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If you're really interested in protecting your truck from bugs, rocks, and other stuff, there is no substitute for clear bra (aka., film, 3M, Xpel). It covers much more of the front surface than a bug deflector (i.e., the entirety of the front of the truck instead of just the first few inches of the hood above the grille).
It costs a lot more, but you get a lot more from it.
I've had deflectors on two of my trucks and there is one on my wife's van. My F-150 has an aero skin. I like the look of them all.
None of them have stopped bugs, rock salt or rocks from hitting our windshields. In addition, I live on a treed lot and the deflectors trap leaves, maple keys, tree cones, etc. between them and the hood.
Will I keep using some form of deflector? Probably.
I ran bug deflectors on my 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th gen F100s and 150s. I didn't run them on my 11th and 12th gens. Partially because I didn't care for the look of them on the newer trucks. But mostly because the deflectors that I ran on my older trucks were kind of a trade off. They may have saved a few paint chips but they caused paint damage where they rubbed on the leading edge of the hood.
We'll I've had mine on my 2013 for a year now and I'm not happy with it anymore! I feel it serves no purpose as I've gotten bug splats, rock chips in my hood and windshield and it just collects dirt and debris in behind it PLUS it has also created a whistling sound!!! Sooooo I think it's time it comes off!!
09-18-2014, 01:55 PM
