All you need to know about wings and spoilers

The proper shape of a car is one of the most important tasks of car producers. The cabin area works like an airplane wing and forces the air to travel over it at great speed creating lift. The lift is the least desirable thing during the driving at high speed. The more securely planted on the ground the wheels are the better the handling and traction are.

What are wings and spoilers? How do they work?

Firstly, it is necessary to explain the difference between a spoiler and a wing. Spoilers are generally closer to the body of the car and help to diffuse the air. Wings are mounted much higher up and are used to create the downforce.

A spoiler is an aerodynamic device designed to improve the airflow over a vehicle for better traction and faster speed. A car spoiler is affixed to the trunk’s rear edge and resembles a wedge with a slightly lifted lip. The ‘wing’ is a similar to a spoiler device but it is raised on a pedestal that is why it stands higher off the trunk. There exist wings of different shapes and are often metallic or black, while the car spoilers are painted in the color of the car body.

A good spoiler or wing with a well-adjusted deck can be crucial in losing a race or winning it.

Even the cosmetic spoilers found on commercial cars modify the airflow and can potentially affect the traction. However, the experts point out that the drivers obeying traffic laws won’t be going fast enough to notice a difference. Factory car spoilers still have great appeal because they make any car look like a high-performance car, no matter what’s under the hood.

Many sport cars are produced with spoilers already installed. Some sport utility vehicles (SUVs) also have them. They are attached above the rear window at the top of the rear door. Aftermarket car spoilers are also available for trucks – they are attached to the back of the cabin.

The construction of spoilers and wings

Spoilers are usually made of molded ABS plastic, molded fiberglass or resins. Some wings are made of aluminum. Aftermarket car spoilers can be purchased for a particular make and model. Then they are painted in the color of the car. Some others come already pre-painted to match the factory colors.

There are different styles of car spoilers to choose from. If a car owner swaps out a factory spoiler for a custom one, the original screw holes will probably have to be patched, as the spoilers will likely have different pedestal footprints. Universal spoilers and wings are designed to fit a variety of models but they will need to be painted. Most spoilers and wings are easy to install using the instructions, but an owner should hold the spoiler in place to make sure before installing it that it fits the body properly and looks good.

Any car owner can purchase the car spoilers wherever custom auto accessories are sold. Some online dealers also feature pictures of available spoilers which can be mounted on various cars.

So to summarize, the wings can start to provide measurable down force at speeds of about 50mph but this becomes significant and offers a benefit to the car handling only at speed about 70mph. Spoilers can help to reduce drag on a car but are little more than cosmetic additions.

As the name suggests, a spoiler is designed to spoil the air flow. A car, due to its wing-like shape tends to create lift at the rear end so a spoiler is employed to break or 'spoil' the flow, thereby reducing the lift. A spoiler produces no downforce it just reduces the lift. A wing however, is mounted quite high and produces downforce and helps increase a cars grip and handling at speed.