For the technical minded ...

What is the difference, or is there a difference, between a wing and a spoiler?

I ask this after looking at the GP "wing"

I've read, for example, that the Exige Wing is a true wing giving up to 100 pound of down pressure at speed vice the wingless Elise.

On the other hands, some Porsche literature says that the Porsche pop-up spoilers are that ... true spoilers in that they "spoil" the airflow vice producing any downforce (to keep the backend from getting light)

 

spoiler for me is something that is stuck on the plane of the trunk lid.

wing is something that is mounted with 2 or 3 posts.

 

On a car, a wing produces downforce. A spoiler can either prevent lift, or control flow separation off the afterbody of the car. Less noise and drag is produced by forcing the flow to separate cleanly earlier on the afterbody then to allow its separation point to oscillate up and down the after body.

 

Thanks, that is exactly how I understand and hence ...

They are NOT the same thing!

 

So whats on the back of your MCS?

 

we have a WING, as it is not mounted along the full length of the back. stupid wing...stupid drag... lol

 

I wouldn't call the MCS appendage a wing. The amount of flow that could make it through that slot wouldn't do much for producing lift on the underside of the, uh, appendage.

 

The "spoiler" on the MCS is for appearance only. It should be more properly called a sun shade (like on a cap), because that's about all it does.

 

At least MINI described the GP appendage correctly.

Translation: It does nothing.

 

that's a spoiler.

 

Agreed.

 

doesn't have posts, that's why.

 

having a smart@$$ friend is priceless

 

But its also only on the ends.

Real wings have roots.

 

And I thought is was agressive and took away traction from the wheels that do the steering and driving.

 

Is "root" the technical term for the verticle posts of the wing?

 

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn................... ................ i can't
think of a come-back!

 

Well I'm an aerospace engineering student and the root is where the wing attaches to the fuselage on a plane, just a bit of geek humor.

 

I'd like to see the wind tunnel smoke. As an old thermo engineer, the OEM S wing design appears to me to have a winglike cross section on the bottom producing downward "lift" (albeit minimal) and a spoiler profile on top to foil the laminar flow that creates upward lift on the roof panel. If true, combined, there might be noticeable effect instead of mere aesthetic "pimping".

 

Same here or even the manufacturer CAD files.

 

There's gotta be some info someplace on this.

 

It might look like a wing, but wings need a lot of air moving over the curved, low-pressure surface -- at least 50% more than over the flat, high pressure surface -- in order to produce lift. Plus, it helps if the flow isn't a disturbed mess like you'd find behind a speeding brick.

The region at the windshield/roof junction is certainly a low pressure, lifting area, but I seriously doubt that the last half of the roof is. However, assuming that it is, cracking the sunroof to the tilted position would be a more effective spoiler.

 

What Alfa put on the back of the Brera is a spoiler. On an afterbody of this angle, the flow will separate and reattach up and down the surface leading to noise and drag. This type of spoiler forces the flow to separate cleanly reducing both. The flow off the roof of the MINI is going to separate much more cleanly at the turn from the roof to hatch than on a fastback type design, so, on a MINI, a spoiler of this type is not needed for any functional reason.

 

^^ hummm... not much of a decoration either...

 

It doesn't need decoration!