I need everyone's advice on how to proceed with my new rear spoiler (Data Systems Illusion) install.

The spoiler came with double-sided tape (I'm assuming 3M, but will verify if going this route) and is not setup for bolting on. After a visit to a local Nissan body shop they felt that with the Texas heat right now (100+ degrees) the tape will get soft and the risk of the spoiler coming off is very high.

Is this true, should I be worried about just using the 3M double sided tape for this spoiler? See the pics below for reference to the spoiler (slightly larger than OEM spoiler). The spoiler has a really good contact patch in my opinion (runs all the way around the spoiler).

If I wanted to have this spoiler converted to allow bolting on, does anyone have any experience with this? Where should I go to have this stuff done? I currently have an email to Data Systems about this and the body shop above did not want to get involved with the bolting of the spoiler since it wasn't OEM.

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

Scott

 

Data Systems Illusion rear spoiler

 

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My best advice would be to set it up like the OEM spoiler. Install would be easiest that way, and it also looks like the thickest place on the spoiler--only safe place to install even smaller bolts.

Definitely a job for a body shop, though. I thought my spoiler install was a PITA.

Sidenote: It does look REALLY good though.

 

^agreed, it looks great!

Its gonna be in the body shop getting painted anyways, I'd get them to put it on while it was there... doing everything at once is a wonderful feeling...

 

That is one of the best spoilers I've seen. I have no clue on the install however. Where did you order it from and how much? if you don't mind sharing.....

 

Thanks for the advice, keep it coming. I agree though if I could use the same bolting as the OEM spoiler that would make it easier. My next concern is having confidence in a body shop to drill holes in that spoiler and putting whatever type of bolts are needed since currently it is only preped for using double-sided tape.

Thanks for the compliments. I am very happy with how the spoiler carries the lines of the car, but is a litte more pronounced then the OEM wing. I also have the Data System Illusion Front Lip on order and should be here within the next two-three weeks.

As for pricing and ordering, I can PM you the information if you'd like (zh.guitar check your PM). I can say that their inventory and pricing is extremely competitive and thus far have been great to work with.

More pictures of this aero kit on a Lemans:
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ht=data+system

Thanks,
Scott G

 

That spoiler looks sexy, i want one! I'd have to say that i patially agree with you about the double sided tape and the hot weather. I live here in Phoenix and it's like 115 degrees and will stay that way for a few more months. The heat could start to break down the glue in the tape but when you think about it the down force on the wing would probably keep it stuck in place good enough especially if it has a good contact patch like you said. Just don't drive around in reverse. LOL. Personally, i think bolting it would be the safest route but not sure how to go about doing it. You'll more than likely need to bolt it from the bottom of the hatch. Keep us posted and good luck. sometimes it sucks to be the first one to try something new but hey, someone has to do it.

 

This is a great spoiler... I was trying to look it up a couple months back but it's wierd name makes it hard to find. If anyone could swing me the dealer and estimate price it'd be much appreciated.

 

That 3M cushion tape is pretty tough stuff. If there is plenty of surface area to slap it on you may want to try that. Check the 3M website, see what they say about temp. Just keep an eye on it and check to make sure it's not coming up. The adhesion should get better over time.

 

Hi,

I'm sure you'll like the spoiler after the install very much.
Anyway, mine is taped on with the adhesive tapes supplied (don't look like 3M, but according to my installers, they are a hell lot sticker than 3M).
The tapes runs 2 rows in parallel around the bottom of the spoiler. Its not going to be easy to yank that spoiler off. (be careful to position it right when installing too..you wouldn't want to find any mistakes once its been stuck on.)

Anyway, I have it for about over 3 months or so and my local daily temperature is 90-100F on the average, drove to around 100mph and haven't ecountered problems so far. But I wouldn't know how well it will hold years down the road.

But just to give yourself that assurance, you may want to ask your body shop to bolt them in. Enjoy!

 

I just had a Balsarini "style" spoiler (very similar to yours) installed by a guy who has been doing auto body for ~25 years. He used 3M 2-sided tape on it and said it's not going anywhere. Granted it's ~20 degrees cooler here in the summer but when I asked him about a heat wave, he said there shouldn't be any concern. My rationale was this: Install it with two-sided tape. In the unlikely event it starts to come up (it's not going to just fly off all at once as you drive down the road), then I can always go back and drill holes in my rear deck. Drilling holes in the body of a car would be my last resort, not my first option. Also you could cause the spoiler to "dip" where you attach the bolts if it isn't designed to have bolts hold it on. I helped install the spoiler and it is rock solid. By the way, the stock spoiler is also held on with "Double Faced Adhesive Tape". Check the service manual.

 

But it's also got two bolts as well.

 

Thanks for all the good advice. It's always good to hear from folks that have this spoiler as well as others who have done this with different spoilers. I agree the contact patch on this allows basically a double row of tape which makes me feel better. I'd like to avoid drilling if possible and is my last resort. I did hear back from the manufacter (Data Systems) and they have not found any problems with just taping it on. A comment from the distributor who contacted DS, "The tape they use is very sticky and is very hard to take the spoiler off even if you intentionally try to do it. For this reason they do not have a bolt kit."

...so I think I am going to proceed with having it painted then installed using the supplied double-sided tape. I will watch closely to see if there is any movement, then decide from there whether I should come back and have it bolted in.

Thanks again for the advice. I will post pics, once I get it painted and installed.

Scott G

 

I think the bolts are mainly there to keep it aligned. Kind of like you learned in woodshop, it's not the nails that hold the pieces of wood together, it's the glue. Speaking of alignment, it took about 45 minutes to finally get the spoiler in the right position. Once we had it in the right place, we taped "rests" (thin pieces of wood that were taped to the car) so that we could keep the spoiler aligned while we pulled the backing off the two sided tape. We kind of used the rests on the bottom of the spoiler as a hinge and pulled the top of the backing off. Then, once the top was stuck to the car, we removed the rests and pulled the backing off the 2 sided tape on the bottom of the spoiler. That probably didn't make much sense, but if you try to do it yourself you should understand what I was talking about.

 

hey hey bought the spoiler and love it however tapes just not holding up as well as hoped ..did for a few months .....and im only in nj...though we did have a very hot summer ..going back to body shop to have it bolted on...hope works out better for you!