'Glued' Spoiler experiences
 

Hi,
I just glued my duckbill on, currently have it setting and wouldn't mind others who have done the same to share how their glue held up.

I had planned to just use 3m but saw some comments in misc forums suggesting glue as the better, more permanent alternative for duckbills.

I used Sikaflex Auto Plus 227, and prepped the trunk lid and the underside of the spoiler with rubbing alcohol then wiped it clean with a micro. Heated it up slightly then placed the spoiler on. Currently letting it cure using some spare strips of wrap to hold it down in place.

I'm a little concerned I didn't use a thick enough amount when applying it. In hindsight I don't know why I didn't want to put too much on other than I was worried about it leaking when I pressed the spoiler down, and I still wanted to be able to potentially remove it in the future (to put the stock wing back on if I decided to sell the car) (i'd guess I used maybe 3-4mm wide/high all around).

Are you meant to use a thick amount of it or is it strong enough that it'll do the job regardless? It feels sturdy after only curing for 1 hour but I don't know how it'll hold up from closing the boot and driving. The installation glue I got with the spoiler was a tiny 25ml, unbranded tube of something I was told is meant to be similar to sikaflex, pretty sure at the very least I used more than that.


(as a side note is it possible to retrieve one of the rubber gaskets that fell into my trunk when I was removing my stock wing? I was prepared to catch the bolts but did not think i'd have to worry about the gaskets)

I have NEVER seen someone "glue" a wing on.
It's always been grey automotive 3M tape of some sort.
That and bolts.

Here's a video of someone gluing their duckbill on a BRZ posted below (skip to 6:00), I believe they used glass seal. Definitely didn't use as much as they did though.
- Like I said aswell, the spoiler I got came with liquid adhesive as the installation tool, no 3m or bolts. I double checked with the seller aswell as I thought there was a mistake but nope, that's what they intended.

Not so much on this forum but on other forums I saw a lot of people using some type of glue adhesive instead of 3m for duckbills.


I'm not surprised you wouldn't see many owners from here gluing though, seems like a lot of people have the stock trunk which didn't come with the stock wing so I can understand you'd rather use 3m to preserve it. For someone like me that had the stock wing, i've got 7 holes in my trunk lid and don't see myself running any wings that don't cover that so i'm not as concerned about using glue.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG4qAhkTrLY


Anyway been a few hours since I glued it on. Haven't driven it yet but it survived a trunk close without falling off. It seems secure? If I wiggle it, I don't notice it moving at all but still weary

I would imagine the glue won't hold well; it needs a padding layer between to be sure vibrations are being managed. Glue is a bad idea

Glue??? I put my FIVE:AD, now 3D carbon, spoiler on 5 years ago with just the 3M double sided tape. It's still rock solid with no gaps like the one in the video. The most important part is of course cleaning the trunk with isopropyl alcohol, and then applying 3M Adhesive Promoter to the areas where the tape will go.

Not a hope in hell I would use glue. The proper tape is designed for the purpose and has that little bit of give to make up the differences in surface shape. Glue will never do this no matter how much you use. Also as Dark said the glue will be stiff and not take well to vibration. There will be loads of fun had when extreme daily temperature swings start to happen and the two different materials expand and contract at totally different rates!

LEARY the word is LEARY.
Or wary I suppose.

Unless of course it made you tired and then weary is correct.

Sorry the frequent misuse of "weary" is a pet peeve.

Dude, lighten up.

He’s just tired.

Depends on the glue. Plenty of glues cure flexible (silicone is a good example). But one would need to use the right glue for the job and apply it correctly (mostly with regard to amount of glue and thickness of the glue layer, but also surface preparation).
Double sided tape would be much more forgiving in that regard, but I doubt it can beat a well applied glue in terms of strength and longevity. It's just much easier to formulate a general-purpose double sided adhesive that works well in most cases than it is to do the same with straight up glue - much easier to just use 3M VHB then recommend some obscure glue that's available only in 55 gallon drums for industrial use.

Did you notice that they left the 3m tape around the edges then put the glue inside where the tape was.

EDIT There is a 3m emblem glue

I think it says something when OEM manufacturers use adhesive tapes rather than glue on their own components. I'd do the same. Not to mention adhesive tape is reversible, glue typically is not without causing some damage.

Some glues (commercially called adhesives) can be unbelievably strong, flexible, and incredibly resilient to temperature, chemical, and environmental conditions. They however typically require removal of the painted surface and proper prep of the surfaces as well as chemical compatibility to the substrates being bonded. They typically have tolerance enough to fill small-moderate gaps in the bond-line (space between the substrates) and when done correctly, leave no (or minimal) air entrapment. They are permanent af.

I wouldn't trust some random off the shelf "glue" to hold on a wing/lip etc., or, well, anything for that matter... It would need to be an industrial grade 2-part adhesive with properties designed for the application and just as important, the prep process to be performed to a T.

3M's acrylic-based VHB adhesive tapes (very high bond) are probably the best double sided tapes in the world, and still there's a few dozen variations depending on application. Again, surface prep is very important, but typically doesn't require any damage to the finish to do so.

A thin bead/fillet of sealant just inside the tape line, or in gaps, or just outside the tape line would be a good idea to prevent water ingress if the tape can't be applied consistently for some reason.

Source- I work with aviation and aerospace composites.

tl:dr-
For this application, I'd say just stick with high quality 3M tapes and very clean surfaces and make sure the pieces of tape are butted snugly together to keep it water tight.

most factory add on spoilers now are installed using adhesive and not 3M tape

This is what we use with adhesion promotor. Trying to pull a part off will pull the gelcoat off a fiberglass part. 3m VHB is no joke.

GLHF

For general glue sure but the specific glue I used is intended for automotive panel bonding, it's also an elastomer and considering the name 'sikaFLEX' I believe it'll account for those vibrations

But is the 3m not typically in conjunction with bolts and acting more as a sealant than the primary bonding tool?
I know when I took my stock wing off whatever adhesive tape had been used by OEM had lost almost all of its adhesion and it was really only the bolts that was keeping the wing in place.

Also I'm fairly sure OEM addons like spoilers are designed to be removeable which is why they wouldn't use glue since it's more permanent

My wing didn't come with any 3m tape attached or in the box. The only installation tool I was provided was an unbranded tube of sikaflex light substance.

That being said I didn't used that unbranded stuff I went and bought the actual sikaflex

It's an automotive elastomer and has rated service temperatures within -50 to 90 C. Also I don't live in an area with extreme weather climates, eg doesn't snow

I agree that general purpose glues aren't going to work well but what I used is the same as what others have used and had no problems even when tracking the car. The main adhesives i've seen people use is Sikaflex, Tigerseal and 3M Urethane windshield adhesive.


Idk what's with all the tape responses, I just wanted experiences from others who glued theirs too. I'm not the only person who has done this, I only decided to use this stuff over 3m because searching online, a large consensus was that for duckbill spoilers, adhesives like sikaflex is the best for mostly permanent fittings- and I saw more than 1 comment from people saying they used 3m and after a year or two their spoiler fell off. The reason people choose to use these kind of adhesives is because it gives the cleanest possible fitment

I agree with what you're saying however in my case I didn't use a random off the shelf glue (assuming you're referring to what I used) I believe it is an primarily an industrial glue, they just also supply it commercially. I researched what others used and the most common adhesive I saw others use was Sikaflex which is what I got. It states that it bonds with paint coatings and other general bodyshop materials.
It didn't state I had to do any paint removal/ sanding.

Here's a product link to the exact adhesive I used
https://industry.sika.com/en/home/au...aflex-227.html

So @Sam86 if you didn't like the information everyone here provided, what was the answer you were wanting to hear? Lots of great information was given on why it might not be a great idea to glue it down and what the alternatives would be.

Maybe the reason you are getting an overwhelming majority that use adhesive tape and not glue is telling what you need to know. If you want to use glue, then use it. Sounds like you are just seeking approval and confirmation you did it right.

How do you know the guys that had a spoiler fall off prepped it properly, or did not get knock off 3m tape which I see quite a bit of. I also notice a lot of the adhesive tape backed parts do not come with adhesion promotor which I would highly recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-4298-Adhes.../dp/B004TGJU2A

????
I never asked for opinions on whether glue is better than 3m I asked for the the EXPERIENCES of people who GLUED to share how well it held up. Why would I be asking for alternative recommendations when I already stated that I had attached the wing to my car and it was currently curing? And with what you said earlier, do you have any examples of OEM manufacturers that use ONLY 3m to attach a factory spoiler? That means no bolts in conjunction with the 3m. I’m actually genuinely curious of that

Sorry if I’m taking out on you but it’s annoying that nobody commenting even read my OP let alone title as nowhere in my OP did I ask for recommendations on what to use or ask whether glue is better than 3m. Yes for most people 3M is probably a more ideal choice since it’s reversible however I wanted something permanent that I didn’t have to worry about. As far as I’m concerned 3m + bolting down is the best way to go, however WITHOUT Bolts I didn’t feel like 3m would last as long as adhesive sealant. And when I talk longterm I’m talking 4-5+ years not a few months to one year

All I was asking for was for others who did the same as me to tell me how theirs held up and whether I did it right IE applied the adhesive correctly

Is this your first internet post?

Anyway to answer your question, BRZ’s are better, and yes you should turbo it!

I was just stating the term "glue" is vague, that's all.

I understand a bit better what you're saying, just understand the resistance you're experiencing is because its rather uncommon to do it that way. Asking for validation of uncommon practices on the internet when there's well established methods will always be met with scrutiny, so no surprises there...

Ultimately if it works well then its another tool in our collective belt, but not enough existing experience to validate it outright.

My only question for that product is that its listed/marketed as a sealant, not an adhesive. Sealants can bond extremely well to substrates, but can suffer from cohesive failure (the material itself tears apart but its still bonded to each substrate) more easily than structural-rated adhesives.

Structures are loaded in tensile (pulling), Shear (sliding), and peeling (like pulling tape). Sealants don't typically have high peel strength (hell some adhesive's don't either) and that is the type of loading that a wing/lip/duckbill will see around the edges, mixed with some tensile strength as the front edge wants to be pulled up. Silkaflex 227's 'tear propogation resistance" sounds a lot like peel strength... 6N is only 1.35lbs of force, which isn't a lot, so that's my only concern. Once it's completely cured keep a close eye on the front edge and corners for any cracking/tearing. If you see nothing after months of use at highway/track speeds and hot sun heat cycling, then I'd say you're golden and just check it periodically.

Thank you.

In regards to its adhesive properties, to quote what is says on the back of the tube it is "suitable for making permanent elastic seals of high adhesive strength".
Its been 10 days now, certainly not long enough to be certain but its been both hot, cold and rainy in that time. I daily drive the car, open and close the boot regularly and so far it has held up. The main test was when I had my car polished yesterday in hot weather. I didn't tell the guy my spoiler was glued on and he spent a fair bit of time and used a fair bit of force when polishing and drying it which didn't cause it to budge. (And he definitely wasn't being gentle as he broke one of my fuel cap clips from using too much force).

If I wiggle the spoiler or use a bit of force on it, it doesn't budge or feel like it's going to come off. If anything the spoiler itself feels like it would snap since it's just hollow ABS plastic

Sounds like you're good to go. :iono:

We won't be able to tell you the long-term, only time will tell.