plastic under guard thing
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Joined: Apr 2004
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plastic under guard thing
i was just wondering if that plastic guard under your bumper had any real purpose. I took it off because some of it was all ripped up. I thought it could have something to do with the air flow underneath.
R.I.P. Dusty (Retired Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Alamosa, Colorado (200 yards from the Rio Grande)
RE: plastic under guard thing
It's your front "air dam". Makes for a smoother air flow under your truck. Won't make a MAJOR difference in MPG or top speed, but it's nice to have....[sm=smiley24.gif]
R.I.P. Dusty (Retired Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,471
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From: Alamosa, Colorado (200 yards from the Rio Grande)
RE: plastic under guard thing
BTW, if you take it off, don't drive over 120 mph or so....your front end will get very light and you'll lose steering control. All the cars and trucks we drove at the General Tire Test Track in Uvalde, Texas were required to have them, even though several got beat up hitting armadillos, etc...
R.I.P. Dusty (Retired Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,471
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From: Alamosa, Colorado (200 yards from the Rio Grande)
RE: plastic under guard thing
I agree 100%, but most cars and trucks for the last 20 years have had them....I don't design 'em, I just drive 'em. They probably "justify" a $100 increase in the price of a new car....[:@]
All for a .1 mpg increase in fuel economy...
All for a .1 mpg increase in fuel economy...
Lady Administrator
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,114
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From: Shelby Twp, Michigan
RE: plastic under guard thing
Yes... HAD them... but then they just scraped up or yanked off or something... and I've never heard of an adverse reaction to it... I don't even think they do all that much for the underbody airflow, most aren't too carefully placed flush on the body from the factory IMO... LMAO...
~Amanda
~Amanda
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R.I.P. Dusty (Retired Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,471
Likes: 0
From: Alamosa, Colorado (200 yards from the Rio Grande)
RE: plastic under guard thing
Very true, in the north, they are history pretty quick. I had a '83 Mustang GT with the REAL LOW front end (remember?), looked like a snow plow, and that's how it worked and snapped off at 47 below zero in Jan of '84 in Great Falls, Montana.....[:@]
R.I.P. Dusty (Retired Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,471
Likes: 0
From: Alamosa, Colorado (200 yards from the Rio Grande)
RE: plastic under guard thing
Also, I think it's Audi, or maybe Lexus, who are designing grooves into the underside of their cars to improve the handling and fuel economy...ain't science great?!?!?![&:]
Lady Administrator
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,114
Likes: 3
From: Shelby Twp, Michigan
RE: plastic under guard thing
Yea, I saw a commercial with a car that had a plastic underbody cover to reduce drag and noise... pretty cool but a big pain in the bum for mechanics... LOL!
~Amanda
~Amanda