Oh well...didn't read entire post

 

No big deal Mike, just wanted to make sure that people knew that. Also, the same seller offers the extended kit so there are at least 2 versions available right now.

 

Neither kit he sells will allow you to keep the wing in the fully retracted position. The lowest you can go is about 1.5" raised. I spoke with the kit maker about this

 

I'm about to remove the hydraulic motor as I have the spoiler disconnected since I don't use it anyway. I have the RUF spoiler which is semi raised in the down position and looks dumb raised. Might sell it.

 

Thanks for chiming in about that, and that news is a bit troubling since that is exactly what I planned to do. The seller mentioned to me that the standard kit would allow you to run with the wing fully retracted but that the extended kit could not. I'll review his comments to me and ensure I have this details correct from him and that I didn't screw up my update to this thread.

 

I spoke with him at great length about it and he even sent me pictures of the kit explaining why it would not go all the way down. In the end we both agreed that if you just want to keep the wing fully retracted than you ont need the kit. You just need to disconnect the hydraulics leaving the rams in place. The wing will stay retracted as it is held in the retracted position be a very stout spring.

 

Thanks pwdrhound. I've been running with that very configuration for over a year with no ill effects. This kit gave me great hope as a weight savings measure, but the hoped for weight reduction fell from an originally reported 11-12 pounds to about 6 pounds as I continued to research it. Now that I know it won't allow the wing to fully retract, I'll just skip the mod altogether. Thanks for both saving me money on a personal level and also for better educating all of us who were considering buying this mod. Much appreciated.

 

You're welcome. I'm just going to leave the rams alone and pull out the hydraulic motor and lines thereby saving around 10 pounds or so but mainly getting rid of the pentosin in the system.

 

If you don't mind sharing those notes (the factory service manual isn't easy to make out for the wing repair section), I'd sure appreciate it as I'd like to do exactly the same thing. Meaning, leave the wing positioning alone but remove any excess and unused weight. Take care.

 

Will do. It's a pretty straight forward process once you remove the plastic cover on the underside of the deck lid. I'll take some pics.

 

For less qualified mechanics like myself, that would make a huge difference. Thanks in advance! I've heard that the unit only weighs between 4 and 6 pounds btw, but I'm hoping for more. If you could list any special tools needed (ie: snap ring pliers or something), could you please list those after you do the work?

 

Just so you're aware, the rams are reused with this kit. The only thing that comes out of the car is the motor/pump and the oil lines that connect to the bottom of the rams. 4lbs total not including the weight of the oil that drained out of the rams (I weighted it upon removal). The kit is a simple, but clever, design, which basically adds a long threaded bolt that can be turned to raise or lower the wing manually.

 

Steve -- it's very easy to remove the hydraulics. Here are the tools you'll need:

- Socket wrench (10mm)
- Adjustable wrench
- Nose pliers
- External snap ring tool (I think this is only needed if you plan to remove the rams and install the fixed kit)
- Electrical tape

Here are the steps for removal (start with the wing down):

1) Remove air intake housing under the deck lid (2 10mm bolts)
2) Remove plastic covers (snapped in place) from the bottom of both rams, and from the passenger side covering the micro switches
3) Pull the two micro switches (gently) with the nose pliers; use electrical tape to cover the micro switches (without squeezing them) and secure out of the way.
4) Using adjustable wrench, remove hydraulic lines feeding the bottom of the rams -- have a rag handy as there will be some oil (not much) released.
5) With 10mm socket, undo all of the nuts holding the plastic cover in place under the deck lid; also undo the 4 nuts holding the hydraulic pump/motor.
6) Without completely removing the plastic cover, you should be able to work the pump/motor out from between the cover and the underside of the deck lid. You'll need to disconnect the wires going to the motor with the nose pliers.
7) Button everything back up (plastic cover, air intake housing, etc.)

Since I installed the fixed wing kit at this point, I'm not 100% sure about whether you need to do anything special to secure the wing in the down position. Someone else might have some experience with this since you're just looking to keep the wing in the down/retracted position.

Hope this helps -- good luck!

 

Thank you very much my friend. I'll put this information to work soon!

 

Good info from the group, thought I would add an update after a number of days on the track post the install of the kit.

1. Absolutely no issues, the wing is in the full raised position, normal kit, and the extra height seems to add to the stability in high speed sweepers (I have the upgraded aero kit front spoiler for balance)

2. If you are not looking to have the extra height when the wing is raised, or if you want to run the wing in the closed position, consider cutting the threaded bolt to a shorter length, depending on your needs. Just be careful to recut the threads where you make the cut to shorten the rod and the wing should then lower all the way.

All the best to the group for the New Year!