Why do 'some' people have a problem with wings on the back of FWD cars?
Just curious. Realtime Racing uses wings on there car....so....i dunno....

 

For a rear wing to work on a front wheel drive car, you have to drive like 140mph. If you are driving that fast on the street, you are insane. Go look at those pictures someone put up on kills with the guys that crashed in the Ferrari with all the limbs and internals all over the place. I think they were going around 140mph if not less.

 

exactly, I think they look tacky, especially aftermarket ones...

 

...which brings up another question: Why does mugen make wings for the Integra Type-R?

 

Because it will make Mugen a lot of money from ricer boys with their fancy ITR's. Do you have any clue how much money APC has made from Altezza style light? Trust me, they are not designed for safety or anything like that. What I mean to say is that a company will make any product that there is a market for. Dont get me wrong, wings do function, but Mugens' wings (which I have never actually seen) are most likely designed for car club AutoX's and such.

 

I just went over to kingmotorsports.com and found this:

"Flat bottoms and high wings were developed for racing machines through trial and error. The aim is to improve driving stability by controlling downforce..."



Pics of Mugen Wing


That's pretty convincing to me.


[Modified by Calavera, 8:18 PM 3/6/2002]

 

For any wing to work on any-wheel-drive car you have to drive that fast. Therefore wings are equally useless on any car that's not taken to insane speeds, unless the wing itself is insane, like a Cessna wing or something.

 

A front lip/wing would work better than a rear. Since we are talking about FWD cars. The location of the downforce implement pushes on that side of the car. For example, a rear wing, pushing on the rear wheels, does almost nothing, and a front wing pushes on the front wheels, adding more traction. In fact, a rear functional wing might actually rob your front wheels of traction since the rear is pushed down and front is lightened. BTW, its with websites and pictures like that that Mugen is making a lot of money. You have to look at the big economic picture.

P.S. Notice the front lip on that car (I think its a Civic Si).

Edit: Or an ITR.


[Modified by Wont be beat, 11:48 PM 3/6/2002]

 

It's a JDM ITR.

 

It seems to me though at 140 mph you're not gonna start spinning you're wheels, yo want traction just to stay connected to the track, and that's equally important for all four wheels. Unless you're turning at 140 of course.

 

Obvious, short of a top-fuel dragster, no one can spin their wheels in a straight line. At that speed, its for stability and downforce for turning. At lower speeds around 60 or so, or right after or during braking hard into a turn, a front lip will add downforce. It will also help in wet situations when you can spin your wheels at higher speeds.

 

rear wings are used on front wheel drive cars to assist in cornering the same as any other car. It is just better on something like a Supra because a Supra is more likely to break the rear tires loose while exiting a turn than a FWD car so it needs it more down force/traction on the rear. 140mph? where did you get this number at any speed the air passing over a wing will cause more downforce on the rear it is just not really necessary until 80-90mph why do you think that porshes and other fine automobiles have spoilers that automatically raise(increasing downforce) at these speeds. A porsche doesn't just have an automatic wing for looks. Also most front lis dont even cause extra downforce unless you are running an undertray style lip. all most lips do is make less air go under the car(which would cause lift) and block more air from hitting the tires(tires cause a large portion of drag on street cars do to thier relatively flat contact area).

 

I was kind of exagerating a bit. Trying to make a point.

Basically what you just said is most FWD cars dont need rear wings.

Those 'fine' automobiles you speak of like porsche's and such are either RWD or AWD.

 

As disturbing as some of them may look, it's actually the wings that stick far away from the body that have the potential of being functional. Being kept away from the body lets them get laminar airflow instead of the turbulant air closer to the body.

I can understand that they would work on race cars, such as the Realtime Integras, if they see high speeds. If the speed is too low, they won't do anything. Downforce increases as a square function of the velocity.

 

a rear wing will lower the drag coefficient of the car, so will a lower front lip. It isn't always about huge speeds. Look at the Audi TT. When that car first came out there where no wings or diffusers or anything, it had a horrible drag coeffecient. A few people decided it would be a good idea to drive this car fast and where spinning out ( so I read in Road & Track ) so they put a small lip just below the rear window. So yes a rear wing will help stablity some. Like Enzo said; Form follows function. Will you find a wing on my car? You gotta be kidding me.....

 

WHEN WILL PEOPLE GET IT THROUGH THEIR HEADS THAT SPOILERS ARE FOR HANDLING, NOT 140MPH TRACTION PROBLEMS.

I never understood why people think that you need downforce on just the drivewheels

 

more realistic, has anyone driven or had a ride in a integra or rsx with a cusco adjustable wing, there is a very noticable difference in car stability after 70mph... the only reasons i wouldnt get one is the looks and the 1000+ dollar price tag

 

Another thing a rear wing helps in is braking. Ever try braking hard in an integra with no wing from 100+? The *** end wents to climb over the front. Even with a small GSR wingt, the difference is noticeable, especially with an ITR wing.

 

There you go.

 

Remember people....drag and downforce are two different things.

Many wing/spoilers are made to reduce drag.....it is more efficient on fuel and whatnot. You'r probably get a little more speed that way too.

Downforce is the one that isn't needed as much until you're going very fast.

 

so are you saying the new FWD VW Beetle Turbo S is a "fine automobile"?

no, but seriously, a wing plays a huge role in any car, even FWD cars. at high speeds of 80+ mph you will feel a difference. I've taken my car up to 140mph and let me just say, no wing is scarey! I go to make a slight correction and the rear end lifted up of the ground... now if I had a ricey wing on there, I would've stayed planted. The only thing is, a big wing produces downforce at high speeds, but will kill performance if you dont have enough power to compensate for that downforce. Also, wings and front lips play a role in handling too... it could send a fwd car like a ITR which has a tendancy to go tail out... into major understeer, completely destroying the cars handling. There is a lot out there about aerodynamics... but let me tell you... since this is pertaining to the subject... WINGS ARE FUNCTIONAL EVEN ON FWD CARS! But only if you drive at speeds of 80+ or as someone pointed out, even 70mph makes a difference.

 

if you want a big wing, mount it on your hood. that way it'll at least do somehting for you fwd car. aftermarket wings on fwd cars is big time rice <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://imag

 

Why does a RWD F1 car have a front wing? Are they rice?<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>if you want a big wing, mount it on your hood. that way it'll at least do somehting for you fwd car. aftermarket wings on fwd cars is big time rice <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.ze

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>if you want a big wing, mount it on your hood. that way it'll at least do somehting for you fwd car. aftermarket wings on fwd cars is big time rice <IMG NAME="

 

note the sarcasm of my last post...