wings on Hondas, etc

[cantdrv55]

I've wanted to ask this question for a long time but was afraid you guys would jump down my throat for being ignorant but I can't stand it anymore so here goes. Why are there so many Hondas, Toyotas, Chrysler products, Mustangs, etc with rear spoilers? I thought wings only help out rear wheel drive cars at speed? Does it benefit front drives also or are they just for show? I've even seen some that were way off the trunk and taller than the roofline! Am I missing the point?

[Jgordon]

Yeah, you missed the point by a long shot as soon as you started thinking about it. You're right on all counts. The wings are for looks. Except in some curcumstances (I believe the original supra wing may have provided downforce, etc.)

[vash]

we have been doing it for years. remember the fins on caddy's? all for looks.

[cantdrv55]

Yeah but the fins on caddies were vertical, you knew they were for looks. But I'm talking about big a$$ aftermarket stuff. You know, the ones that are on the cars with large exhaust pipes that sound like lawnmowers. The pipes boost hp, I think, but do the wings help with downforce? Do front wheel drive cars want rear downforce?

[JP911]

Actually, rear-end lift is a problem no matter which wheels are driving the car. If you're doing 100+ miles per hour and the rear end gets light, it can come around regardless of which wheels are providing power. That said, most of the Hondas, Toyotas, etc. have these huge and ridiculous spoilers for looks. One application where it is actually functional (on a front drive or quattro) is the Audi TT. That car was originally designed without the spoiler and there were some very serious accidents on the Autobahn when the rear end came around at high speed. The solution was revised suspension, but also the small rear wing to improve the stability of the car at high speed.

[MichiganMat]

Evo and STI anyone? Not sure about the aftermarket though, they look like nice products, but they lose their appeal when you see them on one too many old Corrola's or Accord's. I can't tell anymore if people are using them because they think they will get performance, or because they are making fun of those that do.

[vash]

ya, i know. hondas with the loud canisters, and external booming stereos. makes me laugh. especially in our part of the world....

strangley enough i read an article where they cut the fins off a caddy, and put the thing in a wind tunnel. it was way more efficient without the fins.

[cegerer]

did somebody say 'wings on Hondas'?

[HarryD]

How can you possibly think they are there for show?

[vash]

u gota be kidding!

[Glasgow 911SC]

I guess you got to remember a lot of these hondas etc have more Hp than our old cars do. A wing helps whether its rear drive or not. kindof like us not having a lip spoiler cos we're rear wheelers.

[HarryD]

Heres the whole scoop on this car:

http://www.ricecar.com/index.asp

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have a funny feeling most of the wings on rice burners have little to no effect on the actual aerodynamics of the car, at least not a positive one. I remember an article in a car magazine a few years ago, where they evaluated the effect of the spoilers on multiple production cars of the time. It seems like a Porsche was one of them, and it was one of the few that actually had a useful spoiler. Some of the cars were actually hurt by theirs in high speed stability or handling. It'd be fun to find that with the current trends, I think they tested everything with a wind tunnel. I do know that the Evo and STi are both supposed to be useful, seems like one of them is carbon fiber and adjustable, but still tacky. I've always wanted to ask one of those guys with the broke ass '89 Civic, painted with a spray can and plastered with race stickers, big ass spoiler and coffee can exhaust, "how many HP do the stickers and wing ad?" A lot of them, at least those without a turbo, are actually hurt HP wise if they put on a big open exhaust, but most of them around here just cut off the muffler and get one of those bolt on tips from Autozone. You can imagine how pathetic the Fast and Furious wanna-bes are in a small central Kansas town, at least in So Cal some of them are fast.

[masraum]

I bet many of the factory wings these days do help a tad, but not much, and I think the primary reason for wings these days are so cars LOOK sporty. People want sporty cars, almost everything these days has a sport model, and those sell. Take a maxima, add cool wheels, a monochrome paintjob with a front spoiler/splitter/bumper, and a rear spoiler, and you've got yourself a serious sportscar there, buddy. Or that's what most of the population thinks. Most people know what color their car is, how many doors it has, and where to put the gas. Some might even know what make and model they have. Of course there are those that know a lot about cars, but I think that is the minority. I have worked in the parts business. I have had people tell me they had Pontiac Marquis', Ford Mercurys, etc. I have asked people what kind of car they had and honestly all they knew was the color and how many doors it had.

It's all about perception.

[vash]

that is a goof, right? funny as hell.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That Civic link is great.

[HarryD]

Originally posted by onewhippedpuppy
... SNIP... I've always wanted to ask one of those guys with the broke ass '89 Civic, painted with a spray can and plastered with race stickers, big ass spoiler and coffee can exhaust, "how many HP do the stickers and wing ad?" ..... SNIP.....

Since you asked, A Handy Calculator.

[cantdrv55]

This is the funniest email on the email thread in response to that Civic:

Yo dawg, dat Civic is off da chizane. But for real, dis ges one dem concep carz, right? Duz Honda no u tryin to sell diz dope ride? If my babys mama dint keep poppin out kidz, I wood throw a wad down fer it. Maybe u mak me a deal yo, I gots $26.50. Hook a bratha up?!?

[ZAMIRZ]

Most of these aftermarket wings (especially those on newer imports) only harm the performance of the car because it can rarely go fast enough for it to make a difference so all it is doing is causing excessive drag. These damn ricers make everything seem so legitimate these days that people who don't normally pay much attention think these losers are enhancing the performance of their cars like they even know wtf they're doing.

[ChrisBennet]

Boys will be boys. For some boys it the "rice" look for others it's half a dozen extra head lights bolted to the hood like they're doing the Paris Dakar... ;D
-Chris