A spoiler disrupts airflow that passes over and around a moving car. Spoilers are automobile aerodynamic devices that are designed to ‘spoil’ unwanted air movement across the body of a moving vehicle. The unfavorable air movement is also called turbulence or air drag. Spoilers are present on the front of some cars, and they are called air dams.
Spoilers are commonly attached to racing cars; however, they are becoming common on passenger vehicles as well. Not all spoilers are fitted to reduce air drag. Spoilers are added to some vehicles primarily for styling intention. In such a case, the spoiler adds little aerodynamic benefit to the car or somewhat worsens the aerodynamics.
You shouldn’t confuse the “spoilers” with the “wings.” A wing doesn’t only disrupt airflow but also generates a downforce as air passes around it.
Mode of Operation
What determines the mode of operation of the spoiler is the effect it is to spoil. The common spoiler operations include disruption of air passing around and over a moving vehicle. Some spoilers diffuse air as they increase the turbulence amounts that flow over the shape, thereby ‘spoiling’ the laminar flow.
Types of Spoiler on a Car
Spoilers are classified into two types which are the front and rear spoilers.
-
Front Spoilers
Front spoilers aid aerodynamics by pushing away airflow to the chassis underside, where the coefficient of drag is quite low. Chinspoiler and air dam are different terms used for the front spoilers. When front spoilers are attached to the sides, they are called skirts.
-
Rear Spoilers
Rear spoilers reduce drag for fuel economy.
Materials for Spoilers on a Car
Spoiler materials are selective, and they include carbon fiber, tough, rigid plastic, silicon, and Fiberglass. The only con of the tough, rigid plastic (ABS Plastic) is the lack of fragility. The lack of fragility of ABS plastic makes the plastic deteriorate with time as it is being used.
Fiberglass spoilers are more efficient than ABS Plastic but also expensive because of the production labor cost. Silicon spoilers got to the market recently and are made of silicon-organic polymers.
Silicon spoilers are good because they are more durable with high product life than ABD plastic and fiberglass spoilers. The most efficient of the four spoilers are carbon fibers. Carbon fibers are very expensive because their production requires high-cost manual labor.
What to Consider before Buying a Spoiler
Rear spoilers remain the best choice if you are planning to upgrade your car. However, that is not all about it. You should consider the following factors:
-
Warranty
You should check your car’s warranty before you get a spoiler on it. Some warranties limit the type of customization you can do on your car, including installing a spoiler.
It is thus important for you to consult your car dealer first or simply check through your warranty papers. The reason for that is for you to confirm whether the rear spoilers customization is allowed on your car.
-
Car Age
Your car age is also an important factor to consider because much damage will be done to your car if the car is too old for a spoiler installation.
-
Budget
You should consider your pulse before embarking on your car customization. Do you have enough money to pay for the spoiler as well as maintain it? If you consider your purse and still want to buy it, then go ahead and pay for it.
Pros of a Spoiler on a Car
-
Reducing Lift
The spoilers on cars reduce lift yet not adding extra weight to the car. The importance of reducing the car’s list is to keep the car stable when at a higher speed to prevent you from losing control while driving.
-
Weight Reduction
Spoilers do not reduce the weight directly. The rear spoiler enhances the downforce to such an extent that it reduces the weight. This must happen simultaneously with the front spoiler.
-
Spoilers Improve Car Visibility
Your car will become more visible and noticeable if you attach a rear spoiler to it. This helps a great deal when you are driving a smaller car. Recent spoilers have brake lights attached to them which adds extra safety function to the car.
-
Engine Power and Fuel Consumption
At a certain speed, your vehicle engine will start battling to overcome wind resistance. About 80% of the power consumed by your car engine at high speed is used to prevent air resistance from stopping the car.
80% of the power expelled to overcome wind resistance is quite much. Spoilers reduce a car’s fuel consumption by lowering the power the engine consumes to overcome air resistance so as to keep the car moving.
Spoilers perform the fuel economy by disrupting airflow that passes over and around the moving car.
It is correct to say that spoilers increase the efficiency of car engines.
Cons of Adding Spoiler on a Car
Car customization. All car customizations come with benefits and disadvantages. As good as spoilers are, they also have some disadvantages you must be aware of before installing one on your car.
-
Color Riot
If your car is old, you might not find a spoiler with a color that matches your car exactly. If you do not mind the color variation and conflicts between your car and the spoiler, the color riot will not be a limiting factor.
-
Unattractive Look
Some spoilers make some cars look. Spoilers can undoubtedly improve the look of your car. However, if your car was not designed with the spoilers in mind, installing a spoiler might not be a wise choice. You should know that installing a spoiler to a car that was produced without the spoilers in mind might make the car look ugly unnecessarily. You should also bear in mind that the bigger the spoiler gets on your car, the more it is likely to look ugly and ridiculous.
-
Spoiler on a Car can Easily Get Damaged
The materials from which spoilers are made are not rugged. They might look fancy on the car but are not very durable and. These materials also cannot withstand much beating. Lip spoilers, for example, easily get cracked and scratched.
If your new spoiler gets hit by a rock accidentally, you should then be ready for a replacement.
-
Installation Issues
If your car is old and not manufactured with the spoiler in mind, installing a spoiler can be a difficult process. Since most cars are now manufactured with many factors in mind, including the spoilers, installing a spoiler for your car might not be a problem.
Note that should anything go wrong as you install your spoilers, you should be ready to drive your call with holes in the track.
More on automob.com: All you want to know about car wax in 2021, read here.
