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Is this a useless ornament?

'02 300M had an argument with a mound of packed snow, which severely damaged the flimsy plastic piece that runs pretty much the full width of the car, attached to the underside of the front bumper by push-in plastic fasteners.

Doe this thing serve any useful purpose? -- e.g., improving aerodynamics, improving cooling (esp. of the disc brakes)? If I don't like the cost of a replacement (even one from a wrecking yard), would there be any significant disadvantage in simply pitching the old one and going without?

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy
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don't

would

one word; obsolescence.

trash it.

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Reply to
TNKEV

That's an airdam. Yes, it serves a purpose. You should replace it.

------------ Alex

Reply to
Alex Rodriguez

That little 'air dam' is more for appearance than anything else -- makes the underside look neater from forward angles.

If anything, leaving the air dam off of the vehicle will improve gas mileage slightly, since it reduces any drag the dam might be causing. A deeper air dam creates a little more drag, reducing speed and increasing fuel usage, but improving downforce and reducing lift. NASCAR teams fine-tune the depth of the air dam to maximize fuel economy while providing just the right amount of vehicle control.

As an "air dam", though, it's too small and too far rearward to serve any purpose. An airdam should be at the forward edge of the nose to funnel air properly and would need to be more rigid.

Reply to
Marc

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