I almost took one of them off the other day without any tools ;-)
I'm taking my off road whenever I see a chance and the front clearance is just not as good as it has been in previous models.

I hate to remove anything but I have to admit that it may in fact look better doing what you have shown here.

Thanks for doing the work. If anything it shows that it is possible in a short amount of time without the worry of breaking anything.

 

you should take it to a body shop and have it color matched!

 

Yeah, definitly not a hard task by any means and I'm sure you could prob do it with a screwdriver alone but the pliers make things much easier.

 

Nice, I will definetly be doing that to my 2012 when it arrives.

 

just did mine today!!


pic shows left side off right still on..hard to see sorry about the amount of light. But i love it with it off!

 

This will definitely be happening before the snow hits, thanks for the write up!

 

awesome.
Stupid question: any noticeable difference at highway speeds? (fuel economy, tracks differently)...i mean, what was the purpose...other than limiting approach angle!

 

When I took mine off, I secured the felt to the lower dam through the center holes with a couple of heavy duty wire ties to try to prevent any flutter at highway speeds. Not sure it is necessary but it makes me feel better.

As yet haven't noticed any difference.

 

rep added, solid easy mod that definitely improves appearance

 

lookin good!

also nice to see someone on this forum local too me
too bad u didnt have a WK so i could buy parts from u LOL

 

i took these off a couple of days after i brought the truck home im at about 14.1 mpg avg according to the evic..i also only have 750m on it. so i don't know if the low mpg is from the air dams or b.c still not broken in..

 

The four clips that you remove..do you know where you can buy them.. there the same clips that hold the black trim by the wheel..during the storm we just had 2 or 3 of them came out and are gone. i checked pepboys and autozone no luck helppp

 

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/

They are a fraction of the price here

 

Ricko,

You don't buy that kind of stuff...stop at the first dealership you see and ask the service manager for some. I bet he just gives them to you. For a few cents worth of plastic they might get a new customer.

 

I was lucky to find those fasteners at a local auto body and paint shop. The push locks were $1each and the nylon rivets that attach to the bumpers were $.75 each this was after I paid over 4 dollars each for the same nylon rivets from an online dealer.

Look around town in your area before you go to the dealer.

 

Any update as to whether removing these affects the gas mileage or performance?

 

I did the same thing to my WK2 today and I have to say it does look better than with the two pieces on.

 

I did not even notice that those were seperate pieces from the main air dam! Looks like I'll be pulling mine off as well.

 

Completed this mod this weekend with just a flathead screwdriver. I also tied the felt pieces down to one of the little holes in the lower air dam to prevent flapping in the wind.

 

Looks good, I also didn't know these would come off. I wonder what the intent of these were. I'm surprised this hasn't been a bigger mod discussion.

 

Thanks, I'm not sure to be honest. It adds more clearance to the front of the Jeep and I think it looks nicer. I also haven't noticed any decrease in gas mileage. I think the idea was to maybe make it more aerodynamic...? Either way I think it gives it a "meaner" look with them off and it was a very quick mod.

 

You answered the question. They are there for aerodynamics, channel rain water away from the front tires at speed and prevent air & road crap from getting behind the relatively flimsy felt front wheelwell liners.

They are there for a reason, do not look that terrible and I will be leaving mine alone.

Try taking off the off-roading removable lower bumper fascia and driving at speeds above 35-40 mph and see what happens to the felt fender liners (they will "blow out").

 

I wouldn't take out the entire lower bumper for casual driving. I took them off because I think it looks better without the two pieces on. Your not really losing anything by taking them off but I respect your decision!

 

That looks good. I keep eyeballing mine even before reading this thread. I always had to look where I park because of our Honda Civic that would scrape the parking stop if I don't pay attention.

 

I just took mine off this morning. For those who have not done this mod yet I would suggest cutting around the center rivet and not taking it out. This leaves the tab that has the connection piece to keep the felt in place so no zip ties are needed.

I do have a question though. Has anyone who has done the mod trimmed away the felt that sticks out closest to the center of the vehicle? Now that it is exposed I am concerned that it may get caught on something while off road and rip the entire wheel well out.

 

I didn't cut around the center rivet in case I ever want to put them back on. If you do it the way it's described in the DIY you can use that hole and zip tie the felt onto the plastic pic in a way that it can't get snagged on anything.

 

Quick question, I noticed one of mine was damaged in transport, has a gauge in it and just noticed it. How much to replace one of these? I don't intend on paying for it but just curious.

 

Thanks 604 I just removed mine today and love how it looks.

 

Just completed this on my jeep today. SOOOO much better. One thing i did not like about my jeep was the terrible "sedan" style bumper. It just looks weak and is not fitting of what a jeep should be IMO. Worlds of difference to me so big ups for the post and DIY instructions. I would recommend (if you have them or you can borrow them) some drive on ramps to elevate the vehicle. This would make an easy mod even easier especially for a guy like me with long arms. Definitely lets you see the area you are working on and lay and work comfortably under the vehicle. thanks again for the post!

 

completed picture