Wind Restrictor installed

[plan-b]

Ordered it from Apex on tax day and my shipping/receiving dept dropped it off at my desk an hour ago. So, like any self-respecting dude with the mentality of a 10-year-old, I immediately went out to my car to install it.

I use the word "install" loosely though. I got the non-illuminated one so it takes 5 minutes to do if you're being ultra careful. It includes a pair of white cotton gloves if you're paranoid about putting fingerprints on it. Not to worry though, they even thought to give you a spray bottle of cleaner with a microfiber cloth if you skip the gloves.

The only thing that bugged me putting it on is that when I tried to tighten the rear boot cover lugs back down, they kept spinning and spinning as if there was a nut behind it that wasn't biting down. I'll fiddle with it a little more when I get home. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to the drive back to see how this performs moving. At least it looks cool stationary.

Some phone pics since I don't have my real camera with me:







More observations to come later tonight.... or over the weekend if the GF decides she wants to go out as soon as I get home.

[NAPAKNOWHOW]

I have mine sitting in the garage waiting on the car. It looks great. Those are the best pics I've seen. Thanks!

[Nutbutt]

Looks great !

[SSAINT]

"The only thing that bugged me putting it on is that when I tried to tighten the rear boot cover lugs back down, they kept spinning and spinning as if there was a nut behind it that wasn't biting down. I'll fiddle with it a little more when I get home. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to the drive back to see how this performs moving. At least it looks cool stationary."


Its a bit of a pain in the ass but if you put a tiny open end wrench on the inner nut you will be able to tighten it down. Sorry it's been a few weeks since my install so I dont remember what size

[rangomr]

Originally Posted by plan-b

Ordered it from Apex on tax day and my shipping/receiving dept dropped it off at my desk an hour ago. So, like any self-respecting dude with the mentality of a 10-year-old, I immediately went out to my car to install it.

I use the word "install" loosely though. I got the non-illuminated one so it takes 5 minutes to do if you're being ultra careful. It includes a pair of white cotton gloves if you're paranoid about putting fingerprints on it. Not to worry though, they even thought to give you a spray bottle of cleaner with a microfiber cloth if you skip the gloves.

The only thing that bugged me putting it on is that when I tried to tighten the rear boot cover lugs back down, they kept spinning and spinning as if there was a nut behind it that wasn't biting down. I'll fiddle with it a little more when I get home. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to the drive back to see how this performs moving. At least it looks cool stationary.

Some phone pics since I don't have my real camera with me:







More observations to come later tonight.... or over the weekend if the GF decides she wants to go out as soon as I get home.

Where did you order this and price?

[phdjent]

Originally Posted by plan-b

Ordered it from Apex on tax day and my shipping/receiving dept dropped it off at my desk an hour ago. So, like any self-respecting dude with the mentality of a 10-year-old, I immediately went out to my car to install it.

I use the word "install" loosely though. I got the non-illuminated one so it takes 5 minutes to do if you're being ultra careful. It includes a pair of white cotton gloves if you're paranoid about putting fingerprints on it. Not to worry though, they even thought to give you a spray bottle of cleaner with a microfiber cloth if you skip the gloves.

The only thing that bugged me putting it on is that when I tried to tighten the rear boot cover lugs back down, they kept spinning and spinning as if there was a nut behind it that wasn't biting down. I'll fiddle with it a little more when I get home. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to the drive back to see how this performs moving. At least it looks cool stationary.

I had that problem also when I loosened up the nut enough to slide the wind restrictor bracket down. The nut wouldn't tighten. It would just spin. You need to take a flathead screwdriver and wedge it between the bracket and the plastic molding behind it to pull the nut tight as you tighten the screw. That friction will keep the nut from spinning. Pull the screwdriver out when you feel it really grabs. Mine are really tight.

[pincoin]

Looks nice!!

[plan-b]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll tighten it up tomorrow (spending the day w/ the GF). My observations of it so far...

It looks way cool. Because of commute traffic, I was only able to get up to around 50mph and I'll say that the difference isn't night & day but it's definitely noticeable. I have no doubt that on a 2-seater, it would be a night & day difference. Since it sits vertical and is glossy, you'll get a good amount of reflective glare depending on how the light hits it. Looking through the SS logo is bada$$, in your rearview mirror, it looks correct. There's a lot of wobble/play going over bumps, though that might diminish after I tighten down the bolts. I did notice that my top (I never use the rear boot cover) didn't flap around as much, so that's a nice bonus.

Overall, I'd say that if you're planning to buy this as a purely functional piece and thinking about the non-etched version, save your money. It doesn't make enough of a difference to justify the price. BUT, if you want it for a little bit of function AND want some cosmetic improvement, it's kinda worth it. Bumpers, grills, diffusers... they all cost a pretty penny, but this is one of those things that even non-car-buffs will notice. In the end, I'm quite satisfied with this addition.

rangomr: I ordered it from Apex (forum sponsor here). With the SS laser etching it was $343.

[SnowVert]

Can someone let me know how well these actually work as a wind restrictor? I currently have the GM one and it works great as long as no one is in the back seat. I'm thinking about getting one of these for those rare times I have someone in the back.

[Andrew6]

Originally Posted by SnowVert

Can someone let me know how well these actually work as a wind restrictor? I currently have the GM one and it works great as long as no one is in the back seat. I'm thinking about getting one of these for those rare times I have someone in the back.

It will reduce the "wind Turbulance" you'll still have the wind noise and still have some still have the wind in your face with the only difference being you can actually talk to the person sitting next to you and won't have to blow the speakers to hear it.

[Guzman]

Looks great!

[Eli]

does it help with the wind buffeting for the kids in the back seat?

[plan-b]

Originally Posted by SnowVert

Can someone let me know how well these actually work as a wind restrictor? I currently have the GM one and it works great as long as no one is in the back seat. I'm thinking about getting one of these for those rare times I have someone in the back.

The GM one sits closer to you so it'll make a bigger difference than the Wind Restrictor. It's not a miracle worker, you will still get some turbulence and drafting. I drove on the highway yesterday without traffic and there was still a good amount of turbulent air floating around, just less than before. Also keep in mind that this doesn't fold, collapse or remove conveniently. While it's easy enough to take off and re-install, I doubt you're going to want to spend the 5-10 minutes doing this every time you have backseat passengers.

Originally Posted by Eli

does it help with the wind buffeting for the kids in the back seat?

I haven't had backseat passengers yet but given that they sit right in front of the restrictor, they'll probably have a lot less rear-to-front drafting. But since they sit so far from the front windshield, they'll probably still have some wind in their face.

[2010 SSRS]

That looks really nice