Bumper air dams
Just wondering if some of you have an opinion as to whether an air dam serves a purpose, especially when towing . I have an older 95 Silverado that seems to have alot of heat that builds up in the eng...
Forum Discussion
JIMNLIN wrote:
No use being snarkey ...... I sure don't know more than GM engineers but I do know they help improve air flow through the engine compartment at highway speeds and do little in low speed driving such as in city type traffic. We are talking about working trucks and towing duties.
Radiator fans were once controlled by engine rpm now most are done electronically.
Low speeds/low engine rpms/city traffic the fans work as engine temps rise such as sitting in traffic or pulling a trailer up a steep grade.
Get out on the highway at high speeds and the fans shut down as the air flow increases.
A google has lots on the subject of the lower air dams on our trucks and what they do.
The fan shuts off at high speeds due to the ram air coming through the grill and radiator cooling the coolant off, at low speeds there is no ram air so the fan turns on to pull air across the radiator fins to cool the coolant. The fan will also come on at high speeds if required due to high coolant temperatures to pull more air across the radiator fins to help cool things down.
The air dam doesn't help with air flow through the engine compartment as air is already flowing through the grill, radiator fins and out the bottom of the engine compartment. The air has nowhere else to go but out the bottom of the engine compartment as the hood, firewall and side body panels restrict air flow.
