how does a wing on the back help with a wind from the side? i'm not trying to be a bitch, just curious. the reason you can drift nicely behind another car is because that car is blocking the wind from the front...not from the side.
well i did some more reading about this and what i came up with is that it's all about compromise. what i took from it...a wing can allow you to balance better, even on a straight away at high speeds, but it does also create more drag. that's why they say it's a compromise. it looks as if the only way a wing would work is if you find a good compromise between drag and downforce. also, it looks as if before buying a wing you have to decide what you're going to use it for and know what angle to set it at.
check this site out, see what you think:
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Educat.../rearwing.html
they said what i wanted to say, but far more eloquently:
"A high downforce setup appropriate for street and road courses would not be competitive on a speedway. "
this is what i'm trying to get across to people who show at the drag strip with 3ft. wings on their cars.