A wing provides downforce. A spoiler interrupts airflow for the purpose of controlling turbulence. That is the origin of the name "spoiler." A spoiler on the rear deck is usually to reduce drag. A spoiler in a different location is probably very specific to the airflow at that point. A fairing or air dam is just supposed to exclude the airflow from a certain space.
If you insist on semantics than you are wrong.
A wing is an air foil. As a wíng the effect is creating líft. On a car it is uses as an inverted wing.
Whether upwards or downwards in effect, tt does so by interfering with.... air flow.
A spoiler on the rear deck, well. again, no, not that simple. How would you call a one inch rubber lip to create a tear off ridge for the flow?
Or what about the Gurney flap?
And ´fairing or air dam´.... Are those not too two different things? Not quite interchangeable words in mý aero dictionary.
Point being that you are using semantics as you see fit, totally confusing the issue.
I don´t care what tag you want to stick on which aero attribute. Even the flip up thingy behind the seats and mongos are ´spoilers´ of sort, changing the turbulence .... In mý dictionary is simply is all aero aids.
On mý car I have the OEM ´dams´ in front of the front wheels, added a chin lip, removed the spare wheel well, added bonnet (hood) vents, created some rake, have mongos, removed the undertrays at the rear, increased air flow through the engine bay, removed the rear heat shield opening up the rear exit, mounted an inverted wing, stuck a lip at the rear.... Ah and have a tonneau tarp which at one time was all but obligatory for spyders at LeMans 24H.
By all means you class the aero mods as dams, fairings, spoilers, flaps or whatever as you see fit.
Btw. a bloke on the UK forum did a nice before and after of the turbulence behind the front wheels of OEM mudguards. Quite effective spoilers
