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Hood / Bug protector - do they work?

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5.4K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  fdeno  
J
#1 ·
Hi - been looking at getting the bug / hood protector - OEM version.

2023 Black Edition - White

Do they actually work?

I have seen some posts from earlier models and some of the caveats.

Do you have to worry about water getting caught and rusting out the attachment points long term?

Do you really have to re-adjust your hood closure?

I did not have one on my GMC 2014 Sierra - and did see the occasional rock chip on the front of the hood and did get the chip in the windshield.

If it is going to be a rust collector ... may have to weigh the + / - of going this route.

I also saw something regarding a "bra" or film?

Any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
It's hard to say if they as you only seem to know it when they don't work. If it helps avoid 1 chip it's worth it.

I have 22 Black BE and an AVS Bug Deflector. I chose the AVS bug deflector due to it's higher rise (assuming it sends stuff higher and over the cab) than than the OEM. It covers a bit wider than the OEM as well. It has a gap between the deflector and the hood, so no water will get trapped. The install is easy and the hood adjustment is very slight (at least in my case). Plus it's less expensive. a win-win in my book.
 
#5 ·
I'm skeptical that they really work. If you have a friend with one, and you take a piece of yarn 2 or 3 feet long and tape one end to the hood in front of the bug deflector, then the yarn will stream back in the wind when you are driving. The streaming yarn will show the path of the airflow. That way you can judge if the air is deflected upward or not and by how much. My guess is that you will find it in the not much to none range, but that is just my guess and I have not done the test. It would be interesting to try it on your truck without the deflector and compare the results to your friend's vehicle with the deflector.

Surprisingly I was unable to find such a test online. Possibly my google-fu is not strong.
 
#10 ·
An airflow test I allowed a neighbor's kid to do on my car with a smoke machine for a school project:
Spoiler alert (not a Ridgeline)...

I can tell you from living in the land of semi-annual "love bug" infestations that the but/rock guards work - they aren't perfect but the properly shaped ones like the AVS do help deflect a lot of critters and crud upward and away.
 
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