# Canards / dive planes

> What do canards (dive planes) do on a race car?

- Category: Car design › Car aero
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/canards-dive-planes/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=canards-dive-planes · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/canards-dive-planes/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files Xem Studio Design License (free to use and sell from, not to redistribute as files: https://xemstudio.com/license/)
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## Notes

- Canards are small winglets on the front bumper corners used to fine-tune front aero balance. They sit in the splitter's upwash and their tip vortex keeps flow attached at high angles (HPA).
- Unlike a splitter they get no ground effect, so they make less load per area and more drag, but they are much less ride-height sensitive (HPA).
- More canard load generally hurts the rear: the upwash feeds dirty, low-energy air to the rear wing and reduces its effective angle (HPA).
- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above (18.4 deg = atan(100/300) from HPA's rise ratio; width illustrative.). Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

## Sizes

| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| Leading-edge alignment | about 5 deg nose-down (to meet splitter upwash) | HPA canards |
| Profile rise (ballpark) | ~100 mm rise per 300 mm length | HPA canards |
| Starting height | ~250 mm above splitter at lowest point | HPA canards |
| Outer flick / endplate | ~20 mm tall, top surface only | HPA canards |

## Where the files are

- High Performance Academy: [Aerodynamic performance devices for club level cars: front canards](https://www.hpacademy.com/courses/aerodynamics-fundamentals/aerodynamic-performance-devices-for-club-level-cars-front-canards) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Free STEP/STL (1 parts, Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canards-dive-planes/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canards-dive-planes/LICENSE.md

- canards-dive-planes-dive-plane: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canards-dive-planes/canards-dive-planes-dive-plane.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/canards-dive-planes/canards-dive-planes-dive-plane.stl) — Canard / dive plane 300 × 150 mm at 18.4°

## Questions

**Do canards replace a splitter?**

HPA says most front load should come from the splitter; canards are a balance adjustment unless rules force reliance on them.

## Fits with

- [Single-element rear wing (race car)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/rear-wing-single-element/)
- [Dual-element (two-element) rear wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/rear-wing-dual-element/)
- [Swan-neck rear wing mount](https://xemstudio.com/objects/swan-neck-wing-mount/)
- [Gurney flap / wickerbill](https://xemstudio.com/objects/gurney-flap-wickerbill/)
- [Wing endplates / side dams](https://xemstudio.com/objects/wing-endplates/)
- [Front splitter](https://xemstudio.com/objects/front-splitter/)