‘Do I really need a spoiler for my car?’ [Newbie Guide]

Cars are as much of a personal statement as they are tools for transportation. As a new car owner, you probably won’t be keeping your ride stock for long. It’s a means for personal expression after all, and natural you’d want your vehicle to make as good of an impression as possible.

Spoilers are usually associated with high performance

There are countless ways as to enhancing a new car’s looks. One easy and affordable way is to attach a spoiler at the rear. When done right, adding a spoiler definitely gives your car a sporty vibe. But other than improving the vehicle’s looks, is it really necessary?

A spoiler is an external aerodynamic accessory that’s usually found on high-performance sports cars and those used in motorsports. As the name implies, its purpose is to ‘spoil’ unfavorable air movement or turbulence that flows through a moving vehicle. Many drivers tend to think that a spoiler refers to the wing found at the back of the car, but there are also front spoilers that improve aerodynamics.

Even street-legal cars need downforce for added grip and stability

In a competition car for instance, a spoiler works with other features on the vehicle’s body and chassis to influence handling characteristics that would otherwise be affected by the surrounding air. The spoiler would be highly adjustable to meet the requirements of either a particular racetrack or those of a given driver. Either way, the objective is to achieve increasingly shorter times.

On more mundane applications such as passenger cars, the purpose of a spoiler is to reduce aerodynamic drag and improve fuel efficiency. This is useful on high-speed runs where the rear of the car tends to lift if not enough downforce is generated. But if you think you’re going to receive the same aero benefits as a racecar driver, think again.

If your daily driver isn't powerful enough, a spoiler won't do much good

Spoilers work best when you’re traveling over 100 kilometers per hour, which means highway speeds; if your daily commute consists of little more than being stuck in city traffic, forget it. Another thing to consider is if the spoiler is cutting through the air at the correct angle. An improperly installed spoiler actually increases drag and gives too much grip to the rear wheels, resulting in understeer.

Most importantly, if your car really doesn’t make that much power anyway, you might be better off spending the money on other accessories that don’t rely on speed, like a new head unit or a dashcam.

Find more tips for beginner car owners at Philkotse.com.