What is a front lip and why would you want one?
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 in 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 rearing up at the front and sometimes flipping completely.
The front spoiler or lip or air deflector is designed to stop this dangerous airflow, on a race car or an 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 are driving a fast car. They want the look even if they will never push the car at speeds that require an aerodynamic device like this. If you look at most new cars, you’ll see some sort of extension under the front bumper. It’s there by design and not to hold 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 in the front of the car. It shouldn’t make a difference, but if you add very heavy weight to the front end, it 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 shouldn’t be a problem. Hit a pothole, a high parking block, or even a steep driveway, though, and you may 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 it correctly. If you do not have this experience, please find a professional for installation.