Boot spoilers...?

[spoodler]

Okay, I know I'm an old fart and I don't understand modern trends but... recently I've seen a few "Max power" type motors with bloody great boot spoilers that are fitted backwards! Why? Is this a new trend? Are they supposed to fly? Are they fantastically quick in reverse? Are my drag racing mates doing it wrong? Or do these guys need their tools taking away?
I know some of my vehicles defeat logic but... oh well, each to their own I suppose.

[kambites]

I think you probably mean wings not spoilers. I can't quite imagine what a spoiler fitted backwards would look like.

I've never seen a wing fitted backwards either, but it will probably do no more or less than a wing fitted forwards on a road car.

[Codswallop]

kambites said:

I think you probably mean wings not spoilers. I can't quite imagine what a spoiler fitted backwards would look like.

I've never seen a wing fitted backwards either, but it will probably do no more or less than a wing fitted forwards on a road car.

From the PH badly modifed thread;



Never seen a car with a backwards spoiler before, but am certainly hoping it's not the start of a new trend. Maybe it's there to help lighten the rear and get a high speed drift going

[billzeebub]

the only way to ''sport a spoiler' is with subtlety (unless your car is an F1machine). A spoiler/ rear wing should enhance the natural lines of the car and look part of the car. It should raise up automatically at, say, 58mph, and lower itself at around 5 mph..I love my spoiler, it always makes me grin!..

Edited by billzeebub on Friday 14th September 15:12

[kambites]

Ah yes, that'll be a wing then.

Does look particularly bloody stupid.

[TheTurbonator]

Codswallop said:

kambites said:

I think you probably mean wings not spoilers. I can't quite imagine what a spoiler fitted backwards would look like.

I've never seen a wing fitted backwards either, but it will probably do no more or less than a wing fitted forwards on a road car.

From the PH badly modifed thread;

[spoodler]

Yep, F1 type wings (used to be spoilers back when I first got into modding cars way back when, mind you it didn't used to be called "F1" then either).
Agreed that they can't do a lot at normal road speeds, especially on moderns that have had a fortune spent on research and development anyway, but was intrigued to have seen several recently that were fitted backwards. Maybe it's a provincial thing, our nearest town is Calne...

[spoodler]

That is exactly the sort of thing.

[kambites]

spoodler said:

Yep, F1 type wings (used to be spoilers back when I first got into modding cars way back when, mind you it didn't used to be called "F1" then either).
Agreed that they can't do a lot at normal road speeds, especially on moderns that have had a fortune spent on research and development anyway, but was intrigued to have seen several recently that were fitted backwards. Maybe it's a provincial thing, our nearest town is Calne...

They've never been correctly called "spoilers" - they do a completely different job. Spoilers are simply there to break (spoil) the laminar air-flow over the smooth surface of the rear of the car to avoid the air "sticking"" to the back of the car generating a low pressure zone over and behind the boot, producing lift and drag; wings are an aerofoil section designed to actually push the car downwards.

[billzeebub]

Codswallop said:

kambites said:

I think you probably mean wings not spoilers. I can't quite imagine what a spoiler fitted backwards would look like.

I've never seen a wing fitted backwards either, but it will probably do no more or less than a wing fitted forwards on a road car.

From the PH badly modifed thread;



Never seen a car with a backwards spoiler before, but am certainly hoping it's not the start of a new trend. Maybe it's there to help lighten the rear and get a high speed drift going

..that supermarket looks very much like it could be Asda!.. Unsurprising then that there is a badly modified car in the carpark..the only surprising thing is there are not more dogturds on wheels in the photo!?...we all probably paid for that spoiler anyway!..

[lazyitus]

That's either one of the biggest fails I've ever seen or the driver knows something that nobody in F1 does.

[Codswallop]

kambites said:

They've never been correctly called "spoilers" - they do a completely different job. Spoilers are simply there to break (spoil) the laminar air-flow over the smooth surface of the rear of the car to avoid the air "sticking"" to the back of the car generating a low pressure zone over and behind the boot, producing lift and drag; wings are an aerofoil section designed to actually push the car downwards.

Is it possible to identify whether a car is fitted with a wing or spoiler by just looking at the vehicle? I checked wikipedia after you mentioned that there was a difference, but the examples of spoiler and wings they provided looked visually similar to me...

Interesting thing to know in any case

[spoodler]

Kambites - I don't know how old you are but to the folk I know who grew up modifying cars back in the seventies there are front and rear spoilers. Magazines of the day called them that and every "yoof on the street" knew that for a Capri to have any cred' it had to have "spoilers front and back, Wolfies, a jacked rear, and a sidepipe"! It's much like the misconception of a "blower" that generally sucks, or the argument between Morris Minor and Morgan owners over what constitutes a "Moggy"...
Sides of that tho' I agree, you are in fact perfectly correct.

[Mastodon2]

I remember a thread here with a VX220 with a wing fitted backwards, perfect for generating lift when what you really want us downforce!

[kambites]

Mastodon2 said:

I remember a thread here with a VX220 with a wing fitted backwards, perfect for generating lift when what you really want us downforce!

There's no reason that a wing fitted backwards should generate lift. It would be quite possible to design a front-to-back symetrical wing that would generate downforce in either direction.

What the one pictures above will mostly generate, is drag.

[kambites]

Codswallop said:

Is it possible to identify whether a car is fitted with a wing or spoiler by just looking at the vehicle? I checked wikipedia after you mentioned that there was a difference, but the examples of spoiler and wings they provided looked visually similar to me...

Interesting thing to know in any case

The answer is probably "yes" but I don't know that I could do it in all situations. Just to confuse things further, many aerodynamic appendidges actually perform both roles.

Something designed to be solely be a spoiler, usually wont have much of a gap between it and the bodywork of the car. Something designed to be solely a wing needs to have a significant gap between it and the car.

[LotusOmega375D]

Codswallop said:

Don't mess with it in a reverse gear race though!

[lazyitus]

LotusOmega375D said:

Codswallop said:

Don't mess with it in a reverse gear race though!

Weird thought though - if this did create a slight uplift, could that be useful for drifting?

[kambites]

LotusOmega375D said:

Don't mess with it in a reverse gear race though!

Well the fact that he wouldn't be able to see where he's going would give you something of an advantage.

[LotusOmega375D]

lazyitus said:

Weird thought though - if this did create a slight uplift, could that be useful for drifting?

Drifters don't really go that quick for it to have any effect do they?