I understand the aerodynamic principles that make spoilers important for performance cars (at least in broad strokes), but I have always wondered if they actually make a big difference in cars that are not so performance oriented, especially fwd commuter cars. I know that aero is less effective at slow speeds, so I would also like to know at what speeds spoilers really give an advantage?
Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!
In: Engineering
There seems to be some confusion in the responses between a wing and a spoiler. A wing, like F1 cars have, is basically an upside down airplane wing, that pushes the car into the ground. At legal highway speeds, a wing has little to no effect.
A spoiler is different however. It is used to break up airflow. They are very useful for reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency. Many cars will have a front spoiler to reduce the amount of air going under the car. Rear spoilers can reduce the low pressure behind the car. You will often see cars with rather flat rears have spoilers to make the rear of the car appear more sloped to the air.
Famously, the Audi TT was released without a spoiler. After a number of accidents, it was recalled and a spoiler was added: https://drivetribe.com/p/remember-that-time-audi-recalled-Ox5qolemROy6BeZrfPa1xw?iid=P20PDsviSJCiWNryxJTFAw
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