Spring loaded segmented air dam?
 

When I read about optimal air dam heights I cringe because of all the frost heaving around here. One spring I knew someone who would bottom out his DeLorean consistently. Anyhow, what if the air damn were made in sections, each with a hinge and a spring that allowed it to swivel up if a bump were encountered. I figure using flexible air dam materials it would be much harder to get the desired resistance level than using a spring. Also, segments mean replacing worn out sections would be easier. So, sanity check: does this idea have any obvious flaws? Thanks.

You could also make the air dam extend forward at an angle to get more of a ramp pushing air up effect I guess.

Hmmm...end on collisions wouldn't play nice with that as it swiveled up. Drat. Well, it would be ugly anyway!

Little wheels on the bottom might help with scraping, but it's probably overkill.

I haven't had much luck with my airdam. I extended it (probably too much) and saw no gain from it (there may have been a change but not much).

I recently trimmed it down because of scraping. I have heard that a belly pan would help more than an airdam. I was going to do that but the time involved kept me from doing it.

I've pretty much rejected a belly pan for difficulty reasons. That's one modification my mechanic actually thinks is worth doing. Maybe I'll take another look.

I had actually gotten a piece of coroplast to do it with. after looking at my car and how I was going to have to get my car in the air, I scrapped the idea. I don't have a lift or a friend with one. one of my friends is planning on getting one in a few years.

the material of choice around here is coroplast but one user used tub surround from lowes. I tought that was ingenious. he has a cavalier and his user name is phlease (I think). he is getting really good mileage. he is my hero (I have a few).

I did think about getting some jackstands but I am cheap.

Wow. That IS cheap.:) I'm just too lazy.

maybe lazy would be a better description. I do have two ramps made of plastic that I use to change oil.

I would really just be getting the jack stands to do the belly pan with. I never think about it when I am out and I don't want to make a special trip for them. I also have issues with paying 20-40 dollars (can't remember what they cost) to put on a $20 modification on my car.

How are those plastic ramps? I have some bright yellow metal ones. Have some plastic fore-ramps that help with lower clearance vehicles (got 'em for free - left behind by a former renter). I'm always nervous driving up those things.

Look at the front of most GM cars. Almost all of them have a vertical plastic "air dam" that's spring loaded like you're describing.

mine are black.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...%7CGRP2042____

I don't think mine are rated that high but they also have an 8,000 lb ramp kit. either way it will hold up my car. they do sink up in the ground if you aren't on a hard surface.

Thanks! Having a tough time finding closeup pictures, but I'll take your word for it and keep my eyes open the next time I'm in a parking lot. Nice to know the idea is viable. Could allow for a pretty aggressively low air dam. If I make it a little too long and it hits bumps frequently, presumably it will wear down to the correct length! I can use colored plastic, but I guess it would turn sort of grey with the scraping.

when you say spring loaded, do you just mean that they will give and then come back to the shape?

I have such a cheesy air dam. it is just an L shaped piece of plastic so that it will give. it isn't very big, I added to it and made it unstable so I had to add some supports behind it so that it didn't fold back in the wind.

*edit* it is more like a "7" and is attached at the top of the 7 to a metal piece just below my radiator.

Nope, actual springs. So it can tilt really far and then come back. I'm exploring how reasonable a dam that's just about dragging on the ground might be. That's why it'd need to be segmented.

As a bonus, you could have removable braces that prevent it from tilting and use it to plow your driveway... :D

Maybe if my Accent had a lower gear... I prefer a snow blower as you start to run out of places to put the snow some years. With a blower, you just angle it up a bit more. Check out the bank on the left. Yeesh.

https://www.fuelly.com/attachments/fo...bb86bcbf5f.jpg

I guess I could blend both approaches: flexible dam for the first few inches, spring tabs for the rest. Tabs could move a lot less and it'd give me more mounting flexibility to the car.

Why don't auto makers add flat bottoms anyway (at least partially)? Difficulty of maintenance? Cost?

Nobody cares what the underside of the car looks like, the cost of the belly pan would be too much to sell on the slightly increased fuel economy, and then there's the whining about how it impedes servicing the car...look at car forums for cars with engine covers and all the whining that goes on.

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:...ngine+cover%22

My VW has a decently smooth undercarriage, with large areas covered.

My engine cover comes right off. What's the big deal?

Do it like this guy!

https://www.hemmy.net/images/car/crazycarmod01.jpg

Thought it was on a trailer for a second!

I got it from this site:

https://www.hemmy.net/2006/04/26/craz...ds-from-japan/

Some of those would DEFINATELY get you some looks!

https://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL821.../145942293.jpg

Basically there's 4 coil springs that feed through it on the ends. Then the ones on the left link together, as do the ones on the right. This lets the dam fold back if it rubs on something, but damn does it make a nasty noise coming back off (mom thinks that she should keep pulling forward until she hears the scraping noise for some reason).

Pretty cheap and easy. The dam shown is for a Saturn S series, they go for about $25 through the dealer.

Maybe some inspiration can be taken from prior art...

https://www.blizzardsnowplows.com/plo...eltripedge.asp
https://www.blizzardsnowplows.com/ima...pedge_page.gif

https://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:...ges/spring.jpg

https://www.lowvillesport.com/tripedge.jpg

I'm sure that, living in Vermont, you can get a close-up look at a trip-edge plow. Look for plows whose cutting edge is hinged. Other plows trip the whole blade, not just the edge, and dump their whole load of snow.

That's great! GM's spring thing won't quite work all the way to the ground, but it could get me partway there. Definitely file this under "don't hold you breath", unfortunately. I just like the exploration of ideas.