What are the different functions of different rear spoilers?
Strolling through the streets of the city, you will find that more and more family cars are equipped with tails, and the cool shape can always attract many eyes. So every car is suitable for a tail? How will it affect the driving of vehicles? In this issue, we will briefly introduce the knowledge about the tail.
Mr. Chen's refit shop has been open for a long time. From the owner of a modified car to the owner of a modified car shop, he devoted his life to the hobby of modified cars. The so-called "if you are not crazy, you will not survive". Only you know the ups and downs, but at present, the business of fashionistas is getting more and more popular. In addition to a modified work that satisfied them, his shop even invented a new modified part-adding a tail wing.
The tail of this car is a little stiff, which is not as suitable as other cars. Moreover, according to teacher Chen, the price is still high, and it cost 1000. However, in addition to aesthetics, it is more important to install a tail wing to provide the necessary stability for high-speed driving of the car.
Like some young people who like to play with cars, they often drive to the limit. Therefore, in the face of high-speed driving, it is very necessary to install a tail. However, because most domestic cars were open in the past, and the working mode of the tail wing is to increase the downward pressure of the car, if the downward pressure is too large, there is stability, but it also increases the fuel consumption of the car. Therefore, when installing the tail wing, the owner must choose a tail wing suitable for the size of the vehicle, and never install an oversized tail wing for the sake of beauty. Although the original Seine was not equipped with a tail wing, I believe its market positioning is different and its equipment has been adjusted accordingly, but it is a great pity for car enthusiasts who love automobile sports.
How does the tail work and what is the principle?
According to the data, according to the analysis of aerodynamic principles, we know that cars will encounter air resistance during driving, which can be divided into three aspects: vertical, lateral and vertical rising force. Air resistance is proportional to the square of speed, so the faster the speed, the greater the air resistance. Generally speaking, when the speed exceeds 60 km/h, the influence of air resistance on the car is very obvious. In order to effectively reduce and overcome the influence of air resistance when the car is driving at high speed, people design and use the tail wing of the car. The function of the tail wing is to make the air produce the fourth force on the car, that is, the adhesion to the ground, which can offset part of the lift, control the car to float, reduce the influence of wind resistance, and make the car run close to the road, thus improving the driving stability. When we watch the F 1 race, we will find that the front and rear of the F 1 racing car are equipped with fixed wings, which provide nearly 60% downforce for the car body, thus ensuring that the tires have sufficient grip to maintain the stability of the car body at high speed.
In addition to improving driving stability, adding a tail wing also helps to save fuel. When driving on ordinary roads, the reduction of fuel consumption may not be obvious. If you drive at the speed of 120km/h/h or above on the expressway, the function of the automobile tail is obvious. Generally speaking, however, it is not recommended to install a tail on a small-displacement vehicle, because the tail is mainly used to increase the stability of the vehicle body, which is very important for a large-displacement vehicle, but installing an exaggerated tail on a small-displacement vehicle will affect the speed.
In addition to cars, some station wagons also have small tail wings installed at the back of the roof. These tail fins guide part of the air flow from the roof to the rear window surface, which can not only reduce the lift at the rear of the vehicle, but also remove the floating dust on the rear window surface by using the air flow to avoid the dust adhesion from affecting the rear view of the vehicle.
From the material point of view, there are three kinds of tail fins on the market at present: one is the tail fin made of FRP produced by the original factory, which is close to the line of the car body. The second type is aluminum alloy tail wing, which gives people an exaggerated feeling, but it has good diversion effect and moderate price, but its weight is slightly heavier than other materials. The best tail material is carbon fiber tail, which is a perfect combination of high rigidity and high durability and is widely used in F 1 racing cars. It is not only light in weight, but also the most beautiful tail. The space position of the spoiler on the tail wing can be adjusted, and the adjustment methods can be divided into manual and automatic. Among them, the automatic adjustment type has more hydraulic columns, and the angle of the spoiler can be automatically adjusted according to the vehicle speed. Generally, consumers are advised to choose manual adjustment type. Hydraulic automatic adjustment type is not only more expensive, but also inconvenient to operate.
Many people think that the bigger the tail, the better. Actually, it is not! In addition to the aesthetic function, the installation of the tail wing plays a greater role in providing the necessary stability for the car when driving at high speed. Because most cars are mainly driving on urban roads, vehicles simply can't reach the speed at which the tail can function. The larger the volume, the greater the low-speed resistance. In addition, many car owners install aluminum alloy tail fins, and the increase of the overall weight of the car body will inevitably lead to an increase in fuel consumption. Therefore, it is not worth the loss. Choosing a decent, beautiful and practical tail is the true meaning of modification.
At present, there are many kinds of spoilers for automobile in the market, and the spoilers on racing cars are higher. This is to let the airflow directly act on the spoiler, so that the downward force generated by the airflow will not act on the car body to offset its effect, so the spoiler must be installed far away from the car body surface. The spoiler is installed at the rear of the roof of some travel cars, so that part of the airflow on the roof can be guided to flow over the surface of the rear window, which can not only reduce the lift at the rear of the vehicle, but also remove the floating dust on the surface of the rear window by using the airflow, so as to avoid the dust adhesion from affecting the rear view of the vehicle. Many ordinary cars are also equipped with spoilers. Because the speed of these cars is not very high, the spoiler is difficult to play a practical role, and beautifying the appearance of the car body has become the biggest purpose of installing the spoiler.
▲ Basic design of tail wing
The tail wing and spoiler were born to solve the problems of airflow and buoyancy. The tail wings we have seen are varied and strange. But they all have the same characteristics: narrow surface, horizontal installation away from the car body (if the tail is installed close to the car body, if it not only plays a decorative role, but also acts like a spoiler, the two are different. The main function of the tail is to increase the downward pressure, so the tail must be shaped like an inverted wing. This design will make the speed of air flowing through the lower end of the tail higher than that flowing through the upper end of the tail, thus generating downforce. Another way to generate downforce is to tilt the front end of the tail slightly downward. Although this design will generate more air tension than the horizontal tail, it is more flexible in adjusting the downforce.
▲ The difference between the tail and the spoiler.
The difference between the tail wing and the rear spoiler is that the latter is integrated with the rear of the car, or it is only a part of the overall design of the car body. The rear spoiler can also be used to generate downforce, but its common function is still to reduce buoyancy and airflow tension. The rear spoiler of the hatchback collects a lot of air in front of the spoiler, in order to separate the airflow at the rear of the hatchback, thus reducing the buoyancy. The rear spoiler can also make the airflow flow through the rear of the car more smoothly, and prevent the airflow from wandering or attaching around the rear of the car for a long time, thus reducing the air tension and the air pressure under the car that leads to buoyancy.