This Vacuum Mount System Can Attach a Huge Wing to Your Car Without Drilling
Modifying your car has a lot more to do than adding horsepower or altering its suspension. If you want to get the most out of your car’s potential, then addressing its aerodynamics is important too. Many car enthusiasts choose to improve their car’s aerodynamics by installing an aero kit and a large wing for downforce. But what if you want to install a wing without having drill holes in your car’s trunk? In that case, the TrackWing has you covered.
What is a TrackWing?
RELATED: A Car Spoiler Is Not the Same Thing as a Wing
The TrackWing is a vacuum mount system that can attach a wing to your car’s trunk lid without the need to drill any holes. That’s right, the folks at TrackWing took the unsettling part out of installing a large wing on your car. What’s even better is that the wing can be uninstalled in minutes for those times when you don’t want it on there, or if you need to sell the car.
Installing the TrackWing system onto an aftermarket wing can be done in around 30 minutes and installing it on your car only takes a few more. In contrast, you would normally need to measure your car’s trunk lid to get the proper placement of the wing and then drill holes in the trunk in order to secure the wing properly to it.
“You’ll have aero without the regrets”
In order to get a better idea of how the TrackWing system came to be, I recently had a quick chat with the company’s owner, Mitchell Strahan. Strahan got into the car scene at a young age and spent years thinking about how to modify a car’s aerodynamics without any permanent damage.
“Ever since I was a kid, I thought that there has to be a better way. I started with the idea of some type of adhesive. I was thinking long-term but still temporary. I thought about the wall mounting adhesive, but that wasn’t the right direction,” Strahan said. “Then I looked at magnets, but the problem was that they were really heavy and didn’t allow for any flexibility when mounting the wing on the trunk. Also, a magnet won’t work on carbon fiber and aluminum trunks.”
After going through the obligatory trial-and-error process of figuring out what would work, Strahan eventually came across the idea of using vacuum mounts. In fact, these are the same type of vacuum-seal mounts that you might find on a bike rack mount, although, they’re much larger.
According to the TrackWing website, the two large suction cups have over 600 pounds of holding capacity each, so it’s safe to say that the wing isn’t likely to go anywhere once it’s mounted. And the best part is that the wing can be uninstalled with no issues.
“You’ll have aero without the regrets,” Strahan added.
Does the TrackWing system work with any type of wing?
According to Strahan, the TrackWing will work with 99% of the wings on the market. When buyers receive the mounting system, they will get adapters for both the “side mount” and “bottom mount” wings. However, there is one caveat.
“The only constraints are whatever wing you get, you have to make sure that the pedestal spacing fits on the trunk and fits on securely,” Strahan added. “Buyers will need to make sure the suction cups don’t overlap the sides of the trunk.”
Does the elevated height affect the aerodynamic properties of the wing when it’s installed?
When looking at the pictures of the TrackWing system, you might notice that mounting the wing on the suction cups makes it sit higher than it would if it were mounted on the trunk itself. However, Strahan notes that the elevated height could actually be beneficial.
“Usually, the higher (the wing) the better. Lots of wing manufacturers have extended pylons for the additional cost. But our mount will raise it up two inches, so you’re getting cleaner air by using the mounts,” Strahan said.
Did the TrackWing ever fail during testing?
“No, even when we were using some pretty anemic vacuum pads, we didn’t have any failures. We weren’t happy with safety factors, so we went with larger vacuum pads. The system is totally overbuilt,” replied Strahan.
For reference, in order to install the TrackWing system onto a car’s trunk lid, the user needs to attach the suctions cups and then pump them for suction. Once fastened to the car, the TrackWing system is slated to have over six hours-worth of holding time between the time the suction cups need to be re-pumped.
Fortunately, in the case that the system fails, there are two tethers that attach the wing to the inner part of the trunk lid, so you won’t need to worry about the whole assembly flying away.
Are there surfaces that the TrackWing can’t stick to?
Lastly, Strahan mentioned that the TrackWing will be able to stick onto a multitude of trunk surfaces, including carbon fiber, aluminum, and steel. The only factor is space, as the trunk lid needs to have enough room for the suction cups to fit squarely on the trunk.
How much does the TrackWing cost?
TrackWing currently retails for $449 and can be purchased on the company’s website. Although that cost is additional to the price of the wing that you plan to buy for your car, consider the ease of installation and the practicality of being able to uninstall the wing at a moment’s notice without any damage. Now that’s priceless.
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