Does a ducktail w/ no front spoiler matter?
 

On a 1974 911 street car, will the addition of a ducktail without the addition of a front spoiler adversely effect handling? If so, will it really be able to be noticed?

Thanks-
Craig Backer

Yes, it is wrong. If you are going fast enough for the duck to matter, you are going fast enough for the lack of balance witih the front to matter. Don't do it.

What kind of speeds are we talking here?

Anything over 70 MPH,...........

On a '74 and later car, you're fine.

The depth of the front valence on a '74 and later was designed to match the lip of the '72-'73 S spoiler bumper.

So with a duck and a stock crash bumper front valence it will be balanced. With anything bigger like a Carrera tail or IROC, you'd need the front rubber spoiler.

will be insteresting data points this weekend as I switch from the duck to iroc for CA Speedway (but I have a stock front spoiler). Wondering if I'll need more front with the big AIR f/g iroc.

If it is of any importance, I believe '74 Carreras came from Porsche equipped with the duck tail, but no front lip spoiler.

With my limited knowledge I would have thought that a duck tail without front spoiler would be ok- because the duck tail gives less reduced lift and but it does reduce drag- than the Carrera tail/turbo tail.
I have found my 71 targa with no spoiler/tails to be very light above 80-90mph. Being that the car is not 'really' designed for these speeds on a regular basis I try to keep under them!.
As for tracking a car it appears all to often that aesthetics go out the window with huge tails and tail extensions, front splitters and ground effects!
just my 2 cents

My lip and wing less Carrera feels significantly more sensitive to wind at speeds above 60-70 mph as compared to my friends with both. But it´s prettier.. ;)

In this case I prefer design before function.

Todd, you're not likely to need more front with the Big IROC. You're still not to the point of any NET downforce in the rear yet.

Of course, the rest of the package may affect this, like where you have the roll couple set with torsions and swaybar settings.

And the biggie, which is rake. Rake affects aero, and also affects the rollcouple since it changes the relation between roll center height versus center of gravity differently between the front and rear when you alter the rake.

In other words, if you do feel you have aero-induced handling issues, you can raise or lower the front of the car to alter the roll-couple, as well as the center of pressure fore-aft.

FWIW, I'm currenty running an IROC wing with an early S spoiler with a very small splitter, and it works very well. Might push a little too much at faster tracks, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

At CA Speedway today I was flat in 5th by the end of the front straight (not at redline though), topping out at around 130mph. Car felt quite stable. I like the iroc. Banking is a good thing too, although it does scrub speed. Now if I could just not look at the other guy that spun, causing me to dispy doodle, losing 20 seconds on the lap and 5 places...

practice, practice, practice...

Weirdly, Fontana really isn't an aero track.

Willow is.