# Spoilers on cars - whufo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344 "2001-04-25T22:04:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/21 "2001-04-26T14:32:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > \*\*Yes. > > FWIW, I once saw a van with racing stripes and a spoiler. The things people’ll do these days. \*\* Sometimes they need them: [http://webpages.krausonline.com/spaul/index.html](http://webpages.krausonline.com/spaul/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bawdysurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90db22/32.png) [@Bawdysurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bawdysurfer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/22 "2001-04-26T14:48:33Z")
On some of the larger, more squared back vehicles,(SUV’s-ghod forbid) a highly angled blade was offered as a means to wash air down across the rear or tailgate window for defogging, and supposedley reduced noxious transport of emissions to the interior. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/23 "2001-04-26T15:00:32Z")
**Hibbins** is quite correct. I have a “Sports Edition” Nissan Maxima ( purchased because I prefer the stiffer suspension compared to the other models ) - It sports an ugly spoiler to distinguish it as the “sporty” model compared to the others :rolleyes: . Ridiculous hunk of plastic/metal, really. But there is one thing I like about it. The brake light in it, when illuminated, lets me see the faces of the people sitting behind me at a light at night 😃 . I’m VERY easily amused 😛 . - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![muffinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@muffinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muffinman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/24 "2001-04-26T15:37:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hibbins \* > \*\*Spoilers are put on a lot of vehicles as a visual cue that the vehicle is sporty. Often this is the only thing “sporty” about the vehicle. Personally I find spoilers a lot like tailfins on 50’s cars, more a styling point/fad than anything else. \*\* You just hit the nail on the head. Remember folks, car sales are driven to a very significant extent by styling. That’s why 30somethings will buy a Pontiac Grand Prix over a Buick Century, even thought hey are the same car under the skin. Spoilers fit in the same category as: Body colored bumpers (much easier to damage than black rubber) Wheel covers (these serve no _functional_ purpose Chrome grilles smooth doors with no rubber molding (less protection from dents) pin stripes and of course: Tail fins and little chrome missile hood ornaments fromt he mid 1950’s. These are all items which serve no functional purpose, but make the car look more stylish. Personally, I think Pontiac often goes overboard with styling, becoming almost garish, but that’s a whole different rant. Essentially, it’s a styling cue that says “I am sporty”. Personally I like them. They raise the overall profile of the back of the car to give it a “wedge cutting through the wind appearance” Whether it actually improves performace is questionable. People who buy Mustangs, Firebirds, Supras, and other heavy, flabby production cars aren’t all THAT interested in pure performace anyway. Just try to take their stereo and A/C equipment to reduce overall weight. Personally, I hate sports cars, because of how they drive. They are uncomfortable, cramped, and not much fun for a 6’+ person such as myself. I prefer a good econobox that will get me 30+ MPG, while still providing necesary comfort and at least adequate acceleration not to be flattened when trying to merge onto the interstate each morning. A spoiler is just a fun, “gee-whiz” add on like power windows, leather interior, alloy wheels, and power seats. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/25 "2001-04-26T16:55:21Z")
I sometimes see people attach little fins or sails to their windshield wipers. Maybe 6 or 8 flat little squares at an angle to the direction of travel. I would imagine that these little sails offer resistance to the wipers when the car is moving at high speeds, what are they for? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/26 "2001-04-26T17:47:49Z")
**Attrayant** , those windshield wiper wings are supposedly to push the wipers down onto the windshield at higher speeds when they otherwise have a tendency to lift of the windshield. Questions I can’t answer: 1. Do they work? 2. Are they needed? 3. Does Opal need them? Questions I can answer: 1. Do they look tacky? Yes. 2. How about the bright pink ones? Yes, especially those. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/27 "2001-04-26T18:04:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\ ***Attrayant** , those windshield wiper wings are supposedly to push the wipers down onto the windshield at higher speeds when they otherwise have a tendency to lift of the windshield. > > Questions I can’t answer: > > 1. Do they work? > 2. Are they needed?\*\* 1. Yes, they do. 2. On most newer cars, probably not. In a past life I owned a 1978 Celica whose wipers would skip across the glass when I was driving at highway speeds, until I added a set of ugly windshield wiper wings. My dearly departed mid-80s Audi 5000 had a single factory-installed wiper “spoiler”. Presumably adding a stronger spring to the wiper arm would have a similar effect, although it would probably reduce the life of the wiper blades. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/28 "2001-04-26T18:54:52Z")
This may be opening a can of worms that I’m pretty unqualified to deal with, but… Isn’t there a distinction to be made between **spoilers** and **wings**? I was under the impression that wings were just that: airfoils that provide downforce on their own. Generally, these need to be out in the freestream, or at least close to it, to do any good. F1 and Indy cars have huge wings at the rear. Spoilers, OTOH, are not so much airfoils as just, well, “spoilers.” They kill smooth airflow and can reduce base suction (low pressure zone at the back of the vehicle =\> drag) and reduce the lift that the body itself generates. In that latter sense, they’re increasing downforce, but only indirectly - they actually reduce the natural “upforce”. I believe that the huge lips on the deck lids of NASCAR vehicles qualify as (functional) spoilers. I don’t really know what I’m talking about, so hopefully somebody will jump in and correct my errors. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/29 "2001-04-26T23:38:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hibbins \* > \*\*Spoilers are put on a lot of vehicles as a visual cue that the vehicle is sporty. Often this is the only thing “sporty” about the vehicle. Personally I find spoilers a lot like tailfins on 50’s cars, more a styling point/fad than anything else. \*\* I don’t know… they pre-2000 Bonnevilles certainly WEREN’T sporty looking (but kind of fun to drive). The spoiler MAKES the rear end though. If you have to drive behind a pre-2000 Bonneville, it’s like looking at a butt - no pleasant. Now the 2000+ Bonnevilles, those ARE sporty. I’m not sure if you can get them without the spoiler or not – I have one. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/30 "2001-04-27T00:07:04Z")
[Deja vu](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38912), even if I never did get quite the specific answer I was looking for. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/31 "2001-04-27T11:19:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by frogstein \* > **My dearly departed mid-80s Audi 5000 had a single factory-installed wiper “spoiler”.** So had my current Peugeot 306. Fine wipers, but when they wore out, I decided to replace them myself with generic type wipers instead of the more expensive Peugeot-kind. They didn’t have the spoiler thing, of course. They wipe fine, but at speeds over 140 km/h, they do skip and “float” more easily than the old ones. I’m getting the factory ones again next time. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/32 "2001-04-27T13:11:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sqweels \* > \*\*But shirley, these effects are negligible on the freeway and the spoiler on your car is just there to look cool and even hurts performance with a little bit of extra drag. \*\* Of course the effects are negligible, and stop calling me Shirley. ---
**Author:** ![Hibbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ce73a5/32.png) [@Hibbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hibbins)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/33 "2001-04-27T13:58:34Z")
Balthisar said: > [@](#): > > …they pre-2000 Bonnevilles certainly WEREN’T sporty looking (but kind of fun to drive). The spoiler MAKES the rear end though. Maybe not sporty looking to you ;), but IIRC Pontiac was trying to distinguish them as a “sporty touring car” for the middle aged set. Kind of an “American BMW” I think they were going for. As for the effects of wings versus spoilers, a good place to see a direct comparison is in NHRA drag racing. Top Fuel dragsters run a wing (airfoil) for down force, while Funny cars run a huge spoiler with side plates. Both seem to work equally as well, as both can run very similar numbers. The rails are usually faster, but this is probably more a function of their longer wheelbase than down force. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/34 "2001-04-27T22:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hibbins \* > **Maybe not sporty looking to you ;), but IIRC Pontiac was trying to distinguish them as a “sporty touring car” _for the middle aged set_. Kind of an “American BMW” I think they were going for.** -emphasis mine. Ack! I was 25 when I bought my first one! It was “cheap luxury” for me. My current one’s for “sporty luxury” since I’m no longer afraid of “sporty” (really, my only choice back then was a FireBride I mean Bird). I’m only 29 - it should be targeted to my age group. ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/35 "2001-04-28T05:53:14Z")
I always just thought they made my car look cute. You mean there’s a reason for them? Whodathunk… ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/36 "2001-04-28T06:13:56Z")
My carpooler suggested today that the real purpose of a spoiler is as an indicator of penis size…he figgers it’s an inverse relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/37 "2001-04-28T08:58:12Z")
They make the car [faster](http://www.riceboypage.com/adventures/), of course. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344/38 "2001-04-28T11:48:16Z")
This sounds like a focus group that might come up for an idea of a baseball cap with a little plastic spoiler on top. Hey, if they put it on their car then what’s to advertise the fact when they are not in their car. You can put spoilers on others things too. I write pretty fast, my pen could use one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoilers-on-cars-whufo/63344.md?page=1)