38 replies to this topic

[trafficface09]

Today i saw a saxo with a spoiler XD anyway this started a huge argument with my friends and I

spoilers are usless on front wheel drive cars because they push the back down. but they look good said my friend. anyway minis with spoilers what do you think.

also consider rwd conversion minis and front spliters. any thoughts?

Y/N?

[Ouster]

a) You'll only notice the effect of downforce at a track
b) They look rubbish on 'normal' street cars

[Matt.P]

I wouldn't be too worried about downforce, after all, the mini has the aerodynamic sophistication of a brick

[Asphalt]

But you could probably gain quite a bit of top speed if you fabricate a closed, flat floor (some racers just remove the rear valance which acts almost like braking parachute)...

[Ethel]

While they're a long way short of streamlined, Minis aren't actually that bad and some of that drag contributes to their excellent directional stability in the same way darts work better with flights.

A rear wing could be pretty useful on a Mini as grip is down to tyre contact area, the stickiness of the tyres and the force pushing them on to the road. Traction isn't really an isue at the sort of speeds where wings become effective so they aren't so much use on RWD cars for that either but for keeping the weightless rear end of a Mini pushed into the tarmac under braking...

[Figs122uk]

Spolier on a normal mini is pointless.... If you want more grip, get better / bigget tyres!

As long as your front wheels are doing what they should, then it doesn't matter

Edited by Figs122uk, 29 August 2009 - 10:01 PM.

[trafficface09]

very interesting. i think they are bad taste items for drivers who have just passed. how about minis with the subtle spoilers like on the rgm bodykit



forget the bodykit and imagine wide arches. all matching colour

[Dunkmk1]

^^^^EPIC WIN!

[dave21478]

Spoilers on road cars are for looks alone. If you want usefull downforce, you need to fit something like a BTCC or F1 style rear wing.
A chap I know works in the aerodynamics industry. When he bought his scooby wrx, he did some calculations regarding its spoiler. Seemingly, at normal speeds its effects are negilgable, and at 100mph it gives less that 15kgs downforce. On the other hand, it massively increases drag and therefor fuel consumption.

[norwegianminiman]

Spoilers on road cars are for looks alone. If you want usefull downforce, you need to fit something like a BTCC or F1 style rear wing.
A chap I know works in the aerodynamics industry. When he bought his scooby wrx, he did some calculations regarding its spoiler. Seemingly, at normal speeds its effects are negilgable, and at 100mph it gives less that 15kgs downforce. On the other hand, it massively increases drag and therefor fuel consumption.

Haha fail!

[roberts]

the lack of knowledge that is being given as advice in this topic is laughable (sorry)...

a) You'll only notice the effect of downforce at a track
b) They look rubbish on 'normal' street cars

Without meaning to sound sarcastic... if your point a) is correct can you please explain yourself, as I was unaware that race tracks created there own atmosphere??

Sorry but aerodynamics don't change between track and road... there different because we choose a different sort of aerodynamics on the road to a track, e.g. getting over speed bumps, fuel consumption etc.

But if you want to improve the 'performance' of a road car then track aerodynamics is a great starting point...

The mini has the aerodynamic sophistication of a brick

Perhaps that's the perfect reason to improve then...


And also somebody has definitely edited there post since I read this last night... who said spoilers would be inafective on a Mini because it's front wheel drive???


Anyway a couple of basic rules... which kind of concludes that spoilers are pointless on our beloved Mini's or in fact on most road cars.

1) A spoiler will assist any cars aerodynamic performance from 60ish MPH upwards. So with a car that has a top speed of 90ish is it worth it?

2) They are 90% beneficial for straight line speed or extreme speed cornering, neither of which 99% of road cars are capable of.

3) They create downforce (obviously) so they will slow your car down, however, they work best in conjunction with a rear diffuser/undertray, and if set-up correctly can even speed you up In fact, it's a little know fact that under-trays and rear diffusers are more important than spoilers, hence why many of the top performance going road cars don't have massive spoilers eg Veyron, Enzo, Murcielago etc.

Track cars have massive spoilers because racing is less about power and more about being able to take more speed through the corner than the person in front/behind you...

(most forms of racing have rules which mean all of the cars have the same (ish) power anyway, before I get told off for saying this).

Whereas road racing is more about keeping up with the person in front of you, and then having more power to overtake them on a safe straight...


The best advice to give regarding aerodynamic modification is pick a similar modern day car and examine the body attire differences between the basic model and the sporty model, manufacturers spend the money doing the design and development for you that way

[benpopham]

Well another option is to take a mini into a wind tunnel and see if it actually works!

www.carbonweezel.co.uk/testing

All data found il be up in a week or so, some VERY interesting facts found.

Ben @ Carbon Weezel

[mini93]

Well another option is to take a mini into a wind tunnel and see if it actually works!

www.carbonweezel.co.uk/testing

All data found il be up in a week or so, some VERY interesting facts found.

Ben @ Carbon Weezel

was just going to post that.

[benpopham]

[Ouster]

the lack of knowledge that is being given as advice in this topic is laughable (sorry)...

a) You'll only notice the effect of downforce at a track
b) They look rubbish on 'normal' street cars

Without meaning to sound sarcastic... if your point a) is correct can you please explain yourself, as I was unaware that race tracks created there own atmosphere??

You know forewell what I mean, stop being difficult. Downforce is only generated at speeds higher than the national speed limit. Extremely rarely will you be cornering higher than that on a public road - therefore, the effects of putting a wing on your road car will really only be realised on a track.

Anyway a couple of basic rules... which kind of concludes that spoilers are pointless on our beloved Mini's or in fact on most road cars.

So yes, you agree with what I said.