Questions for 308 owners who have the factory deep front spoiler option on their U.S.-spec cars: 1. How often do you scrape it in the course of normal (i.e., driveways, parking structure ramps, steep intersections) driving? 2. Is it solid fiberglass? 3. How big a deal is it to repair? Seems like a lot of the cars coming up for sale this fall have the spoiler. It looks nice, but I'm concerned it's going to be a monthly repair/repaint project.
I had an '82 308 GTSi (Serial # 39513) with the Euro front chin spoiler, for about 3 years. I had it repaired 2x. Once it was my fault for pulling into a friend's driveway straight on. The 2nd time I was leaving a car show (held on a golf course driving range) and my 308 dropped into a soft spot on the field, and crunched the spoiler, pretty bad . I had GEICO pay for that repair, about $1800. I've also had the spoiler on my TR done 2x. The first was road rash, and a few driveway scratches (underside). The 2nd time, I was driving home from my brother's wedding, around midnight, on the Merritt parkway. Just cruising about 90, when a damn raccoon darted out from the right side of the road. I smacked that raccoon just at the corner of the spoiler. That wasn't fun to clean up!
Most of the deep ones I've seen are glass, many are easily made repros I suppose.. I have shallow on BOTH mine and one is steel! They are pretty easy to hit...you get used to watching driveways and such but the odd pothole can still damage them... I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker either way as they are pretty easy to change....I had a deep one spare, but sold it........it's still in town.
So if it got to be a problem I could just remove it and have the "normal" US-spec front end? GEICO's my insurer, too. Not sure I'd want to make too many spoiler repair claims - they might bounce me out of the "good behavior" rate bracket...
Yes, as far as changing them....I can asked Sean F. who purchased my deep one, as he'll be removing his US version to install deeper unit.....
Have a Euro car here with deep front 'spoiler'... Scrape the bottom quite a bit, sure. So what, just paint the very bottom black and touching it up is easy. Look, it will never be pristine and if you are a clean/perfection freak you best never drive the car at all. Lesse here. Cracked it a bit at Lime Rock onto turn 2 and went off a touch. Really cracked it going off track on NHIS after the uphill. Scrape it a lot on driveways and dips after gas stations. i also mowed Fchatter Verell's lawn with it (see pic below) Right now it has many tire marks on it from going deep into the tire wall at turn 3 at NHIS. And i would not have it any other way. i feel the added look, and MAYBE aero help of down force up front, is well worth it. i am probably dreaming about the aero down force help, but so what. Look, it is just a car. Drive it! If you are scared about every little scrape and bump then open a museum and park it there. My apologies for the rant. i mean, really, it is just a car and new aero are available from Fchat sponsor Nick Forza for something like $800. PS: i have a feeling i will be buying a new one every year. Just part of driving fun and track time. Tires for track events, and the cost of entering track events for that matter, is WAY MORE $$$$. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks great, and I could deal with the occasional minor scrape underneath. I don't plan to track the car, though, and it would bother me to drive around with a cracked spoiler. To me it detracts from the appearance of the car.
Steve: Was the front end of your car lowered too? If so, how hard is that? I always thought 308's need to lose 1-2" in the front end - like yours has...... Kevin S.
I put a 288GTO valance on mine, which is quite similar to the Euro valance (spoiler). I also lowered the car a little less than an inch. It really hasnt been a big problem, but I can tell you a woodchuck doesnt fit under it very well and will crack it. I have scuffed the bottom a few times, another year or 2 and Ill probably replace it. It only takes a couple hours to change plus the paint time. When I got mine I think I spent 3 or 4 hours painting it on Saturday and a couple hours on Sunday installing it. Its not a big deal. I think the looks are well worth the effort.
Yes she is a bit lower using Fchat sponsor Nick Forza shocks and coils. Well worth the $$$ for track. As a daily driver i feel it is a crap shoot, but still... those old Koni shocks are not THAT impressive IMHO. FYI: when i get a new front valence from Nick in a few weeks KTR European, the folks who maintain the 308 here, will be fabricating and adding bottom lip pieces that will take the brunt of the scrapes. They will make me a few sets so as they wear i just throw on another set and off i go. But in the end i like the look of the deep aero. The higher one seems so... well... lame to me. As for scraped and cracks in the lower valance, i right now have a 'fast and dirty' riveted patch job on it as my off at NHIS earlier this year at the top of the uphill took a BIG toll on it. So what, its a car, it sees track time. Best saying i heard at the track two weeks ago: "Never put a car on the track that you would not have fall off a mountain" (or something to that effect) The IMPORTANT concern is one's life! Cars can be replaced, people can't. If you REALLY want to make a good change, dump those lousy stock seat belts! And it saddens me to hear that someone lost their life at NHIS last week (BMW club event, a seasoned driver BTW, as he went into that wall after the NASCAR straight/turn). And here we are whining about a mere $800 valence??? Again, my apologies, it's just a car. She is outside right now. Looks kinda nice out there too with the sun setting... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I lowered both the front and back using afermarket shocks with adjustable spring perches. I went with ohlins, but there are several good brands out there. It's also good practice to increase the spring rate at least proportionally to the raduction in suspension travel...ie if you lower a car with 5" of travel 1", you now have 4" of travel or a 20% reduction so you need to increase the spring rate by at 20%....I like the car to react quickly (I like autocrosses) so I went up 250%, it's pretty good now
mine has that spoiler too...only bumped it one time but no damage other than a little scrape on the bottom edge and not visible unless the car is on the lift. the look is great and cars w/o the euro spoiler look like something is missing.
I scrape mine more often than I'd like... but it's pretty easy to fix as it's just glass. When I bought the car it was cracked and torn open at the bottom...when we painted my car I think the painter quoted like $150 to fix it... and you can't even tell it was damaged. http://fnader.com/images/308GTB/DCP_0049.JPG Bill
excellent question remembering back when i had mine (we're talkin 1993) at first, thought it was the bomb then cracked it twice first time hit a parking stopper thingy... second time real bad, i hit a tire tread on the freeway took it to the body shop both times ~$450 first time ~$850 second time chips super easy (because it's flat and hard) after i got it back each time i don't think i drove 5 miles without nicks and chips already beginning to occur so if i were to do it again i'd do without it just my opinion
I hated mine on my 308. I would sneeze and drag it on something. Last year I finally made the switch to the smaller US one and I cannot be happier. I even thing it looks better. I'll never go back to that snowplow bull**** again.
i wonder if it would help to texture paint the lower section black to camoflage the nicks it will get, or use that clear stuff the track guys use on the newer cars and change it when it needs it. ???? still think the Euro ones are much cooler looking.
My 308 is US spec, lowered about one inch and I have the U.S. (non-deep) spoiler and I whack it all the time, no matter how careful I am. It's usually driveways and bumps in the pavement that hit it. Last winter I removed it and repaired it. I just put the car up on the lift to survey the damage from this summer. It's cracked and f'ed up all over again. I can't imagine how beat the deep one would get. No way. Birdman
I did that years ago. The problem is the edge facing the ground - not the surface facing out front. When you drag it it will tear off whatever you have coating it and give you a new fresh white area for everybody to see. My old "Euro" scoop is now hanging up in my storeroom where it has not scraped anything since I put it there. It works MUCH better in there then on my car, believe me.
The black strip at the bottom that you see on Steven's car was something that the previous owner, Jeff, liked on mine and added. I had had it done the first rebuild/repaint, which actually had to be done the first month I got the car after I did a little accidental off-roading. The black strip now makes doing small touchups a breeze! The first time you have it rebuilt, you can have the bodyshop beef it up, and that DOES help. I love the look of the deep spoiler... the rebuilds are just part of the cost of ownership. Also, since it can catch more gravel and rock chips when you're driving at 100+ mph, the last time I had it rebuilt and repainted I added 3M Stonegard clear protective film over the new paint. It's held up VERY well. I bought my 1984 308QV that had the deep front spoiler on it from the factory. In the 13 years I've owned it, I've had it rebuilt 3 times including that first "getting to know the car's limits" offroad excursion. You *can* learn to take driveways etc at more of an angle, and I almost never scrape it any more. Even with stiffer springs (which help quite a bit) I have to be more careful now since I put on adjustable shocks and have the car much lower, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I *do* love the look. The first pic shows it with the stock suspension (notice the fender gap above the tire), and the second pic shows it lowered as it is now. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
