5 Reasons to get a Grille Guard for Your Truck

If you’re looking to upgrade your truck’s appearance while enhancing its functionality, after a truck rack a grille guard is a great solution. According to Auto Accessories Garage, a grille guard protects your vehicle’s front end from scrapes and grille detail damage caused by high grass, rocks, and various other degrading elements that can be kicked up by other vehicles. It may also prevent injuries during an accident with another vehicle or when hitting an animal. “Few automotive additions can improve both aesthetics and safety; a front grill guard can. These truck accessories do more than just make your vehicle look better, they also offer tremendous advantages, especially if you take your truck off road.” (Trick Truck)

Most grille guards use factory mounting positions located below the front bumper, allowing users to bolt on easily with no cutting or drilling required. A grille guard, otherwise known as a bull bar, is custom-designed for a particular vehicle, meaning that not only will they match up specifically with factory mounting positions, they will also fit precisely to a vehicle’s front end. When researching options, be sure to select your vehicle’s specific year, make, and model. “Typically made of formed tube steel, you will find them in black, chrome, and stainless finishes, and most custom designed to fit YOUR vehicle… You can pick from one piece, modular pieces, and even headlight guards – so that you can pretty much design and cover what you want to.” (Ezine Articles)

Explore five reasons you should get a grille guard for your pickup truck, below:

1. Grille Guards Work Well with other Truck Accessories (like Tow Hooks)

A large benefit of a grille guard is that it typically does not affect other truck accessories that are already installed on your truck, such as a tow hook, bed rails, or a truck rack. In fact, according to Trick Trucks, grill guards can actually help protect certain parts of your truck, such as the radiator that is typically behind the grille.

*According to Auto Anything, the one caveat is that sometimes – due to their strength – tow hooks act as the mount for bull bars and grille guards. In these instances, truck accessory manufacturers will often include new tow hooks for use with their guards.

2. You Can Add Additional Lights to your Grille Guard

To further enhance the look of your vehicle, most grille guards allow users to feature additional fog, driving, and off-road auxiliary lights on your trucks front end. It’s important to check specific product descriptions to ensure this is possible (not all manufacturers offer this option). By choosing a grille guard, you’ll be bringing a more rugged look to your vehicle while giving it additional lighting capabilities.

3. In Minor Accidents, a Grille Guard May Protect Your Front End

According to Auto Accessories Garage, in a low-speed, low-impact crash, a grille guard or bull bar will modestly protect your front-end bumpers, lights, and grille details from damage. In some cases, a brush guard for jeeps and other vehicles can even push a sedentary object for a short distance at a low speed (though this could scratch or mark your guard’s finish). Bull bars, especially those with skid plates, can provide solid protection for a vehicle’s lower front bumper in low-speed collisions.

Please note, however, that in a high-speed, high-impact crash, a grille guard will be crushed back into your grille, which may actually increase damage costs. “The point of these products is not to allow you to drive around slamming into things… they are designed to look tough and protect your vehicle from glancing damage. Your rig will not become a battering ram, no matter how big and bad a grille guard or bull bar makes it look.” (Auto Accessories Garage)

4. A Grille Guard May Better Protect You in an Accident with an Animal

Studies have shown that a grill guard can prevent major structural damage depending on the speed traveled and a particular animal’s size (for instance, one normal-sized deer struck at a moderate rate of speed). In such unfortunate circumstances, certain protection gains can be found. It’s important to note that larger animals (such as moose, buffalo, or elk) will do serious damage to any vehicle, regardless of aftermarket modifications. Even with a bull bar or grille guard, keep your eyes peeled whenever these animals may be present where you drive.

5. Grille Guards Give Your Truck a More Rugged Look

While the primary goal of a grille guard may be to help protect your paint job from scratches and debris while off-roading, they ultimately give your truck a desirable, rugged style. “There are several kinds of finishes available, so you can find the perfect grill to complement your truck. You can even match your grill guard to your other truck accessories to give it a more complete look.” (Trick Truck)

Summary

Whether you’re looking to better protect your truck’s front-end while off-roading, or simply want to give it some style, a grille guard may be a good option. “These products, a sort of durable fence for a truck or SUV’s front end, add a desirably rugged look.” (Auto Accessories Garage) Be sure to do adequate research before selecting a grille guard manufacturer, to ensure it’s made from quality materials and will fit the specific make and model of your vehicle.

Editorial credit: Auto Anything, Auto Accessories Garage, Trick Truck