making visual effect with possible hazardous consequences.

 

NASCAR speeds not necessary for spoiler function as they start working even at speeds you can do on the freeway. And as stated in video, they only wind tunnel test up to 90mph for function.

 

IMO, the S model would be better off with the chin front spoiler from the Justa Cooper....then add brake ducts. Things need to be evened out as I had already discovered on my R53 while running a splitter in conjunction with rear Cooper Sport spoiler...shouldnt have an aggressive rear wing w/o some compensation to the front...and visa versa.

 

Carbon fiber makes sense for the JCW team. That said, I understand their mounting problem. The "factory" ones have horizontal tabs on top that slant and flex to mount. If they can solve that, it is the way to go for weight savings and strength. They appear to be the same size/shape as the factory ones. For me, I need the flex because of tall parking chocks.