Electric spoilers - are they decorative or functional?

[joebongo]

They seem to start moving up at under 40 mph on the audis, pugs and porkers I've seen.

So a genuine question - is it doing anything or is it vacuous bling?

[J4CKO]

Dont care, it appeals to my inner ten year old and they are officially cool.

[billzeebub]

60 on the Corrado and I love it

[Amirhussain]

J4CKO said:

Dont care, it appeals to my inner ten year old and they are officially cool.

favourite one has to be when thy rise out on the Lexus LFA

[kambites]

billzeebub said:

60 on the Corrado and I love it

Mine certainly wasn't 60, unless you mean kph. I think it was about 45.

[juansolo]

joebongo said:

They seem to start moving up at under 40 mph on the audis, pugs and porkers I've seen.

So a genuine question - is it doing anything or is it vacuous bling?

75 on a Porker... Down again at 40 IIRC.

Look at what that little lip did for the TT... They're their to disrupt the flow of air, not create downforce (it would be a wing rather than a spoiler if that were the case). I don't think they'd bother fitting them if they weren't necessary. Why would you, they look st when they're up.

[Chicane-UK]

kambites said:

billzeebub said:

60 on the Corrado and I love it

Mine certainly wasn't 60, unless you mean kph. I think it was about 45.

46MPH up to 1992 / pre-facelift, and 56MPH after then.. I think it varied in other countries too, but that's what we got over here!

This shows the effect of the Corrado spoiler.. not sure what that translates to in the real world. Supposed to help keep the rear planted a bit more under braking, or so I've heard from a few friends..

[kambites]

I tried playing with the spoiler on mine, taking the same corners with it up and down, and I certainly couldn't tell the difference.

[TheDoggingFather]

JAYB your thread is here...

[kambites]

Chicane-UK said:

46MPH up to 1992 / pre-facelift, and 56MPH after then.. I think it varied in other countries too, but that's what we got over here!

That'd explain it.

[406highlander]

joebongo said:

They seem to start moving up at under 40 mph on the audis, pugs and porkers I've seen.

So a genuine question - is it doing anything or is it vacuous bling?

They are functional.





They tell the police that you're doing 40 in a 30 zone - that way they don't need to spend money equipping panda cars with speed guns...

[Searider]

Chicane-UK said:

46MPH up to 1992 / pre-facelift, and 56MPH after then.. I think it varied in other countries too, but that's what we got over here!

This shows the effect of the Corrado spoiler.. not sure what that translates to in the real world. Supposed to help keep the rear planted a bit more under braking, or so I've heard from a few friends..

I seem to remember from my Corrado owning days that the spoiler reduced rear end lift. Didn't create downforce - but reduced the lift created by the body shape.

[Lordglenmorangie]

Cars on Viagra

[moreflaps]

joebongo said:

They seem to start moving up at under 40 mph on the audis, pugs and porkers I've seen.

So a genuine question - is it doing anything or is it vacuous bling?

Similar to the way my dog puts up his tail when happy... Quite vacuous really but other dogs see it...

Cheers

[ModernAndy]

The TT mk2 had an electric spoiler to conserve the design of the car but increase stability at speed. The mk1 fell foul of instability at top speed (with fatal results) and Audi had to augment the design on both new and already built cars which some might say had a negative impact on its looks. The electric spoiler on the mk2 was therefore Audi's attempt at stopping the same thing happening again (apparently).

[colinc01]

On the SLS the spoiler goes up at 75 and down at 50. This actually reduces your visibility somewhat but then again there is not really a need for a rear mirror in an SLS lol.

[yorkshireegg]

Chicane-UK said:

46MPH up to 1992 / pre-facelift, and 56MPH after then.. I think it varied in other countries too, but that's what we got over here!

This shows the effect of the Corrado spoiler.. not sure what that translates to in the real world. Supposed to help keep the rear planted a bit more under braking, or so I've heard from a few friends..

A still image doesn't show much. Without the spoiler, the separation point can become unstable, causing the issues mentioned with the TT et al. A spoiler provides a definite edge for separation to occur, helping high speed stability. Some spoilers can also help with lift as well but it's mainly a stability / drag issue.

[bennyboysvuk]

And rewind to 2010 to see the topic discussed then.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

For my money, Kambites nails it in the third post.

[Monty Python]

To my mind if you're getting any sort of aerodynamic problem at 60mph then the car is badly designed.

[yorkshireegg]

Monty Python said:

To my mind if you're getting any sort of aerodynamic problem at 60mph then the car is badly designed.

Unfortunately, aesthetics is much higher on the list of priorities when designing most cars. Aero engineers make changes but the designers often resist the changes because they 'spoil the lines.'

It's why my old aerodynamics lecturer became a lecturer, he got fed up with it.