Front Air Dam Delete

[rangerdanger]

I really like the look of the FX4 package, so since Ford doesn't offer a FX2 package on 4x2 Rangers, I think I’m going to remove the front air dam and install a factory skid plate.

From what I can tell, it looks like the front air dam is held on by a few bolts, and the skid plate looks easy to install yourself as well.

Who else doesn’t really care about fuel efficiency as much as improved ground clearance and looks?

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[rangerdanger]

The front air dam:

 

[Denver133]

Depending on when we get our new trucks, and when ADD has one of their bumpers available, I would be happy to give you a screaming deal on the factory plate.

 

[DHMag]

Just hope the air dam was not like the Colorado, 17 bolts and nearly impossible to remove if you're on the trail. Although, it hung low enough, you could almost use it as a snow plow

 

[rangerdanger]

Depending on when we get our new trucks, and when ADD has one of their bumpers available, I would be happy to give you a screaming deal on the factory plate.

I’ll hold you to that LOL

 

[Potholes]

The skid plate on a Colorado Z71 is a joke. It is made of plastic. I broke mine by backing up in snow. Apparently, it was pushing snow backward as I was driving and was enough to break it. I replaced it with a steel plate. I plan on replacing my Colorado with a Ranger one day.

 

[skibuff]

I wonder how much of an impact the front Air Dam has on fuel economy. It will be interesting to see if there is a difference in MPG with the FX4 package.

 

[rangerdanger]

2016 CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71 DIESEL UPDATE 5: REAL MPG WITHOUT AN AIR DAM

It's a significant benefit to fuel economy," Burke said over the phone. "It's one of the things that we focused a lot on as we developed the Colorado, paying attention to how [the air] floats around the fenders, the lamps, the hood, the roof, and that air dam is a key attribute to it, so there will be a notable difference in fuel economy once you remove it." Pressed on providing a number figure, Burke estimated that highway fuel economy will drop at least 1 mpg on the highway without the air dam.

Its first test would be completely stock as delivered from the factory with the air dam affixed. Under our Real MPG cycle, our stock diesel Colorado Z71 4x4 achieved an impressive 21.5/31.9/25.2 Real MPG city/highway/combined.

With the air dam and side steps removed, I handed the keys back to the Emissions Analytics team and eagerly awaited their results. Their testing shows that without the air dam, our Colorado Duramax 4x4 achieved 23.6/30.6/26.3 Real MPG city/highway/combined. Compared to the same truck with the air dam on the Real MPG cycle, that's a 9.7 percent improvement in the city, a 4.0 percent drop on the highway, and a 4.3 percent improvement overall. Compared to the EPA, our truck [without the air dam] improves 18.0 percent in the city, 9.3 percent on the highway, and 14.3 percent on the combined cycle.

 

[Tomsriv]

I’m pretty sure it has more to do with cooling than fuel economy. It creates more of a block for air trying to travel under the truck and therefore makes the path through the grill and radiator less restrictive. In other words instead of giving air hitting the front bumper an easy path under the truck it slows it down, creates a bit of a roadblock so more air will follow the path through the radiator

 

[skibuff]

2016 CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71 DIESEL UPDATE 5: REAL MPG WITHOUT AN AIR DAM

Interesting. That's good to know I don't really like the looks of the air dam either.

 

[EFNFAST]

My other toy is a 500 hp Corvette. Fuel economy is not high on my priority list.

 

[DHMag]

Aerodynamically, removing the air dam allows more air under the vehicle, creating dirty air. This creates drag and drag reduces fuel economy. From the Colorado forum, most users experienced at least a 1mpg drop when removing the air dam. If the dam hindered the fuel economy, and with CARB specs, why would a manufacturer install something that reduces economy ?

 

[StAugKid]

Aerodynamically, removing the air dam allows more air under the vehicle, creating dirty air. This creates drag and drag reduces fuel economy. From the Colorado forum, most users experienced at least a 1mpg drop when removing the air dam. If the dam hindered the fuel economy, and with CARB specs, why would a manufacturer install something that reduces economy ?

Well, this is GM we are talking about and generally speaking, they do dumb things.

 

[LoneStarFlatLanders]

Well, this is GM we are talking about and generally speaking, they do dumb things.

lol

 

[CompDude]

I am really curious about this now.. Looking for some real word feed back on the fuel MPG difference of the air dam.. I really like the Fx4 looks but if it cost me MPG and costs almost 1.3k. I dont off road ANY yet but we sure get snow..

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