Car spoilers are meant to enhance your vehicle’s performance. They were originally used for racing purposes to achieve greater speed without adding much weight to the vehicle. Spoilers work like an airplane’s wings, but positioned upside down, to generate down force. Down force is the amount of force pushing the tyres of the car down against the road surface.
Rear spoilers also improve road grip to prevent slipping at high speed. Without spoilers, the only way to increase grip would be to increase the weight of the car, or to use wheels made of heavier materials. However, adding weight can affect the vehicle’s speed since added force is needed to overcome the corresponding added inertia.
The airflow under a vehicle is disturbed by the various drive train and plumbing components. By installing a front spoiler or air dam under the front bumper, drag on the vehicle is reduced. Drag is the natural reaction of moving matter (air) to resist motion through it (the moving car). While reducing drag, the air dam also reduces the pressure on the parts immediately behind it, helping to cool the radiator.
The rear spoiler is designed to raise the rear stagnation line. In other words, the spoiler increases airflow under the body by ensuring that the flow from the upper surface doesn’t wrap around the rear of the car. This promotes the production of downforce at the rear of the car, providing better stability at high speeds.
All said, spoilers usually remain a decorative item on most cars, because a car has to be going at more than 150km/h to take advantage of the spoiler’s aerodynamic benefits. The top speed allowed on certain Singapore highways is 90km/h and 110km/h on Malaysia’s North South Highway. |
