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Well I got sick and tired of the grandpa looking front lower valance so I got out the straight edge & cut off wheel. I ended up cutting it 1/2" below the little gussets on the valance. I feel that the improved look just adds HP in itself. Yes they may be there for reason to help mileage but for the little difference it helps, make me more sane and like to walk up to the truck from the front.
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Hey Justin........ After removing the Air Dam.......what difference have you noticed..? The front Plate......I need one BTW: 63 yr old GrandPa..........
Well the only difference I noticed is appearance.
Amazon special for the plate.
I actually put a rip in mine last winter pulled to far into a parking space thinking it was just snow but when I came back and backed out of the spot there was concrete curb, sounds weird I know but just one of those things wasn't paying attention. Well it ripped off the bumper, took it off and have had it off since, I haven't noticed any difference.
Air dams are really sort of interesting devices.
They hide ugly suspension.
They redirect more airflow around the front of the vehicle and minimize the airflow under the vehicle, thereby enhancing stability and handling at speed.
They form a low pressure envelope behind them, thereby drawing air from the engine compartment including behind the radiator which assists the cooling system's air management system.
They are effective even on 80,000# trucks.
But hey - who needs all that crap if it looks cooler without it?
It will help fuel mileage on most vehicles, but the percentage change would be relatively small and only truly measurable over a long peiod of time. Most truckers look for things that will save them time/money over 100k+ miles..
I second that. The air dam looks better on stock trucks. The only time that I can see it looking better without it is when the truck is jacked up to the sky. It always catches my eye when I see any kind of truck that's missing the air dam. The bumper always looks incomplete. IMHO
I figure if they quit insulating hoods, lining wheel wells and lighting glove boxes, then they are removing all of the "useless" stuff to save a few bucks. It must have a use.
Back in 2010 when this body style was rolled out Ford actually made a bullet point about that air dam to go along with the fuel economy gains with the new truck/engine. I believe we got a Ford rep to say that it is responsible for 1 mpg at 60mph?
Mine broke off years ago and I still get around 10.5-12 mpg with my trailers so I'm not seeing it. Maybe with a solo truck with street tires you would see it.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
