am wanting to put a ford bug shield on the new truck...

a guy in the office says bug shields are unnecessary, good for looks only, and advises against messing with the vehicle's designed shape and profile..... (quotes: "if they were necessary, they'd build 'em that way at the factory..." and "who are you to go messing with the vehicle's design after it's been perfected by experts in a wind tunnel?" )

1. reckon this has been hashed out here before.... has there been a 'bug shield debate' thread? can't find one...

2. could someone with pics of a ford low profile and high profile bug shield direct me to their galleries so i can compare each?

cheers....

 

Ostuni

I have a pic in my Album of the low profile bug shield from Ford. After looking at my wifes minivan with 70k miles and all the chips in and around the hood, I put one on my new truck. I don't care if the aerodynamics are messed up a little bit, I don't want to spend $600 to repaint the hood in a few years.

A wash mit won't fit under the shield so I keep a small towel in the bucket when I wash the truck.

It's well worth the $65. The only issue I have is that at 80 to 85 MPH, I hear a slight slapping sound from the wipers but it's very minor and thats only when they are not running.

If you do some searching in this forum for "ford bug guard" you should find some good threads on the install instructions

 

You arent flying at mach speeds, the aerodynamic effects are minimal. If that is a serious concern you better not drive with your hand out the window or the windows down for that matter.
I bought one right away after seeing what a truck without one looks like. Its a very inexpensive form of protection that you shouldnt pass up. The reason they dont come on the trucks is because they want you to buy it aftermarket.

 

Ostuni,

I installed a Ford low profile bug deflector when I purchased my truckat the end of October '03. I liked the way it looked and wanted it to protect the leading edge of my hood from dings/chips. I never had any wind noise or vibration issues. One of the negative aspects was being unable to get under to for waxing. That wasn't a big deal, though...I was able to remove or install it in less than 5 minutes.
It did do a good job of protecting the leading edge of my hood from chips, however, I do have some dings higher up on my hood AND the paint is worn on the very front edge of my hood where it touched the inside of the bug deflector. With the deflector on, you'd never know it was there, but it is visible with it off.
It so happens that when I installed my new grill, I removed the bug deflector because I think that with the new grill, the truck looks better without it. I plan on touching up the abrasion area from the deflector when I touch up many of the other chips on my truck later this fall or in the spring.
The abrasion is not a major issue, but it's good to know about when you are considering the purchase. If I were put the deflector on again, I'd probably look for some clear 3M tape to use to protect the finish where it makes contact with the deflector.

 

I haven't had any issues with aerodynamics with my bug shield but if I were to do it over again, I would cover the entire hood with the 3M film. While the bug guard does protect the leading edge I still have scratches and dings further up on the hood.

 

Another thing to note. The lift (raising the front end of the truck) really helped out with that as well. Its a lot harder now for a car to throw a stone up any higher than my bumper.

 

I took mine off, at 70+mph the hood would shake badly, and the wind noise was very noticable.

 

Perceptron,
If that was the case it probably was not installed properly. Others had that same problem (search under hood shake). If you loosen the grill portion and tuck the lip in the problem should be gone unless you have a different shield than I have.

 

I had the dealer order a low pro and a high pro for me. I brought them both home and tried each one on for size. I liked the looks of the high profile a bit better, and I can sneak the wash mit and chamois under it.

No problems with noise or hood vibrations yet.

 

My hood looked as though it was floating at 70-80 MPH and the change in aero dynamics from the lund shield made a high pitched vibration near the weather striping and my wipers. I took mine off. Lund told me that they have a newer version out since thier first run wasn't aerodynamically sound. Hope it works this time.

Matt

 

I have the Ford low pro .. no problems at all

 

These bug shields may protect the hood area just behind the shield, BUT what about the upper portion of the grill which is below the shield. In other words on the '04's you have to insert the clips or whatever between the grill and the hood-then you get some rock protection, but the complete grille goes unprotected. This is all exposed and will eventually get pulverized, if the truck is on the highway much. I guess a bra is about the only thing that help with this-and I don't consider this a great solution. So even with the best of bug shields, so much paint damage will still happen, that it' all not really worth worrying about.

 

thanks for the great feedback guys...

neil, i get a 'page not found' on your 'trucks & other things' link....

is that the ford hi profile on the wrecked supercrew (which i hate to look at...)

 

Its good this guy doesnt make decisions. Think of the total lack of aftermarket products if we were left to rely on the manufacturer to add things to our trucks. No chips, no bigger tires, no brushguards. Yep it would be a pretty boring place if this was the case.

Anyways, i have a EGR no drill carbon fiber look shield and its great. No hood vibration at 80, no anything vibration for that matter. Can wash n wax under it easilly. Install was pretty easy, coulda used a secnd set of hands to hold the hood down while i took the front piece off. Dont really know how much its working as ive not taken it on a road trip yet, looks nice tho.

Dan

 

Those arent good reasons not to get one. Only reason I dont have one is because I dnt like the looks of them.

However if you want to protect your paint without changing the look of your truck, you could get a clear bra https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...ight=clear+bra