Rear Wing GT made in Catia V5 and rendered in Keyshot Pro 10.

A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams. Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse.

The term spoiler is often mistakenly used interchangeably with wing. An automotive wing is a device whose intended design is to generate downforce as air passes around it, not simply disrupt existing airflow patterns.[1][2] As such, rather than decreasing drag, automotive wings actually increase drag.

Since spoiler is a term describing an application, the operation of a spoiler varies depending on the particular effect it is trying to spoil. Most common spoiler functions include disrupting some type of airflow passing over and around a moving vehicle. A common spoiler diffuses air by increasing amounts of turbulence flowing over the shape, spoiling the laminar flow and providing a cushion for the laminar boundary layer.[citation needed] However, other types of airflow may require the spoiler to operate differently and take on vastly different physical characteristics.

While a mass is travelling at increasing speeds, the air of the environment affects its movement. Spoilers in racing are used in combination with other features on the body or chassis of race cars to change the handling characteristics that are affected by the air of the environment.

Often, these devices are designed to be highly adjustable to suit the needs of racing on a given track or to suit the talents of a particular driver, with the overall goal of reaching faster times.