Under Grill/bumper air dam removal ?

[Radman73]

Moving onto some on topic helpful posts...

Make sure you tidy up the connection to the carpet liner so you don't have any flapping at higher speed. Couple holes and some poor man handcuffs... Er... Zip ties will do.

Id still like to cover those holes though. Solutions anyone? I may end up trying a flat piece of rubber on the inside and sealing it in there.

Any old all weather floor mats laying around? Cut to suit.

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[dalola]

I also removed the strakes. 7 bolts & 1 clip each. Reattach the 3 vertical bolts in the inner fender liner once the strakes are out, leave the rest out, along with removing the 4 clip nuts from the bottom attachment point. I also added a zip tie the same as @Montana, to help secure that corner.

What are the strakes for? FE. OEM's are searching for fractional low cost gains in FE, and these help under-body aero, which in turn improves FE.

Why remove them? Mostly to gain a bit more clearance before mother nature removes them for me, in a less gentle manor. I also think it looks better without them.

Downside? A fractional loss of FE at highway speeds.

 

[Dudley]

Me thinks I will leave them there to help keep as much of the crud and rocks and whatever from getting to that part of my front drive axle, especially the boot over the u-joint and if needed, take it easy when pulling in at a sharp angle.

 

[dalola]

Me thinks I will leave them there to keep as much of the crud and rocks and whatever from getting to that part of my front drive axle, especially the boot over the u-joint and if needed, take it easy when pulling in at a sharp angle.

Your choice of course, but the strakes do nothing to protect the axles/CV joints.

 

[Dudley]

Your choice of course, but the strakes do nothing to protect the axles/CV joints.

This image certainly appears to show the removal of the spats, although meant to improve gas mileage, leaves that area far more exposed and therefore might perform a secondary good function?

 

[cyberdog]

Removing that front under molding & wheel lip, most likely reduces mileage, by creating more turbulence under the vehicle. They're there to sort of 'shape' the airflow under the vehicle, around the tires, for aerodynamics. (Auto mfgs wouldn't spend the money to install them, if it didn't help).

I can absolutely state that adding a tonneau helps mileage. Even TFLT using a full size, proved it made roughly a 6% increase. - There's a reason Nascar's truck series has a flat top where the bed would be, as opposed to incorporating the bed. Even at 40-45 mph, the tonneau helps mileage.

 

[K5Blazer]

If you really need that extra clearance for rocks I think you picked the wrong truck to begin with. Not the wrong Maverick, the wrong truck altogether.

The AWD Mavericks are akin to Subarus and the like. They are not frame-on pickup trucks like the Ranger or Taco. The base models of those would laugh at terrain that the lifted and modified Mavericks are attempting to clear without scraping.

That being said, I can’t wait to see the first lifted Maverick with 33’s.
I love spending other people’s money on things that break.

 

[K5Blazer]

As for the OPs question, cut em or just let the parking curbs do it for you for the next 5 years.

You sound like the kind of driver who needs a set of curb feelers.

 

[Dudley]

(Auto mfgs wouldn't spend the money to install them, if it didn't help).

Helps meet EPA standards for Manufacturers
And, as K5Blazer said, "If you really need that extra clearance for rocks I think you picked the wrong truck to begin with. Not the wrong Maverick, the wrong truck altogether," to which I say, YEP! Meant to be an urban/city truck.

 

[dalola]

This image certainly appears to show the removal of the spats, although meant to improve gas mileage, leaves that area far more exposed and therefore might perform a secondary good function?

This is a good example of parallax error, as it relates to your claim.

The strakes are 100% there for FE, nothing else.

 

[Maverickman74]

You sound like the kind of driver who needs a set of curb feelers.

I'm the kind of driver who bought a Tremor so the tires feel the curbs. If I did ever drive anything lowered I would definitely not have the rear dropped so much I couldn't back into a curb and be set for a quick getaway.

 

[Montana]

Maybe the extra clearance for off road is not much help, but it certainly is for mall crawling.

In Montana the parking lots are not exactly forgiving in a lot of places and neither are the entrances. Even the roads especially the back roads that have something like a 55mph speed there was this one hump that every single time I'd hit it even slowing down to 45 it would scrape those things. No noises since so it must've helped!

I'm the kind of driver who bought a Tremor so the tires feel the curbs. If I did ever drive anything lowered I would definitely not have the rear dropped so much I couldn't back into a curb and be set for a quick getaway.

My small town has a lot of on street parking and sometimes I'll parallel park if needed, but most time I'm just doing exactly as you described. Especially during winter when the whole side of the road is frozen solid and the berms are feet out from where they should be. You better believe I'm climbing up as much as I can to not stick out in the streets like some of the lazy's do.

 

[Dudley]

This is a good example of parallax error, as it relates to your claim.

The strakes are 100% there for FE, nothing else.

Fine. But that bit of extra protection for increased MPG via elimination of turbulence also keeps the same from crud getting into that area. That is a given. So, I will keep them.

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