Do-It-Yourself High Performance Car Mods

Wings

Automotive wings resemble upside-down airplane wings, and are designed to create downforce on the rear tires. They can create downforce by two methods: by directing the air flowing over them upward, and by using a curved lower surface to create an area of low pressure under the wing. To be effective, a wing should be mounted high enough to be in an area of smooth airflow. To keep the airflow over the wing from interfering with the airflow over the body, the wing supports should be at least as high as the length of the wing from front to back, and preferably twice this length. Some notchback coupes and sedans may require an even taller wing mount if they have a steep rear window and short trunk. Naturally, the larger the wing, the more downforce ...