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Why rear spoilers.... the facts (archive)
[ Follow Ups ] [ 7-series (E23) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Posted by John Stein on March 31, 2002 at 18:00:05:

Gents...

We all understand that BMW RARELY does things for cosmetic reasons.....

Like it or not... BMW had an engineering and performance reasons for adding the spoiler to the e23...

Put simply... It significantly reduced the coefficient of drag.

I cant remember the numbers exactly (but I promise I will find them..) but if memory serves me correctly it reduced the COD by about 28%.

So what does this mean in real world performance.... In Germany, where these cars regularly run at 140mph+ and fuel is REALLY expensive.... , the reduced drag relates to lower fuel consumption, faster acceleration, more down force at speed (better handling and stability), and last but not least, higher top end speeds...

So.... Like them or not... BMW did have their reasons for tail pieces...... and the reasons were performance oriented, not just to join the ranks of those manufacturers sporting psudo-effective rear fins

Just my .02....

Regards All

John Stein

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