in some cases a terrific hack is terrific for no other reason than that it’s fun, and [Michael Rechtin]’s diy active Aero Spoiler and Air Brake certainly qualifies as a fun hack. This is a mod developed to live in a world where looks are everything, stickers add horsepower, and a good sound system is much more essential than good wheel alignment. Why is that? because like the switch that exists only to activate the mechanism that turns it off, the diy active Aero Spoiler and Air Brake seen below is practically completely useless. So to understand its allure, we should understand its inspiration.
For a few decades now, luxury sports automobile producers have been adding active aerodynamic elements to their vehicles. For example, several Porsche designs feature adaptive spoilers that adjust to driving conditions. very cars and trucks such as the Bugatti Veyron have spoilers that flip up at high angles during braking to increase drag and decrease braking distance. all of these features are unfortunately missing from the average two or four door family-car-turned-wannabe-track-fiend. until now!
[Michael] has created a new active spoiler for each mall-bound muffler-challenged hand me down. The build starts with a CNC cut foam wing which is covered with fiberglass, Bondo (an automotive necessity) and some synthetic carbon fiber for that go-fast feel. An Arduino, IMU, two servos, and a battery pack discover deceleration and immediately increase the spoiler angle just like the big boys, but without needing any integration into the cars systems. Or bolts, for that matter.
It’s unlikely that the braking force is enough to slow down the car though, given that it’s not enough to pop the suction cups holding it to the trunk lid. but does it have the “wow” element that it was developed to induce? Spoiler Alert: It does!
As it turns out, this isn’t the first adjustable spoiler featured here at Hackaday, and this adjustable spoiler on a automobile that’s produced actual racing is quite interesting.
Thanks to [Zane] for the suggestion on this project!