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Had anyone who pulled off the air dam an ORP had any issues with debris or wind getting into the components or is the ORP skid plate pretty sufficient? I want the air dam off.
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Air Dam Removal Issues w/ debris or wind getting into the components?
I removed it few days after bringing it home from dealer. No issues, but was concerned about the 2 - 3" air gap between front bumper plastic and my after market skids.
My front/engine skid mounts at the front recovery points (as opposed to radiator support crossbar as most others do which seems less than ideal). But there is still an air gap between the front bumper and the skid. Same case even for skids that mount to the radiator support crossbar. RCI offers a gap fill plate for the 5th gen that pairs with their front skid, but I have not found an offering by anyone for 6th gen (except one I saw that pairs with a front bumper offering, maybe Rago Fab).
I was concerned that debris or pebble could pop in there and strike the radiator or condensor / components. Not sure how likely, but definitely does not seem impossible.
I used an oscillating multi tool to cut my air dam and fashion a gap filler. Used existing holes/screws from air dam mount. Drilled holes in the cut plastic and used plastic rivets leftover from recent splash guard install to secure two pieces together.
Just plastic but will deinitely keep out small debris, brush, pebbles, etc. from that gap exposing radiator and condensor.
Will get a metal fill plate down the line when the time comes for high clearance metal front bumper. Probably after I crack the plastic one and/or a desirable offering comes to market.
Interesting dilemma. I took the photo below after removing mine to go offroading and it sort of shows what I recalled - no obvious gap. But that is with the OEM plastic/fiber skid plate still intact (and I assume when I replace that with the Land Cruiser skid it will connect in the exact same place so still no gap). (And now I think I understand why aftermarket bumpers reference trimming the OEM skids.)
I have not taken mine off yet but most likely will. I ran the vehicle (TRD Off Road Premium) through a car wash and one or two of the pins holding the air dam in place on the driver's side broke. Had to be in the car wash. At that point I was in the middle of a 5,000 mile road trip just after we purchased the vehicle. No place else that could of happened. Dealer replaced the pins. Based on that and the fact the lower edge is only 8.75 inches above the pavement I figure that our first good snow is going to rip it off as it will be pushing snow. Leaving it in place until when/if that happens. I just installed the OEM TRD front skid plate and the OEM skit plate that goes behind that. After taking a good look at the air dam and what was behind it I thought improvements were needed.
Can you post of picture of your gap filler? I just installed the Rival plates but am waiting on the engine plate from back order. I’m wondering if it’ll have a gap or not so I’d like to get some ideas.
That looks solid. Good idea.
I to am interested in raising the height of the air dam. We hit the beach in the summer and don't want it dipping down and catching sand when in a rut at the dune crossings.
What about resizing the air dam? Remove it, carefully trim about 2" of clearance (basically the lip) and then transition it back to the same angled curve on the outside edges. Or do you think it'll lose rigidity once it's cut?
Are there any other sizes available between all the differing trim packages? I know my F-250's air dam varies in height depending upon standard, Tremor, FX4 packages. Maybe and SR5 is different from a TRD ORS/ORP/Limited?
What about resizing the air dam? Remove it, carefully trim about 2" of clearance (basically the lip) and then transition it back to the same angled curve on the outside edges. Or do you think it'll lose rigidity once it's cut?
Are there any other sizes available between all the differing trim packages? I know my F-250's air dam varies in height depending upon standard, Tremor, FX4 packages. Maybe and SR5 is different from a TRD ORS/ORP/Limited?
Personally not a fan of it on the 4Runner nor any other vehicle. If it was supposed to flow with the design aesthetically then they would've made the bottom of the bumper shaped that way. Instead it's purely an add on for fuel economy. Our tow rig has one for fuel economy and it pains me to see it...but I need all the MPG I can get with that thing when pulling our camper.
That said, I removed ours tonight. Yes - love the look. But while laying on the ground looking around I can now see the gap everyone mentions. Seems like a convenient slot for a rock to flip up into the intercooler. Even the suspension is more exposed to small rocks that might tear the CV boot. I'm now considering a trimmed-down version. Maybe taking my time and taping off a slimmer cut line to keep it around 2 inches. That way it will bridge the gap of the exposed area while the 2" of lip would hopefully be enough to provide the necessary structural rigidity.
I also looked at my lower control arms. While I do see the holes they don't seem to be in the same spot as the photos I've seen in various threads on here at over at TacomaWorld. The Tacoma lower arms only had one punch hole that was dimpled down for drainage and the rest were flush - the flush ones are the ones they plug. But the arms on my 4Runner have all the holes dimpled downward. I wonder if that's all it needs to stop the howling/whistling sound? I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning on the 60+ mile commute to work!
That said, I removed ours tonight. Yes - love the look. But while laying on the ground looking around I can now see the gap everyone mentions. Seems like a convenient slot for a rock to flip up into the intercooler. Even the suspension is more exposed to small rocks that might tear the CV boot. I'm now considering a trimmed-down version. Maybe taking my time and taping off a slimmer cut line to keep it around 2 inches. That way it will bridge the gap of the exposed area while the 2" of lip would hopefully be enough to provide the necessary structural rigidity.
I also looked at my lower control arms. While I do see the holes they don't seem to be in the same spot as the photos I've seen in various threads on here at over at TacomaWorld. The Tacoma lower arms only had one punch hole that was dimpled down for drainage and the rest were flush - the flush ones are the ones they plug. But the arms on my 4Runner have all the holes dimpled downward. I wonder if that's all it needs to stop the howling/whistling sound? I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning on the 60+ mile commute to work!
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