What is the reason for all the interest in this part of a car?
There are two key reasons. One is practical and the other is cosmetic.
From a practical point of view, a vehicle moving through the air sometimes acts like an airplane. That is, the airflow under a car or truck travels a slightly shorter distance than the airflow over the top of the vehicle. This difference causes a pressure differential, with the low pressure at the top of the vehicle.
This means that there is more pressure trying to lift the car than keeping the car on the road. The weight of the car is sufficient under most circumstances to overcome this tendency to lift. However, move the car fast enough and thus increase the airflow and interesting things can happen. Just like a plane taking off, enough speed equals enough lift and you’re airborne.
What is good for a plane is a disaster for a car. If you ever watch car racing footage, you might see an image of a fast-moving race car suddenly lifting up on its front end and sometimes flipping completely over.
The front spoiler or lip or air deflector is designed to stop this dangerous airflow, on a race car or exotic car that is capable of very high speeds.
The second reason these devices are added to cars is for styling. People like to feel like they’re driving a fast car. They want the look even if they will never push the car to speeds that require an aerodynamic device like this. If you look at most new cars, you will see some type of extension under the front bumper. It is there by design and not to support the front of the car.
Since not all cars come with this look, there is now a huge aftermarket that designs and manufactures lips, spoilers, or air deflectors for people who want to deck out their pride and joy.
Is it all positive? No. There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, this is additional weight at the front of the car. It shouldn’t make a difference, but adding very heavy weight to the front end can change the handling characteristics of a car. Second, it has now reduced the distance from the front end to the pavement. On a level road, there should be no problem. However, hit a pothole, a high parking block, or even a steep driveway and you might find your front end dragging on the ground.
The last precaution is the installation. Most aftermarket products like this require a certain amount of experience to fit properly. If you don’t have this experience, please find a professional for installation.
