What does a spoiler do on a car?

Riley Migl: I think it just looks cool

Toya Braskett: Cars have spoilers to increase their grip on the road. Normally the weight of a car is the only thing that forces the tires down onto the pavement. Without spoilers, the only way to increase the grip would be to increase the weight, or to change the compound the tire was made out of. The only problem with increasing the weight is that it doesn't help in turns, where you really want to grip. All that extra weight has inertia, which you have to overcome to turn, so increasing the weight doesn't help at all. The way the spoiler works is like an airplane wing, but upside down. The spoiler actually generates what's called 'down force' on the body of the car. The advantages of this can be seen very readily. Instead of having a heavy car, which is slow, or having a very light car, which can slide away easily, you now have a car that sticks better the faster it goes. Sounds perfect, right? There is one catch. Every time ! a wing generates lift (or a spoiler generates down force) it also generates drag. Drag is the natural reaction of the fluid (air) to resist motion through it (the car). Drag is bad, because it slows down the car. So, more down force is good... but too much down force = too much drag, which is bad. Very very high performance sports cars, like Le Mans or F1, have a ratio called the 'lift/drag' ratio. The car designers try and maximize this so that the car has just enough force to get around the corners, but not so much that they are too slow. Indy cars, and ones that are designed like that can have down force on the order of 3G's, at 200mph. That means they could hang completely upside down on the track, and as long as they kept going fast enough, they would still stick to the road. ...Show more

Douglass Sarley: On a street car,absolutely nothing except looks. For a race car it pushes the rear down for better traction. A front spoiler like on a formula car does the same! for the front. It also reduces the amount or air going under ! the car that would interfere with performance.

Dawn Saha: Most of the spoilers on cars today are for looks and don't do much of anything else. The spoilers on actual race cars create a downward force to give the tires better traction.

Cody Shimko: yes it is more aero dynamic. but people put them on their cars because they think it looks cool but it looks really retarded.

Davina Shindler: Spoils the looks, mostly...

Cristopher Gavalis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Superbird Now that's a spoiler..... Read the text....... I guess that's about all I can say about spoilers... Nascar uses them with a bit less " noise ".........Show more

Joie Kemmis: It is for a better traction at the back side and areodynamics also.......

Gregg Hagge: Race Car Spoiler

Agustina Stimmel: Well you see unless the spoiler was made specifically by the people who designed and built the damn car with the purpose of improving the character of the car ! then it will most likely only.. um...well...damage or diminish it. Also known as...well.. you know?.

Avis Brantner: the main purpose is stability so it wont fly... basicall its pushing it downwards so it wont fly

Inge Mclaurine: What Is A Car Spoiler

Norris Rosener: on a real race car not a regular car on the street, the spoiler on the car gives it more down force thus giving hte car more traction. but on the streets those cars have real spoilers but they serve no purpose but for looks because they dont go fast enough to utilize the downforce pressure.

Rheba Cockman: Ok, spoilers are usually just for looks if you see it on the street. No it doesnt make the car lighter... Its actually like an upside down plane wing, and adds DOWN force so you get more traction. It doesnt really do anything for aerodynamics, thats what a body kit is for. Oh yeah and it only works at a high speed anyway because if your driving slow there isnt much wind force.And they! look B.A....Show more

Filiberto Ranalli: It reduces drag so the ! car burns less fuel. Two sports cars identical make and model on the same road a mile apart both going 55 mph only one has a spoiler and the other has had the spoiler removed. The one without the spoiler will be hitting the gas peddle a heck of a lot more as there is greater resistance from the air causing the car to use more power to get through it.

Benita Nancy: i think it is there just to make the car look cool,and maybe to make it go faster.

Alma Twomey: spoiler is used to pushed the rear tire of your car to the ground so you will have more grip, faster you go, more powerful the aerodynamic, that's why you can see most of the Drift car didn't used spoiler, because that kind of race doesn't need so much grip, but you can see racing car or drag car will used it, and you can see there used it even bigger, and lastly spoiler will make your car look more sporty, and fast

Melvina Bieri: nothing under 130 miles per Hourwhen rear spoilers first started to appe! ar on car designed for younger drivers Rolles Royce tested spoilers and found that on the average car did nothing until about 130 mph where in most of Europe America can anyone drive at that speed today it works on Racing cars because they have a different design and can go faster I was looking to Buy a Jag and it had a spoiler on it non standard he lost the sale Just another piece of unnecessary rubbish to sell cars to younger drivers ...Show more

Willetta Munhall: I think that people just put them on their cars because it looks cool, even if they don't know what it's for. I think they look ugly

Ollie Desalvo: it's supposed to push the car down onto the ground by aerodynamics, it does this because if your turning the corner the car won't fly off onto two wheelsbut for normal cars the spoiler is just there to make it look better and give more of a sporty look

Betsey Muehlbach: Makes it look cool. By fact makes it look like a mod car (a car which value is! lowered by its mods).

Sheldon Lally: nothing it just makes the c! ar look better

Nicolasa Henke: This Site Might Help You.RE:What does a spoiler do on a car?What is the deal with spoiler wings on the back of cars? Does it lift the car, making it lighter and thus faster, does it press the car downward, improving traction, does it simply improve aerodynamics making the car a little sleeker, or is it just there to look cool?...Show more