The latest annoying trend: notched spoilers

[Coelacanth]

It seems everywhere you look these days, cars are sporting these notched spoilers:

It's annoying to me because the functional reason for a spoiler is downforce, yet you reduce any benefit of it by notching out a chunk. Form before function, I guess. Maybe I'm the only one that hates the proliferation of this goofy trend....

 

[Photon440]

It's not always downforce. Some spoilers smooth the airflow and reduce aerodynamic drag.

 

[DeltaV]

and reduce lift.

 

[Budnicks]

I kind of like the notched rear spoilers
seen a few fabricated & put on & part of built into it,
even welded on 60's & 70's cars too
not many on MoPars, seen a couple cool ones on E-Bodies
IIRC RPMS did one on a 68 RR too, for superspeedways way back when,
so it's not new
looked pretty sharp & not a big huge deal

not like the F&F tuners/posers with a dual element fuel-car wings on their cars
probably slows the car down, yeah it make down force too

I like subtle tucked bumpers now too, a lot of work for just a bumper
so are the fabricated welded on wings,
never thought I would...

 

[Coelacanth]

I'm not buying that there's any benefit to a notched spoiler vs. a full straight spoiler other than aesthetics...or to reduce downforce, which defeats the purpose. I'd like to find some wind tunnel testing of the exact same spoiler, with one having the notch...

 

[Jeff Peterson]

They definitely look better without the notch.

 

[Photon440]

And sometimes it's just for economics; if the third brake light is at the bottom of the rear glass, a notched spoiler means that they don't have to relocate the third light.

 

[WileE]

That is merely cosmetic, will do nothing for that car 99% time it is driven.

 

[jimbosride]

From what I understand that at 160MPH the down force is amazing.

 

[#41]

Well, 99% street car spoilers do virtually nothing because you have be running triple digits to see any worthwhile or measurable performance gain. No need to be annoyed by a notch that reduces the performance of something that does not perform anyway. Theses spoilers are for aesthetics only.

 

[Budnicks]

depends on how fast you're going, a wickerbill add down force
it was like 1/2" to 3/4" on a Pro-Stock wing addition,
that lil' wikerbill, added like another 150# to 200#s respectively of downforce
albeit it was at over 180mph+ @ 7.0s at the time, it made a world of difference



my 7.88 @ 188 Pro-Gas (NHRA 8.50 car) car's wickerbill, was like 5"s,
it worked very well, adjustable for the angle
the higher in elevation the higher the angle was, thinner air less down force
this was still in the building process

 

[Coelacanth]

Now cut a 2-inch notch out of the middle of that wing and see a dramatic improvement...in nothing.

 

[Rick@Laysons]

The only reason those notches are there are for the ones who figured out what a rear view mirror was actually supposed to be used for.....