Why High Downforce Road Cars Suck

High downforce will ruin a dedicated road car, here's why!

Downforce is created by using aerodynamic features, like a rear wing, to push a car towards the ground. This force gives the car more grip, which is great for track cars, but not for road cars. With lots of downforce, you have to use a really stiff suspension; these stiff springs are needed because you now have the weight of the car, plus downforce, and you need to counter these forces to prevent the car from being pushed into the ground.

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[notcompletelyinsane]

don't forget about the added fuel consumption caused by the additional drag

[lmitz]

"Sorry officer, I had to take that corner at 115 mph, otherwise I'd have crashed"

[Cedwig]

with great downforce comes great responsibility

[joewwilliams]

You will not convince me that the park bench on the back of my 99 civic is a bad idea any more than the extreme negative camber.

[humzahbaig]

Love the "ground effect sucks" 😂😂

[OscarZheng]

thats why manufacturers put movable spoilers that adjust according to speed. Mclarens for example, have spoilers that rise when needed but are on idle when just crusing down the street to maximize downforce, fuel efficiency and speed

[geemy]

for a road car, the right amount of down force would be the one that cancels lift, and maintain stability and consistent ride height and suspension at all speeds. you don't want lift unless you're trying to take off

[CynHicks]

".. street speeds are generally too low..."

🤐🤫

[EvanMoon]

“I love running over trash on the interstate and destroying very expensive undercarriage parts” - Said No One

[godcorrupt]

If your car is rwd, having that rear end pushed into the ground is actually a major benefit to grip.

[punking]

thats kinda why you are able to adjust the suspension and or remove the spoiler if you need to on custom cars.

[JamiesGarage]

Bigger wing = Better car. and more stickers too

[monkeh]

Now I’m gonna get a massive rear wing on my Camry and speed in school zones.

[jp__]

this is where dudes with stance cars combine every aspect of what makes a car ride awfully and combine it into one whip

[squilliamfancysoniii]

This video was made extremely well. I always see people talk about down force and I never cared to look it up (especially since I drive a truck that definitely doesn't need any), but this is the first time I actually understood what it is. This only makes me even more content with a duck tail when I get a sedan or coupe.

[Soeks]

That’s y modern supercars use active suspension that adjusts according to what drive mode the vehicle is in

[mirkomarjanovic]

I'm glad you mentioned that mechanical grip actually lowers on the road. Very little people actually talk about it. A road car is best off with softer suspension (preferably adjustable) and good quality anti-roll bars.

[quinvanlooij]

Pov: you live in the Netherlands and all roads are as smooth as a race track.

[Manu-Official]

The Audi TT would flip around at 120 MPH, until Audi added a rear spoiler...

[chuco]

I’ve seen Viper ACR extremes on auto cross courses and the amount of grip they have at that slow of speed is crazy. That being said the downforce a mild setup can do on the street can make a difference at 60mph which is canyon speeds, at least where I’m from it is.