Front air dam
Introduction
Extending a dam to the level of the lowest underbody component (possibly lower depending on the vehicle) diverts air away from (around) the most aerodynamically "dirty" area of most vehicles.
Adding air dams (particularly on trucks & SUV's) is a common tactic used by auto makers looking for quick aero-fixes to improve efficiency.
For cars that have a belly pan this mod is likely to cause no gain and may result in worse efficiency.
Contents
Instructions for mod
Screw a large piece of material to the front of the car. Ensure the bottom of the material is lower than the lowest object underneath the car this will cause most of the airflow to not be disturbed by the unaerodynamic underside of the car
User experiences
Please enter your user name and any relevant data in the table
User Name | Car Make, Model, Year | Cost of Mod | Time to Perform Mod | MPG Before Mod | MPG After Mod | MPG improvement guess | Instruction Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Big Dave | Ford F350 pickup | 26.34 Tank fill measured |
27.00 Tank fill measured |
2.5% Tank fill measured |
Effects of air dam (Ford F350) | ||
kir_kenix | 1997 Chevy S10 | $5 | 15 Min | 31ish |
31.7 |
1% Tank fill measured |
[] |
moorecomp | 99 Escort ZX2 | $7 | 30 min | 4.6% or 2MPG (tank to tank data) | Home Depot Air Dam | ||
wagonman76 | 89 6000 LE Wagon | $0 | <1 Hour | 7% or 2MPG (several months of tank to tank data) | Lawn edging airdam still holding up well |
Problems / Consequences of mod
- A very low air dam may result in scraping the ground during turns or going over bumps
References
Forum thread links
Effects of air dam (Ford F350)
5th generation civic hatchback - improving aerodynamics
Lawn edging airdam still holding up well
1989 Pontiac 6000 Wagon - my build thread
External links
Hotrod.com wind tunnel testing
Flow field features and aerodynamic drag of passanger cars <<< Pages 18 and 19 apply to air dams