To dam or not to dam.

There is an aftermarket replacement that resembles those bead curtains popular in the 60's... some prefer those.

 

Do they come with sitar music and Mary Jane.

 

It is not there for epa mpg. Its there to force air up into the radiator for cooling. I honestly don't thing much would change by removing it.

 

Watch out bro, a 4.0 with 33's gonna blow you your doors off...

 

Serious note, I took mine off years ago and never looked back. I kept it for a while, just chucked it this summer as I never saw myself putting it back on.

 

The waxed mustache on Rich Uncle Pennybags isn't ONLY there to give intimate tickles when he pleases his harpies.

You're right that its removal isn't a big deal and doesn't change anything dramatically, but it's not just there for the radiator. It also reduces NVH (not just noise, the steering feel is improved higher speeds due to those little winglet stubs). It also improves fuel economy. It also makes the truck look badass.

Just like Pennybags's mustache.

 

Tell that to GM. No, it is there for MPG. It is why only the off road and pro models come without it. If anything those would need more cooling. But as Toyota says, their engine bays are something like 20°C cooler than the competition, which is also why the hood scoop is fake. Making it real would serve no real purpose and create unwanted turbulence, according to their explanation.

 

one of the first things I did, then sold it to a guy with an OR

 

I recall Motor Trend having a long term Colorado where they removed the front air dam about half way through their testing.
They stated that the truck lost about 1 MPG.

I know its a different truck, but the result might be similar.

 

I loved mine for three years then I got a suspension upgrade and lift. I saw how it didn't fit the look afterward and in the trash it went. Two years later and I do not regret it.

 

Those pool balls remind me of the old shifters that the Toyotas used have in the late 70s and early 80s.

 

I thought I'd have taken mine off but I heard it can keep the lower front suspension a little cleaner from snow and slush. we will see when that weather comes to my area.
I do think it looks better off than on. the truck seems to have a taller stance on sports and SR, SR5 without it even on stock suspension.
I predict that mine will go on the top shelf in the basement with the chrome grille surround this coming spring.

 

Toyota didn't spend R&D $ and then hundreds of thousands of dollars to put one on each truck because they don't do anything. Typically air dams are for cooling unless the vehicle is low to the ground or has underbody panels to create a uniform floor. Creating a low pressure area behind the heat exchangers benefits flow though the matrix even at lower speeds

 

Update:
several weeks since removal, I can say it has made no major difference between On vs. Off. FWIW I also added Husky mud flaps and achieved my best tank mpg last week (19 combo hwy/city). The relationship between your right foot


and the gas pedal probably makes more impact on MPG than any plastic doodad.

Shalom Y'all.

 

About 1 minute in this video, the Toyota engineer talks about the air dam.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FutBBbglZvo

 

Had mine off for 6 month. I put it back on, i like how it looks with it on.

 

The Colorado is a different beast altogether as it has that hideous stinkbug stance, the nose is like 6" off the ground and the rear is ass high. The window sticker MPG ratings on the Tacoma models are the same for with and without it.

 

If the fake scoop is the trucks “soul patch” then the air dam is the chin strap “mall pimp” beard. They go together on the sport like chest shaving and tanning.