Even just seven or eight years ago, many misinformed enthusiasts saw a bumper or dive plane as a cheery addition to a car, or something only needed if you were going 200 mph all the time. But anyone who has been to a time trial or grip event lately will have seen these little wings attached to the side of the front bumper. They’re now seen as an essential component in fine-tuning a race car’s aerodynamics, and even performance cars like the R-35 GTR sport a small, vestigial bulge on their front bumper that looks like a canard.
The word duck is also the name of a type of duck, which is what these streamlined devices reminded viewers of when they first saw them. Originally used as airflow control surfaces on aircraft, canards used in the aviation environment were used to direct airflow toward the main wing or as supplemental control for longitudinal maneuvering. They are also used in large aircraft to help cushion bumps on low-altitude runs. And while they don’t look all that sexy (and in fact rarely do), these devices are also used as controls on submarines and are known as dive planes.
Using dive planes in cars isn’t just a matter of sticking these triangular things on your car. When applied to cars, ducks, or swooping planes they have two effects. The first obvious one is that they increase downforce. The second is that they introduce vortices into the side of the car that go down the sides of the vehicle as it travels at speed. But if you think the extra turbulence is bad for the car, it actually has a positive effect. The vortices effectively create a curtain that prevents high-pressure air from entering the underbody of the car, where a low-pressure region would have been created by a combination of the front air dam and rear wing and diffuser. Upsetting this balance would reduce downforce, which is not what you want on your car when traveling at speed.
So while canards (or winglets, or dive planes, take your pick) seemed like joyous additions to enthusiasts back in the day, these little aerodynamic devices play a critical role in tuning a car’s aerodynamic balance. And even in “amateur” motorsport, things have gotten so competitive that even a small lead can mean the difference between a podium spot and looking on with the crowd.
