Spoilers whats the point

[custom_90lumina]

Ok here is my problem why do people add spoilers to a front wheel drive vehicle when a spoiler adds weight and down force on the rear of the car. So on a rear wheel drive vehicle it helps by adding traction to the rear wheels but for a fwd car it is just adding drag and lifting the front end up causing a loss in traction. So why add one besides looks?

Edited November 13, 2011 by custom_90lumina

[AL]

Its all looks... and these cars are not going to make it to speeds fast enough that down force would even be an issue... and they are lightweight spoilers and you wont ever notice a performance difference with or without it

[Twenty]

Do you mean a spoiler?

 

It's still there for downforce, just not for drive wheels. For downforce and traction up front, FWD cars need splitters and/or canards, but a rear-mounted wing can help balance the car and keep the back planted.

[Mel87]

The lower the car gets to they ground, the less resistance, the faster you go. That is talking in fractions of miles per hour and drag. But most the time it is for the looks.

[Euro]

Are we talking about ricer wings?

[94 olds vert]

I think this is about shopping cart handles on the back of cars?

[urbex]

Like tail-fins on 50's cars?

[custom_90lumina]

no im talking about those stupid piece of shit ricer fins(spoilers)

[intern8tion9l]

Like tail-fins on 50's cars?

 

my first thought exactly

[mra32]

Twenty hinted at one reason they could be a valid application. A properly designed aero package, even if it only consists of a wing on a FWD car can help. The whole 90 mph argument isnt always true either, you just have to play around with some things when you are going to be using the car at lower speeds. Anyway, if the wing weighs 4 lbs and provides 50 lbs of downforce at your target speed, thats a pretty good win.

 

Also, I'd be quite surprised if OEM's dont do analysis of the wings they put on their cars when they leave the factory and make sure they dont have a highly net negative impact on the car. In some cases, wings are probably tuned to increase fuel economy (prius has a little lip on the back) or high speed performance (veyron, carrera).

 

Now if we are talking about other wings that are more or less stick on, yes its been said before, looks, mainly. What looks good to you may not look good to others and vice versa. Thats all i got to say about that.

[urbex]

This thread= What's the point?

[White93z34]

Are you talking the stupid flat pieces of ABS plastic people bolt to their front bumpers these days? Dono what the point is aside of looking dumb. Friend of mine put one ( a "splitter") on the front of his GTO and all it did was make his front bumper look like it wanted to rip itself off the car at highway speed.

[runt]

no im talking about those stupid piece of shit ricer fins(spoilers)

 

Chris. Read > You.

[White93z34]

in that case... aesthetics for for better or for worse. Long and short a spoiler of any type really has no place on any FWD car and on very few RWD cars. and even then are generally useful for track use of high speeds which 99.8% of cars equipped with will never see. So for show is about the only reason.

Edited November 14, 2011 by White93z34

[Breakdown]

Ok here is my problem why do people add spoilers to a front wheel drive vehicle when a spoiler adds weight and down force on the rear of the car. So on a rear wheel drive vehicle it helps by adding traction to the rear wheels but for a fwd car it is just adding drag and lifting the front end up causing a loss in traction. So why add one besides looks?

 

To be 100% honest, those ricer wings that are huge look retarded, but they probably have more functionality, or potential for minimum functionality than 99% of OEM spoilers do.

 

The "spoilers" with the most functionality in my opinion on production cars are on Dodge Caravans and the like. They force wind down the rear window and that prevents or lessens the amount of crap (slush, mud) that ends up on the rear hatch window.

[CSI_MuNkY]

The "spoilers" with the most functionality in my opinion on production cars are on Dodge Caravans and the like. They force wind down the rear window and that prevents or lessens the amount of crap (slush, mud) that ends up on the rear hatch window.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing. A couple guys on the blazer forum have them and love them for that purpose and that purpose only... if they weren't so damned ugly I would get one myself.... I'll just get the rear window wiper working instead

[Fraschy]

You mean WINGS, not fins lol. Fins on early cars are beautiful. Wings on ricers are an eye sore. The ricer from the movie Cars always makes me laugh..hilarious how they totally make fun of them.

[white4d96]

Are you talking the stupid flat pieces of ABS plastic people bolt to their front bumpers these days? Dono what the point is aside of looking dumb. Friend of mine put one ( a "splitter") on the front of his GTO and all it did was make his front bumper look like it wanted to rip itself off the car at highway speed.

 

Sounds like he mounted it to the bumper. If you do a splitter you're supposed to mount it to something solid, like your subframe and/or core support.

[2k2cse]

In some cases, wings are probably tuned to increase fuel economy (prius has a little lip on the back)

 

This reminds me of a video I saw on youtube about the new Imprezza wagon. They were talking to one of the designers of the car, and they said that they added a little lip to the back of the luggage rails. Apparently that little piece of plastic increased the fuel economy 1MPG. Is that really gonna make a difference in real world driving? No. But its interesting how such a small modification can affect fuel economy.

 

Unless you're racing cars, wings are 99% just for looks. The other 1% might actually have a positive effect, like I just mentioned. Even though that could be negligible.

[tornado_735]

in that case... aesthetics for for better or for worse. Long and short a spoiler of any type really has no place on any FWD car and on very few RWD cars. and even then are generally useful for track use of high speeds which 99.8% of cars equipped with will never see. So for show is about the only reason.

 

I think they belong on some street cars, and I'll explain why.

 

I vaguely remember reading or hearing about how lots of people were being killed in early Audi TTs because they were spinning them out and packing them backwards into the ditch, etc. Audi then added the small wing to the back, and crashes dropped.

 

I think Jeremy Clarkson referred to the TT as the "Widow Maker"

[virtuetovice]

There is but one simple reason people aimlessly screw, weld, tape, glue, paper mache etc. big chunks of aluminum to the back of their SBX's...

 

[Mel87]

/\ That looks so dumb... Doesn't even match the damn car...

[virtuetovice]

It's even worse because the car already has a small lip spoiler.

[wohlerdw]

the car would have to travel at 130mph plus for any spoiler to begin to have any effect. lowering the car or a belly pan would have much more desired effect