custom_90lumina Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twenty Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel87 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euro Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Are we talking about ricer wings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 olds vert Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I think this is about shopping cart handles on the back of cars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbex Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Like tail-fins on 50's cars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custom_90lumina Posted November 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 no im talking about those stupid piece of shit ricer fins(spoilers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intern8tion9l Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Like tail-fins on 50's cars? my first thought exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbex Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 This thread= What's the point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runt Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 no im talking about those stupid piece of shit ricer fins(spoilers) Chris. Read > You. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakdown Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraschy Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white4d96 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2k2cse Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado_735 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtuetovice Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel87 Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 /\ That looks so dumb... Doesn't even match the damn car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtuetovice Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 It's even worse because the car already has a small lip spoiler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wohlerdw Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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