Spoilers?

[ExigeEvan]

What spoilers are good? and what spoilers belong on scrap heaps?

Fibre glass , carbon , aluminium , wood ( ) , plastic

 

[ShobThaBob]

What spoilers are good? The kind that stabilize the car at high speeds, and provide sufficient downforce. What spoilers are bad? The ones used only for looks.

EDIT - Now that I think about it, most cars these days that have spoilers on them will never be travelling at speeds where the spoiler is actually useful...so it depends on what you want.

 

[audiracing]

As shobthabob said just in different words any spoilers are good jsut as long as they're not rice.

 

[OoNismoO]

well if you drive on the highway, thats enough speed for the spoiler to work effectively, it provides good stability. if you have a bigger wing in the back with more downforce, then you want to balance it out with some type of front spoiler.

 

[Ev0]

Those POS spoilers you see on stock accords, stock neons, etc do nothing for performance and create little to no downforce at highway speeds, let alone at high speeds.

Spoilers that come with high performance cars (ex Porsches, Evos, etc) will create downforce at high speeds, but are next to useless for highway driving, since the speeds are still relatively low. You'd notice a large difference in handling at around 100mph just as a quick estimate.

Lots of aftermarket spoilers on ricers redefine useless, since a rear spoiler on a front wheel drive car just increases friction on non drive wheels. And most of them are just flat pieces of plastic that just look nice and give no downforce. But some aftermarket spoilers will increase downforce, just look at the shape of the spoiler.

 

[OoNismoO]

yea i know there are spoilers that dont work very well, but the ones are from the factory or the ones that are designed to work, should be effective at highway speeds. you ll notice a difference from having a good spoiler providing actual downforce, to not having anything at all. chevy did a test in the 60s on the camaro, to see how spoilers effected the cars handlig on the highway, they were having problems with the balance of down force from front to rear, but after they got that down, there were some noticeable difference. also keep in mind that some spoilers are designed to create more down force at lower speeds then others.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Rear spoilers on FF cars are, I would say, pretty bad. Moving the centre of aero pressure away from the wheels that brake, steer and pull is a lesson in stupidity.

 

[Ev0]

Originally posted by OoNismoO
yea i know there are spoilers that dont work very well, but the ones are from the factory or the ones that are designed to work, should be effective at highway speeds. you ll notice a difference from having a good spoiler providing actual downforce, to not having anything at all. chevy did a test in the 60s on the camaro, to see how spoilers effected the cars handlig on the highway, they were having problems with the balance of down force from front to rear, but after they got that down, there were some noticeable difference. also keep in mind that some spoilers are designed to create more down force at lower speeds then others.

Ah I see now, road car spoilers are probably set at a higher angle than racing spoilers so they can create downforce at lower speeds since they don't reach speeds above 70mph normally.

 

[retsmah]

Originally posted by ShobThaBob
What spoilers are bad? The ones used only for looks.

I think the spoiler on my Civic looked pretty good, even if it didn't provide any downforce... I don't see how it's bad to have a spoiler on the car even if it is just for looks.

 

[Joey D]

Some cars that just have the little plastic or fiberglass spolier don't look to bad. I think a Grand Am looks funny with out one, there are other cars to. They just add some to the overall look.

The big carbon fiber or aluminium ones just look funny and I see no point in them but if they want to waste 300 bucks on them go for it.