ok im pretty sure thats what it is called...at least that what my g/f dad said...well this has nothing to do with superdutys or fords at that BUT...you guys know everything and i knew you would know...my girlfriends dad has a chevy colorado and he was backing out of the driveway and hit a large chunkof ice and ripped off the air spoiler (the black plastic thing up front under the bumper, closest to the ground) it doesnt look bad and he really doesnt want to replace it...does it serve any purpose??

 

Is it just a black plastic strip under the bumper? If it is, the only purpose I can see if serving is something like ice or a rock hitting that first, making a noise telling you to stop before you do damage to the bumper. Doesn't have to be on there, though.

 

Tell him he just voided his warranty.

 

It is also called an air dam sometimes. it serves only one prupose and that is to direct air around the truck. That can have many benifits though. It may possbily help fuel economy by improving the aerodynamics of the vehicle. The big purpose on a truck is that it aids in engine cooling. The dam creates a high pressure area in front and a low pressure behind helping the air flow through your radiator.

 

are you serious???? but my question wasnt answered...does he really need it?

 

Tell him he just voided his warranty.
__________________ It didn't make any difference on my little ranger when I did the same thing on a cinder block that fell off a truck on the Interstate......hummmmmmm

 

Airdam/chinspoiler...what ever you call it all it really does is cover up some of the ugly that protrudes farther down than the bumper. Its cosmetic though and is not really required.

 

Tell him to read his owner's manual- it might say whether the chin-spoiler is needed or not. Usually, it's just an aerodynamics feature, but it could be something more!

As an FYI, the manual for my wife's '07 Suburban says that you can remove the chin-spoiler when "offroading" (yeah, like that's going to happen!) but it MUST be replaced before getting back on the highway. GM says the spoiler is necessary to ensure proper engine cooling and failure to re-install it could cause damage.

 

the final answer? no, its not a required item. but yes, i would keep it on there. it does have a small effect on the cooling system and does aid in aerodynamics of the truck too.

 

No and no.

A truck builds up enough air pressure in front of it (due to the shoebox aerodynamics) that the air dam is kind of redundant.

 

AND IT DIDN'T FALL APART?!?!?!?!?

 

well i told my g/f's dad what you said...he laughed and said well atleast its an america truck and its not a nissan or toyota...and the funny thing is he use to own ford trucks a long time ago and hasnt driven a ford in over 10 years and the iront of it is he retired from gm and now for a little extra money he runs for crown ford...HAHA...he just went today to deliver a f150 lariat...he was always telling me how more luxourous and comfy the chevy's are compared to ford...he says "if you want a work truck buy a ford but if you want a comfortable ride and still have a good truck buy a chevy" well i would argue with him and tell him to go take a look at a lariat or KR and we would just go back and forth and finally when he told me last night he was delivering a what he thought was a 08 f450 KR (that is what they told him originally) i told him now you can finally see what it is like to drive a real truck...well i called him today to see how it went and he told me it was a 150 lariat and he said he was just speechless..he said the ride was amazing (he drove about 75 miles each way...the way home in a explorer)...he said it had alot of custom things like dvd players and a sound system....he said he has a whole new outlook on what a comfy ride is...i dont think he will ever go back to ford because he retired from GM but now i dont have to argue with hime who makes a better truck...o and another thing that was funny is he said he could pull tihs tree i pulled out of a neiighbors yard just as easy as me...i understand i only have a 5.4 250 with 3.73 gears but cmon a f250 5.4 v8 VS a colorado I5