In the course of our research on the subject of finding the differences between a wing and a spoiler, it became very clear, very quickly why people use these terms interchangeably. A very generous definition of either component would include the idea that both are used to control or disrupt airflow.
However, the stark truth is that the distinctions between a wing and a spoiler are important. The reason that wings are used on professional race cars and other high-performance vehicles is that they need the additional downforce. A rear wing will essentially catch the air coming off of the car and redirect it up so that the back of the car is pushed down. This is especially useful in a race where a driver will want to go as fast as possible around a turn.
A spoiler, however, breaks up the air and deflects it outward to another part of the car. This is what will eliminate any drag the wind would cause. Another less important function is to provide an aesthetically pleasing look to the car. Technically, a spoiler works best when you drive the car on a highway or freeway at higher speeds.
However, they can be useful in a few other ways. Because a spoiler reduces drag and prevents lift on the rear of the car, fuel economy will get a small boost. Improperly installed spoilers may have the opposite effect and could decrease your fuel efficiency.
It can also improve the handling and control of your vehicle. By redirecting airflow away from the rear of the car and into a different area, the car will be a tad bit easier to control, making turns and curves slightly simpler to do. Spoiler or not, every single car under the sun experiences this. Because of the way the air pushes the car down, there are very specific things you can do to disrupt, or, "spoil" the airflow around the car. One of which is a spoiler.
A spoiler is a flat flap designed to decrease drag so your car will travel faster without having to really add anymore throttle. As such, it makes your car more fuel-efficient. The natural order is for air to engulf your car as it's going forward.
A spoiler redirects air that hits it, that is to say a spoiler says "don't come here" to the air and so it goes elsewhere, therefore less air is pushing the car down, and thereby more speed is obtained. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a wing, which increases drag. It's a flap that is more vertical, and therefore captures air to keep the car grounded.
You see these a lot on F1 cars, because at mph in a car that weighs just over 1, pounds you need drag, and a wing will make sure the car doesn't flip over. A wing and a spoiler differ in design. A spoiler will have flat flaps, where a wing will have flaps that are slanted. F1 cars use something called DRS, which stands for "drag reduction system". The driver presses a button, and the wing on the back changes from vertical to horizontal, going from a wing to a spoiler , because if he wants the car to turn well at higher speeds he wants more drag, but when he wants to pass someone on the straightaway he wants less drag.
And now you know why that is, because of the nature of a spoiler and wing's shape. While this is an essential thing to have on a race car, for a car that goes no higher than mph and takes minutes to reach that, the car just isn't fast enough to utilize the wing. But who in their right mind would want more drag on an already slow car anyway?
We know the downside of having a wing on a street car, but what's the downside of the spoiler?
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