How to choose a grille guard for your truck

A grille guard provides esthetic and practical benefits for your truck. With so many styles and models on the market, choosing the best grille guard for your needs can be challenging. Here are some tips to help you decide.

Benefits of installing a grille guard

Installing a grille guard on your truck provides the following benefits:

• It protects your truck’s grille, bumper, headlights and radiator from damage during impacts with wildlife or other objects like fallen trees or rocks on off-road trails.

• It simplifies the installation of other useful exterior truck accessories, such as a towing wench or auxiliary lights.

• It gives your truck a more aggressive look. Grille guards come in chrome, glass, matte black and other colours to compliment the look of your truck.

Grille guards come in various shapes and sizes, so you can cover as much or as little of your truck as you like.

Things to consider when choosing a grille guard

When choosing a grille guard, knowing the terminology can help you make the best choice. Here are some common types of grille guards.

• Full front-end grille guards protect the grille and headlights. They’re typically constructed from two heavy-duty upright tubes bolted to the trucks’ frame with horizontal bars running over the grille and headlights.

• Centre grille guards cover an area lower than a full front-end grille guard and directly in front of the radiator, not the headlights. They can provide a place to install auxiliary lights.

• Sports and nudge bars cover the same width as centre grille guards but sit quite low and don’t protect the headlights. They offer protection in low-speed impacts.

• Bull bars are designed to help your truck climb over rocks and cause the vehicle to bounce up over boulders or steep slopes. These are typically tubular steel hoops mounted below the grille.

• Skid plates protect the area underneath the vehicle from rocks, trees and other hazards associated with off-road travel.

• Rear bumper guards protect the vehicle’s rear from damage caused by fender benders or parking lot traffic.

• Taillight guards protect the rear lights from trees or branches that can whip back and hit your vehicle while off-roading.

It’s also important to consider the material and finish of the grille guard. Polished stainless steel is the most rugged and corrosion-resistant material, but it’s also more expensive and heavier than other metals like aluminum. You can also choose chrome-plated or powder-coated finishes to enhance your truck’s appearance.

Grille guards and truck accessories in the GTA

At Hitch City, we carry high-quality grille guards from the top names in the business, including Aries, Luverne and Westin. We sell bike carriers, towing hitches, truck caps and car mats. Contact us today to learn more about our truck accessories and trailer hitch equipment.