What is the purpose of a sports car spoiler?

[LaBrianna]

The main function of a spoiler is to reduce the lift at the rear of the vehicle. If the lift at the rear is greater than that at the front, it can easily lead to excessive steering, reduced rear tire grip, and poor high-speed stability, causing the air to exert a fourth force on the car—namely, a greater adhesion to the ground. This can counteract some of the lift, effectively controlling the car's tendency to rise, reducing the drag coefficient accordingly, and allowing the car to adhere more closely to the road surface, thereby improving driving stability. For a performance-grade sports car, a spoiler is essential on the track. There are various styles of spoilers on cars. Those on race cars are higher to allow airflow to act directly on the spoiler, ensuring the downforce generated by the airflow no longer affects the car body and counteracts its effect. Therefore, the spoiler must be installed away from the car body surface. Ordinary sedans also have spoilers, but since these cars do not reach very high speeds, the spoiler rarely serves a practical purpose. Instead, enhancing the car's appearance becomes the primary reason for installing one. On station wagons, spoilers are installed at the rear of the roof to guide part of the airflow over the rear window surface. This not only reduces lift at the rear of the vehicle but also uses the airflow to clear dust from the rear window, preventing it from obstructing the rear view. Design Principle: Car spoilers are designed with reference to aircraft tails. For a long time, they were widely used in racing cars before being adapted for ordinary vehicles. Most car spoilers today are made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, which are lightweight and durable. Their shape and size are precisely calculated by designers—neither too large nor too small—as improper dimensions could increase driving resistance or fail to reduce drag and save energy. Risks of Adding Spoilers to Ordinary Cars: From a legal perspective, installing a spoiler constitutes illegal modification. If the angle of the added spoiler is incorrect, it will not enhance driving stability but may instead cause the car to "float" at high speeds, increasing risks. Privately installed spoilers are not optimized for angle and size, which can increase the drag coefficient, fuel consumption, and wind noise.