Editing Downforce (section)

{{Short description|Downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a vehicle}}
{{More footnotes|date=June 2017}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Automotive wing|Rear wing|the similar rear attachment designed to control air flow rather than produce downforce|Spoiler (car)|cars with wings producing upward, rather than downward, lift|Flying car|aircraft with multiple sets of wings|Tandem wing}}
[[Image:front wings f1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Three different styles of front wings from three different [[Formula One]] eras, all designed to produce downforce at the front end of the respective race cars. ''Top to bottom:'' [[Ferrari 312T4]] (1979), [[Lotus 79]] (1978), [[McLaren MP4/11]] (1996)]]

'''Downforce''' is a downwards [[Lift (force)|lift force]] created by the [[aerodynamics|aerodynamic]] features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more [[grip (autoracing)|grip]]. If the vehicle is a fixed-wing aircraft, the purpose of the downforce on the [[horizontal stabilizer]] is to maintain longitudinal stability and allow the pilot to control the aircraft in pitch.