Spoiler alert! You don’t have to be furious to enjoy the adrenaline of a fast car (get it?). The fervor. The pace. The cornering. And if your interest in the track experience is informed by watching Formula 1 races, you’ll notice that there’s some common innovations that have translated from those supremely-advanced F1 cars to many we see around us everyday (or own). Example? Car spoilers.
What is a spoiler?
Car spoilers are aerodynamic devices designed to “spoil” unfavourable air movement across the body of the vehicle which may add drag or resistance through turbulence. There are various types of spoilers — some on the front of cars (often referred to as air dams), side-spoilers, but most commonly you’ll recognise having seen them or know of them being at the back, on the boot.
What do spoilers do for a car?
It’s all about grip on the road. Scientifically, the weight of the car is what keeps it on the road, while exceeding at increasing speeds causes the car to want to lift off the ground (we’re talking really fast speeds!). That trapped air tries to raise your vehicle which in turn reduces its grip on the road.
In theory, you would have to make cars heavier to ensure that they remain weighted to the road at excessive speeds, but this would duly counteract its ability to actually achieve those speeds. Car spoilers are designed to be the compromise so that you:
- don’t have to add weight
- maintain grip on the road
- can enjoy higher speeds
Does a spoiler make a car faster?
By preventing or greatly reducing lift, a spoiler improves airflow and therefore vehicle performance and efficiency by some small measure. This means that there are even more advantages to car spoilers than the scientific ones.
Fuel efficiency
- The better a design for aerodynamics, the better fuel efficiency a model will have
Engine Power, Fuel Consumption, and Wind Resistance
- Once your car reaches a certain speed, your engine is working to battle wind resistance, exerting up to 80 % of its power to prevent natural forces from slowing you down. A spoiler helps to counteract wind resistance, meaning your car doesn’t have to work as hard; less resistance therefore means better fuel consumption
Types of Spoilers
There are a variety of car spoilers available on the market today which means you can choose the area specialty that you would like covered on your car, source the relevant spoiler(s) and have them fitted. These include:
- Pedestal Spoiler
- Front Spoiler
- Lip Spoiler
- Wings
Check out the article about side skirts and side spoilers here on our online Subaru Magazine for more on that.
When you think of car spoilers in the Subaru context, you probably picture our supreme beast, the WRX STI. It’s easy to understand how the spoilIer works given the way the WRX STI is built and how it performs. Remember though, way before the fast get furious and you transcend boundaries from the track to the highway, safety is our priority — first and always! We want you to be moved by your driving experience, but only and always in the safest and most legal ways possible.
If you would like to know more about anything that we at Subaru can do for you, call us on +27 11 608 0116 or email info@subaru.co.za and a skilled member of our team will be happy to assist you. Alternatively, use our store locator to find your nearest dealership, and of course if you’re looking to experience any of our six incredible models first-hand, get behind the steering wheel by booking your test drive today.
