Has anyone tried to use spoilers on rocket cars/spaceplanes?

[FirePhoenix]

A few weeks ago, I decided to use a spoiler(you know, the things on race cars) on a liquid fuel booster with wheels and was able to reach 500 m/s in 3 seconds on the runway before it suddenly started to fly before crashing into the ground. After thinking it was just how powerful the booster was, I took off the spoiler and it only reached the same speed in about twice the time.

This gets me thinking, how many of you have used spoilers on your craft to get them to go faster?

[selfish_meme]

Spoilers don't make things go faster, as the name says they spoil the airflow and push the vehicle down, they creates drag. A car with a spoiler is slower in a straight line. They do allow higher cornering speeds though.

[FirePhoenix]

Oh, well then I have no idea what I created then. Thank you for the information, though, as I was confused by what it did for me.

[SAI Peregrinus]

Spoilers IRL are used to increase the traction between the wheels and the road. They prevent the car from lifting off, thereby allowing more power to be transmitted from engine to ground. If you're not transmitting power via the wheels, they won't help.

I'm not sure why you'd see a drag reduction adding a spoiler in KSP, I'd consider that a bug.

[Alshain]

The only thing a car spoiler does is hold it to the ground... unless the car is very suddenly going the wrong direction, then it makes the car fly!

FYI: That wreck caused and immediate redesign in the cars removing the wing spoiler and replacing it with a lip spoiler.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Alshain

[Sharpy]

I'm pretty sure you didn't angle the spoilers downwards, that's why your rocketcar began to fly - less friction from the wheels against the ground meaning better acceleration, a tiny twitch upwards and you're airborne.

Spoilers angled downwards will push the car to the ground preventing wheel slippage. While they add immediate drag, they give a better traction meaning better acceleration (at speeds where drag is meaningful), better turns and better braking.

[Alshain]

I'm pretty sure you didn't angle the spoilers downwards, that's why your rocketcar began to fly - less friction from the wheels against the ground meaning better acceleration, a tiny twitch upwards and you're airborne.

I think it's simpler than that. KSP doesn't model traction properly so his car began to fly.

[eddiew]

I think it's simpler than that. KSP doesn't model traction properly so his car began to fly.

Does KSP even model the downforce produced by an angled wing surface? AFAIK wings don't have an up or down side in KSP... figured it'd just see a reduction in lift based on a function of the angle (probably cosine or something).

[Val]

As far as I can tell, wings in KSP emulate real-world wings pretty well. They only produce lift when they have an angle to the airflow. And yes they do produce downforce when that angle is negative.

[eddiew]

Interesting, I didn't know that. I thought that sort of shenanigans would be FAR's domain

[Sharpy]

Does KSP even model the downforce produced by an angled wing surface? AFAIK wings don't have an up or down side in KSP... figured it'd just see a reduction in lift based on a function of the angle (probably cosine or something).

One of good applications of the "angled wings" is stage separation. I place four of the cheapest winglets on my radial boosters, angled outwards, and they clear the craft beautifully when separated.