Aerodynamics

[mshekleton]

As I was reading some of the older posts about splitter and wings I thought I might bring to light some of the misconceptions about aerodynamics and discuss some modifications.

One of the most popular aerodynamic modifications is the spoiler or wing. The intent of a spoiler is to "spoil" the turbulent air coming off that back of the body. It's main purpose (other than looking cool) is to increase to aerodynamic efficiency of the car. A wing is designed to utilize fast moving air to produce downforce on the rear of a car (like an upside-down airplane).

And downforce is good, right? Maybe. In a front wheel drive car, downforce on the rear levers up the front end actually removing traction from where you need it to be. Rear downforce has the advantage of combating oversteer. Unless you have a major oversteer problem on your hatchback, this is probably not a good thing. This is where the front splitter comes into play. A front splitter is designed to produce downforce on the front of your car. Just as the car can be aerodynamically unbalance using just a rear spoiler, a super aggressive front splitter with no rear spoiler can produce oversteer. A proper high speed vehicle should be aerodynamically balanced. It should have both a rear spoiler and a front splitter both tuned to the desired high speed understeer/oversteer specifications. Most high speed vehicles are pretty evenly balanced with a small amount of understeer.

So before purchasing that giant wing, remember that you would probably benefit from a front splitter first (since the Yaris loves understeer). Also, If you're driving your Yaris fast enough to need these aerodynamic components I might also suggest purchasing some life insurance with your wings.