I was getting some service done to Lil' Red and saw this...I want one!!!

I think the fixed spoiler is cool looking!!

 

It's cool looking, but the active spoiler is one of the features I'm really looking forward to on my Coupe. I've always wanted an active spoiler since I first saw the Porsche ones many many years ago.

 

This spoiler looks a bit 'boy racer' to me. I much prefer the active spoiler as well. Too many add-ons and a car can look tacky quickly.

 

We love our fixed spoiler! It looks great, and we like the way it finished off the rear end of the car lines, even when parked. We also felt that there would be mechanical issues down the road with the active spoiler, and since we built our Coupe with reliability in mind, we decided to have the fixed spoiler installed as soon as we took delivery. And added benefit seems to be less rattling from the boot. :-)

 

And Mako.. As far as it looking 'tacky', This it the expensive upgrade alternative that is usually reserved for the JCW cars, designed by the MINI engineers. It is the opposite of an 'add on'. But everyone has their own taste. :-)

 

Definitely a taste issue, but I think just about every MINI add-on is a matter of taste. I dislike bright interior color lines and union jacks everywhere, but some people love them. I think the "youification" of the MINI is what makes it great! So many combinations, so many ways to express your individuality. I would like to see some performance numbers as to the effectiveness of the fixed spoiler vs the active one - my guess is it's not much if any difference at all.

 

Its just tacky, IMO. Throwing more money at something doesn't necessarily make it better. To each his own...

 

I guess if the the active spoiler had already failed, I might be willing to bolt that thing to back of my car. Maybe. But yeah, it's pretty rice.

 

When I first looked at the photo, something didn't seem right. So I pulled up some photos I have, and sure enough, something wasn't right. To me, I think the dealer/owner painted it incorrectly. It is not supposed to be one solid color like that. It is supposed to contrast with the body/roof combo. Even when you order it as an accessory, it comes with small contrasting stripes to complete the look.







I think it looks way better with the contrasting paint.

-Z

 

Here is our fixed spoiler. It comes unpainted, and the dealer paints it to the customer's order. Yes, mostly the deck is the same color as the car, and the spoiler itself is the color of the roof... but it doesn't come with stripes, those have to be applied by the owner or the dealer. Craven also sells it.
As far as usefulness, honestly, how much downforce does a FWD car need in the back, anyway? We didn't buy it because we expected it to create more stability... we bought it because we like the way it 'finishes' the back of the car. To our eye, it nicely compliments the lines on the back of the car, and softens the drop from the rear window. We also felt that the mechanical spoiler might, in the future, have problems, just as a convertible top might have.
LOL Chimera, we certainly have different tastes.. my R56 is covered in Union Jacks and has a colorful interior. But that is because I am honoring the heritage and look of the Classic MINIs... those are all elements that were part of the legacy. Luckily, there is room enough out there for everyone. But I do take exception to our very subdued and svelte spoiler being called 'boy racer' and 'ricer'.... It most certainly is not anything like that style. It was designed BY MINI, for the Coupe, it is not some absurd body kit off of eBay.

The white and red JCW in photos above, is how MINI envisioned it, that is the concept car itself. That is why it has stripes. We plan to put stripes on our deck when we extend them down the bumpers eventually.

 

I agree. With a base and pillars the same color as the car, it looks more integrated, and less like a tacked-on oddity. Much, much nicer.

 

I enjoy the active spoiler on my Coupe. If it ever breaks I would compare the costs of fix v. convert but not before then...

 

While we're on the spoiler topic, how does the active spoiler work in the winter months? does it get frozen shut (I'm assuming it's not heated)? I've read that a warning message triggers when the spoiler won't fully extend or retract.

 

I've just gone through a seven-month winter in central Canada, with every conceivable form of terrible cold weather one could imagine. There was never a single day that the spoiler didn't deploy properly, after I cleared any excess snow from it of course. It worked perfectly every single time.

(Knock on wood.)

 

I like the fixed spoiler on the Coupe better than the active spoiler. It seems to complement the roof line better. I don't think I would like it as much on my Roadster, though.

 

Jhull413, I totally agree. For some reason, the lines of the Roadster are different. Has anyone done a fixed spoiler on a Roadster? I'd love to see a photo if so.

 

To hubby and I, it's a matter of balancing out the car. The 'backward baseball cap' looks more balanced with the fixed spoiler. Everyone gets to make their own choices, but whether you like someone else's choice or not, there is no reason to deride it. The fact is that either spoiler is a valid option, both are designed by the original design team, both are OEM, and the whole point of MINIs is to be personalized. We're not Hondas.

 

I want to like or favourite or gold-star or whatever this quote so much! That's the reason why I joined the MINI family - everyone has their style, and we're all expressing ourselves to the world! To hell with an "appliance" car like a Honda or Toyota!

 

Nothing wrong with customizing, no matter what brand the car is. Also nothing wrong with public discussion of opinions on that customization.

 

Nothing wrong with discussion, of course. That's what forums are all about. Just not seeing how a well designed, OEM spoiler is being compared to the absurdity that is displayed in the car culture referred to as 'ricer', which is a far different thing. By throwing that comparison at the JCW spoiler, it just shows that any lack of conformity to what is currently fashionable is mocked by some. I mean, really? Really? Everyone has the chance to say what they want, but then the others have the right to say "Do you really mean that? Think about it!"
Anyway, it doesn't matter if it isn't to everyone's taste. It is certainly to OUR taste, and we really love it.

 

Good. It would be unfortunate if you didn't like your own car, or the things you've bolted on to it.

 

Ha HA HA ! "the things you bolted onto it" sounds like we hung weird, random stuff all over it. Instead of replacing one OEM spoiler with another. :-) Guess the same could be said about replacing the stock bumpers with JCW bumpers! Or stock seats with Recaros. Or regular headlights with HIDs. Might have to use that sometime, just for fun!

 

Setting aside the particulars of this spoiler, is it your contention that nothing OEM can also be tasteless/tacky/boy racer/rice?

 

I got it on my Lightning Blue Coupe and love it personally. again, some like it and some don't. imo, it really finishes the end of the car and you get a ton more rear visiblity out the back window vs w/the active spoiler.

also, i have not had any creaks or rattles in the boot area too.. my spoiler did cost about $1300 total w/painting and installation.

 

Well, at least it doesnt look as bad as this one...