What's the purpose of the black plastic piece below front bumper and in front of the tires? The clips on mine are not attached to whatever part they should be (wheel liner?) and are being secured by just one screw.

 

I guess to help keep water from the tires entering the engine compartment?

 

Aero device, can't remember the actual term Honda gave them, they do supposedly have a purpose though.

Edit: Honda calls them a strake.

https://honda.oempartsonline.com/oem...w0LWdhcw%3D%3D

 

Oh, if you've ripped the mounting point, more than likely you'll need to replace the entire fender liner as the mounts are on there. Liners are a quick swap, just get new clips at the same time. I lost the strakes on mine a few years back, more than likely from my driveway scraping, swapped new liners and strakes on, quite easy.

 

My S has several scrapes on the bottom of the bumper, probably the same cause of the strakes on mine being loose.

 

These flaps block air flow to reduce drag. Boost fuel mileage, aid top speed.

Keeps air from spinning tire, a large source of vehicle drag.

You should be able to repair plastic it mounts to using jb weld plastic repair. Two options, one is their plastic bumper repair, other is plastic repair.

 

my ford escapes had them over the years , helps fuel economy mostly.

 

Air flow management in and around wheels/tires is actually a very impactful. It's quite interesting if you go down the rabbit hole of researching the topic.

 

Honda calls them stiffeners. So they aid in stiffening the splash guard. They also deflect air. Both things are minor aerodynamic aids. They may also help with road noise or prevent damage in case of small impact.