What are spoilers good for in the real world, anyway, besides spoiling the looks of the car in most cases?*

*Disclaimer LXVII: This is an opinion. Your opinion may vary.

By the way, it's a serious question. Do they aid stability in some meaningful way? Do they keep the car from becoming airborne? Increase speed? What?

 

No..no.. and no, not really. Sure, if you have a light car that goes 150+ you might need a spoiler, but for the "general public" they are just for looks.

 

"Real" rear spoilers use airflow to create downward pressure on the rear of the car at high speeds for increased rear stability/traction. A few high-end cars like some Porches, for example, do have functioning rear spoilers. But the spoilers on most road cars like the RX-8 are, as Slims says, for appearance, hence the name of the accessory package for our cars that includes the rear wing.

Check out any race series and you will see what a real spoiler looks like.

 

Many small profile lips reduce lift and drag coefficient... as in the euro lip spoilers.

 

I think they help balance out the look of the rear

 

I remember Audi's TT having stablity problems at high speed on the autobahn when it wastn fitted with a rear deck spoiler. They can be useful, if the car is designed to reach such speeds, and the spoiler is actually designed to give the correct amount of downforce at those speeds.

In our case as is the case with most street vehicles, the spoiler is only for looks. Love it or hate it, I personally love it, if its tasteful, like the MazdaSpeed wing.

Oh, and perhaps some act as "counterbalance" to assist you in closing the trunk.

 

Oh, god... not this again...

Here are some selections from the last time:
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=76
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...9&postcount=19
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...2&postcount=34