Patent ID: 8186746

Claim:
An air dam assembly mounted under a front end of a vehicle comprising: a passively deployable air dam assembly including a passively deployable air dam having a front surface configured to be at least partially exposed to ram air when the vehicle is traveling in a forward direction, and a passive deployment assembly including at least one spring biasing the passively deployable air dam into a retracted position, the passive deployment assembly operatively engaging the passively deployable air dam to allow the passively deployable air dam to move, against the bias of the spring, from the retracted position to a deployed position closer to ground under the vehicle when a forward speed of the vehicle reaches or exceeds a predetermined activation speed, the passive deployment assembly including a support shaft that is fixed and angles upward and forward relative to the vehicle body, a linear slider bearing that is slidably mounted on the support shaft, a dam support arm extending from the linear slider bearing, and a dam support bracket engaging the dam support arm and supporting the passively deployable air dam, the spring engaging the linear slider bearing to bias the slider bearing upward and forward on the support shaft; and a fixed air dam that is configured to extend laterally across and be in a fixed position relative to the front end of the vehicle, the fixed air dam being located forward of and at a higher elevation from the ground than the passively deployable air dam.