Air dam

[fuzzmanmatt]

Do what I always do to mine and break it off on something while driving. Then you have an excuse to say "screw you stupid piece of plastic" and throw it away.

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[Chris Rector]

I think it is there to direct air to cool the brakes

 

[jeff kushner]

I removed mine last winter because anything over 8" of snow will pack under & destroy it along with anything it hangs onto as it's buckled underneath your truck.

No noticeable effect on ANYTHING so it remains hanging in the garage.....

jeff

 

[NevadaGeo]

From what I understand, it decreases the airflow from your undercarriage (hence the "dam"), thus decreasing wind drag. It is there for a purpose.

 

[powerboatr]

and the little dam creates a stronger low pressure area right behind it and that SUCKS air down and out of the engine compartment. it helps manage heat, but mostly to move the air along with as little damming effect as possible at highway speeds from the massive amounts of air being forced into the grill area, getting it back out is key to helping with highway ratings.
f150 has shutters to close off the grill area at speed and this pushes air around to the sides, over the top and bottom of truck. creating less drag from pressurizing air. towing and heat outside will also directly effect shutter opening to make sure engines stay cool.


next gen expy will also have shutters to close off grill and further help with highway MPG. is it huge? well in cafe ratings yes, even a 1-2 mpg increase is seen as a win. take a look at most of new cars air management. more and more have shutters to squeak every mpg gain as possible to meet regs.
but i am just an aviator and really dont know squat about aerodynamics, and i might have been over simply in my explanations.

 

[jeff kushner]

I agree with Robert that it's all about streamlining but for someone who tracks their mileage, no difference was noted. FWIW however, I did turn off my AC this week as temps dipped and mileage has instantly jumped .6-.7mpg.

We were forecast for a deep snow so I lay on the ground to see my clearance on my new truck and realized that in any deep snow, it's going to get plowed & packed by that dam until it rips loose. It's held on by 2 or 4 10-12mm bolts so it's very well secured but it is plastic....and hard-packed snow is very unforgiving. That's why I removed mine. That it make it look a little less like a princess-vehicle is fine with me too<LOL>.

25,000 miles since last Nov....mileage since brand new has been steadily creeping up....now at 17.9 average.

jeff