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By "factory air dam", I really meant whatever is on there now that the on-coming air hits, bumper, bumper cover, or whatever. The point was, if it extends down to the same height as the lowest hanging stuff behind it, that's good. But if not (which it probably doesn't), then you should be able to improve things by making something that does & attaching it to the bottom of your existing bumper/air dam/whatever.
Maybe do a mock-up with cardboard & duct tape, then do an "A-B-A" test, and if it shows an improvement, make something nicer. Some guys use plastic landscape lawn edging, others use conveyor belt material.... Having the lower part somewhat flexible is good to reduce damage to it... Making it curve around on the sides to deflect the air smoothly around the front tires is huge, too. If you look at any of the newer cars, they ALL have that feature now.
As far as lugging all that weight you have to haul up hills, the best thing I can think of is to find your most efficient way to climb the grades & then let the speed bleed off as you approach the top. If traffic behind you allows, maybe let it slow WAY down as you crest the top, then let gravity do as much of the work accelerating you back up to speed on the other side as possible. Also, maybe pick up some extra speed before the hill so the stored momentum helps carry you part of the way up it. By practicing this technique - picking up speed by the bottom, letting it bleed off all the way up & using gravity assist to regain it again on the other side, you should see some improvement.
Obviously, if the hill is long enough, there'll still be a section where you've got to just grunt up it with power (= gas). But hitting the bottom with extra speed & then slower speed by the top could still help, maybe. ??
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