Spoiler, or no spoiler?

[VZImpulseSS]

Hey guys,

Just seeing how many of you out there prefer no rear spoiler over having one.

I have a ute so this is irrelevant to me haha, but i personally prefer the sedans without the rear spoiler.

So, what do all you guys reckon?

[jetboy]

With , personal preference . Looks naked without

[VZImpulseSS]

Fair enough mate.

I've seen a few VY/VZ SS' lately without a spoiler, i just think they look so much better... something i see people doing that i actually prefer, as oppose to other ideas like shit chev badges and other ridiculous ideas people have had to ruin their car, that make me wonder what they were smoking when they did it.

[esca_ByDesign]

i am like you, inbetween, some times they look ok but other times they look shit as.


so when i got my car i went in the middle and have had lots of compliments on it
VY HBD lip spoiler xD

[VYMAD]

Yeah I don't like the spoilers, but don't mind the lip spoilers so much.

[VZImpulseSS]

i am like you, inbetween, some times they look ok but other times they look shit as.


so when i got my car i went in the middle and have had lots of compliments on it
VY HBD lip spoiler xD

I like that man, Gives it a fat chunky look

[Adds_05]

my vr ss

[2DIE]

I like them without, even though mine has one and the spoiler is peeling I'm not that fussed. I found a boot the same colour for $100 but it was about 50km away, though a lot about getting it but gave it a pass.

[esca_ByDesign]

I like them without, even though mine has one and the spoiler is peeling I'm not that fussed. I found a boot the same colour for $100 but it was about 50km away, though a lot about getting it but gave it a pass.

50km? i drove from my house to geelong ( 115km) to save 100$ on 2 wheels (i buckled mine) haha.

[VZImpulseSS]

my vr ss

Looks nice man

[2DIE]

50km? i drove from my house to geelong ( 115km) to save 100$ on 2 wheels (i buckled mine) haha.

Its the other side of Adelaide, I don't know the city as I just moved here and I'm not used to city driving. Also its a prick of a job to change the boot over and feed all the wires back through.

Im going to repaint it black in the next few years so I'll just take it off and weld the holes before I paint it.

[Adds_05]

Looks nice man

thanks mate

[VZImpulseSS]

Had a VP SS that was gonna be mine, completely original apart from a good exhaust system. Was a beast. But cause it was old and had 200+ kms it started having too many problems. So got rid of it and got my VZ SS Ute

[Astranomical]

I prefer them with a spoiler...as someone else said, they look bare without it...looks like something's missing, especially on something like an SS where a spoiler came standard.

[-VY LoVeR-]

I prefer spoilers i think it just looks so much better. VT Commos in particular, if i had one it would deffinately have a spoiler.

Although that lip spoiler looks awesome i would go for that

[delcowizzid]

after driving a vy round today with a big spoiler i was ready to get out and smash it off with a hammer no wonder it had reversing sensors you need them with the monstrocity of a spoiler

[VZImpulseSS]

after driving a vy round today with a big spoiler i was ready to get out and smash it off with a hammer no wonder it had reversing sensors you need them with the monstrocity of a spoiler

Yeah mate i know what you mean, my mum has a E1 Clubsport, and the spoiler sits right in the middle of the rear windscreen haha. Bit of a pain in the ass.

[GothicKidd]

I prefer no spoiler.. Seen a VS ute with spoiler and looks horrid. I laugh every time I see it..

[calaim]

utes: no spoiler.
sedans: with factory kit keep the spoiler, with factory kit but lowered take the spoiler off and fill the holes. without factory kit no spoiler. without factory kit but on the floor, depends on the wheels.
wagons: no spoiler

[MikeCuzzy]

I'm really not sure... I like the lip spoiler on some cars, I like the full spoiler on my Dad's VE SV6. My VT doesn't have one, and I'm still debating long and hard on whether I get one.

At the end of the day, I reckon I prefer the look of a spoiler, but I don't think I will get one for my car. It never had a sports kit, it would look weird to me to have change it's looks to much.

[Irukanji]

No spoiler.

My reasons are numerous, so I'll list the ones I can remember.

1. Spoilers only apply down force in proportion to how fast you go. If you intend to race/go fast(160km/h+), it will help provide rear wheel down force, so you have less chance of sliding all over the place. It effectively makes your car longer(a good spoiler will, anyway), whilst also streamlining the air at the tail end. So I guess this point will go both ways, depending on your final use. EDIT: Spoilers also "fix" the air stream, so it doesn't eddy and produce drag from the back of the car.

2. Spoilers are rarely big enough to provide usable down force(under normal day to day conditions). To get enough, chances are it's going to be illegally big, and you'll end up with a yellow sticker(W.A) or a defect notice(Vic I think). If you're going to do track days, then getting an oversized one should be fine because the laws don't apply(or they might have track restrictions, whatever). If you want it to remove turbulence from the stream of air going past, it'll need to be thin. If you want it to provide additional downforce, it'll have to be an upside-down wing shape(google it, generally a flat bottom and a curved top, but there are loooooooooooooooooots of different patterns for different things. Look for a pattern used for aerobatics, where speeds are low but maximum lift is required.).

3. They provide more drag in day to day driving. It's like the roof racks on the roof of a car...they do nothing unless you are using them for their intended purpose(ie. carrying things on the roof, or getting more downforce from your spoiler). Take em off when you're not using them put them back on when you are. More drag = worse fuel economy. Fuel is expensive If you want them to reduce the turbulence of the air at the arse of the car, then it's recommended you get the thinnest possible one, in order to fulfil this task.

4. Most of them look like shit. They are more for the looks of the car, than a real purpose. Supras and Skylines without spoilers look 10x better, and you almost always see them with spoilers(unless something has changed in the past 2 years).

You should theoretically gain more advantages with a body kit, minus the spoiler. Less air getting under the car will keep the wheels planted at the higher speeds(if it's windy), so a front bumper + skirts would do a good job, as does lowering to an extent, and of course the back bumper will prevent air from eddying behind and under the car(after going along the sides/top and rejoining the stream behind the car)

This is where a spoiler comes in handy, but you'd need something with multiple upright longitudinal pieces to help stabilise the air before it rejoins the queue.

EDIT: Almost forgot, the vanes provide a double advantage, by streamlining the air, and by stabilising the rear of the car. However, too much down force can sap the top speed of your car, so it's more or less trial and error for any given road/track you race(legally) on....not to mention the length of the car provides a fair amount of down force itself(noticeable, to me, around 140km/h and increasing until you slow down), but this is usually only on the front half of the car, on the front wheels(bad, at least to me. makes handing atrocious lol).

tl;dr - stabilising vanes over traditional spoiler(2/3 uprights and 1 top piece), only creates extra drag in normal day to day use, usually made for looks rather than performance.

At the end of the day, it's your car, not mine, so do whatever

EDIT 2: You could use an excessively large spoiler to increase downforce to reduce the pressure placed on the front tyres...can't remember if I put it in the above wall of text or not.

EDIT 3: (it's getting ridiculous, and nobody is probably going to read it anyway). Anyway, I left out an important piece of information. As the car drives through the air it creates a small vacuum behind it. The faster you go, the bigger the vacuum that is created(low pressure). As the air flows over the surface of the car from the front, in order for the air to rejoin the stream where it left it has to also speed up. And so as it rejoins the bottom stream heading roughly down, it eddies. If you look at an object in water with a stream of water going past it, it looks kind of like a whirlpool. This suction can affect top speed by a considerable amount.

If you want to make your own spoiler to produce downforce, google some NACA airfoil shapes(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NACA_airfoil). Ideally something long and thin, say, the tip of some glider wings although scaled down for your car Then get a block of closed-cell foam, and a foam cutter(a piece of wire held taught and a battery to heat it up is the preferred method). Then you cut your chosen airfoil shape, cover it in the lightest fibreglass you can and set it with epoxy. I'd recommend sticking some aluminium tubing through the guts of it, for strength. And of course, you should use at least 4 mounts, 2 on each end and then 2 evenly spaced through the middle. These should be 5-10mm thick at most, and rounded at the front and tapered to the back(1/2 forward, 3/4 back) so they are more aerodynamic.(If they are aluminium, bastard file + wet and dry will do the job).

Don't forget the airfoils you find will generate LIFT, and so you're going to want to flip them over so they still produce lift but upside down, and the thinness of the spoiler will determine how much of the air is deturbulated(can't think of the word, lol), but it will affect the downforce generated...but a thicker one will result in more downforce but less correction of the airflow to minimise drag....

Alternatively, I've seen a few spoilers which are simply a piece of fibreglass/carbon fibre moulded into a round shape which are 2mm thick. Not sure if they actually do anything though...

[Nic92]

i like vy/vz lowered 2inch or lower without spoiler, and anything above that id rather them with a spoiler, it looks good when the car is low without spoiler & other way around with spoiler

[DAKSTER]

On the fence. It depends on the rest of the car.

[VZImpulseSS]

On the fence. It depends on the rest of the car.

Yeah i agree mate, some cars just need it, but majority of the time im a "no spoiler" fan. I just find generally it gives a "sleeker", "lower" look to the car. Personally i hate dropping a car to the floor, lowered a bit yeah, like sl springs or something, but i hate the look of a car riding on the floor. Amount of times i see P Plate idiots in a VT-VZ exec (any other bog stock commodore), with 20+ inch rims and its on the floor, and the camber is way out, i just laugh. I love to have a car looking low and sleek, but not on the floor.

[tim005]

When I saw the title of this without even looking at your make of car I just thought no spoiler.
I'm not sure why a commodore without a spoiler is so appealing but I just think it adds a certain smoothness and cleaness to the body.
But it is definitely more effective on one that has other visual mods such as lowering and rims...