Grille guards do a lot more than just making your vehicle look menacingly cool. They effectively fortify your truck or SUV’s vulnerable front end, preventing major damages from head-on collisions.
If you’ve got the best grille guards installed, you’ll come out of low-impact accidents almost unscathed. They’ll ensure solid front-end protection wherever you’re driving!
Grille guards or brush guards are in demand so they are available in large numbers in the market, varying in quality among other things.
So, it’s easy to find yourself in a predicament. Well, not to worry! With our in-depth reviews of the top-rated grille guards and a comprehensive buying guide, you’ll be able to pick your favorite kits without a hitch!
Table of Contents
Before You Buy What to Look for?
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to buy the best grille guard for deer without considering some things. Surely, you want the absolute best protection for your vehicle and you can only get that if you manage to
choose a top-rated and heavy-duty grille guard. Here are the most important things that you must consider when purchasing a grille guard or bumper guard.
Construction Material
The efficiency of a grill guard in withstanding impact damage majorly depends on the durability of the materials that’s been used to build it. So, make sure it’s built with heavy-duty materials that offer strength and resilience.
Most brush guards or bull bars are built with either steel or aluminum. Sometimes, you’d see carbon steel construction but that’s not as common.
Steel is extremely tough and resilient as it’s incredibly dense. It doesn’t get damaged easily. With this material’s ability to withstand a great deal of damage, it offers more reliable protection. In the event of an impact with various obstacles, steel grille guards will ensure the damage doesn’t extend to the front-end components.
However, steel is a heavy and expensive material. It might add a slightly noticeable weight to your vehicle. On the other hand, aluminum is much lighter but still manages to offer fantastic sturdiness. Due to its less density, an aluminum grille guard is likely to suffer more damage than steel. It’s cheaper than steel and capable of resist rusting.
The less common carbon steel grille guards offer the advantages of the usual steel brush guards with added durability. They are also pretty lightweight but they are usually the most expensive of the bunch.
Durability
In addition to durable construction, the best grill guard should have sturdy design as well to provide strong protection. They are designed with a wide range of diameters and thickness. The smallest diameter is about 1.5-inch and the largest is 3-inches.
Buying grille guards and bull bars with 2.5 to 3-inches diameter will allow you to cover the radiator of your vehicle including other things. The coverage will extend to your headlights if you manage to buy a full front-end grille guard. Please note that most durable grille guards come with at least 1-year warranty.
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Grille Guard Types
Grille guards come with a wide variety of configurations, designed for specific purposes. It’s important to understand the differences to find out which type suits you the most.
A full front-end grill guard is large enough to cover the front of your vehicle, extending all the way to the headlights from the grille. It usually comes with 2 uprights that are heavy-duty for ensuring complete front-end protection.
In comparison, center grille guards or bull bars don’t cover as much as full front-end grille guards. However, they still manage to wrap your vehicle’s radiator. They offer places for installing light bar units as well as auxiliary lights. However, you should know that the covering doesn’t extend to the headlights.
Sports bars and nudge bars are pretty similar to the center grille guards in that they don’t cover headlights either. They are more suitable for low impacts. Skid plate, tail light guard, bumper guard, etc. are some of the grille guard types that you should be aware of.
Be sure to choose a grille guard or bull bar that offers the protection you want for your truck or SUV.
Adequate Airflow
The best grille guard doesn’t disrupt the airflow. Although it’s installed over the front-end, it must not prevent air from flowing properly to the radiator, air conditioning condenser, intercooler, etc. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with an overheating problem. So, make sure the grille guard offers adequate airflow before buying.
Finishing
Your bull bar, brush guard, or grille guard for deer must look stylish to enhance the appearance of your vehicle in addition to giving protection. It should be able to resist corrosion and wear. That can be achieved by using the right finish.
Polished stainless steel and black powder coat finish are the most common options. They are both pretty amazing at fulfilling their purposes. Some brush guards come with e-coating in addition to the black powder coating to enhance the corrosion resistance.
The ARIES 2059 grille guard is one of the most effective grille guards on the market that comes with amazing finishes including e-coating. You’ll find it in our reviews if you haven’t already.
Easy Installation
The best grille guard is one that is extremely easy to install. In fact, it should be easy enough for you to take on alone without requiring any professional help. Easy to install bull bars and grille guards are top-rated and sought-after for the convenience they offer.
A heavy-duty brush guard or bumper guard that comes with pre-drilled holes for mounting and offers bolt on installation is easier to work with.
The best ones often come with all the mounting hardware including brackets for license plate units and holes for your light bar.
Grille guards or bull bars like the Westin HDX Grille Guard on our list is astoundingly easy to set up.
How to Install?
The best grille guard for deer is designed to be superbly easy to install. Keep in mind that it can get confusing at first but after some time, you’ll get used to it! Here is our step by step guide to installing grille guards or bull bars.
Step-1: Start by
installing the lower brackets on the brush guard using the mounting or installing hardware. Use your hands to tighten them up.
Step-2: Lift the
bar with someone’s help into its designated place.
Step-3: Now, go
on and hold the bull bar in place. Then have your friend mark the cover of the bumper including the bracket’s exterior.
Step-4: Grab a
cut-off wheel and a die grinder to cut the plastic that’s been marked. See if the grille guard fits. Keep trimming the brush guard or bumper guard until it perfectly fits your vehicle. Then start marking the bolt holes.
Step-5: Now is
the time to pick up the drill machine to drill the marked bolt holes unless it comes with pre-drilled holes. Then add a washer to each hole. Afterward, insert the guard into those newly drilled holes before adding another washer. Go ahead and set up the nuts.
Step-6: Slip the
top brackets right into the grille. Be sure to line one side up with the grille guard mount. Another thing to keep in mind is that you have to rest the side against your vehicle’s radiator. Repeat the entire procedure for all the top mounts.
Step-7: Finish
the installation process by torqueing the bolts correctly.
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5 Best Grille Guards Review in 2023
Here is our assortment of some of the most incredible front bumper protectors out there. They are definitely worth your investment if you want to ensure the ultimate protection for your vehicle!
Westin 40-3845 Black Sportsman Grille Guard
This solid grille guard is the result of Westin’s superb workmanship and fantastic engineering, capable of keeping your precious vehicle safe and sound. It’s designed to cover the front end completely to provide protection against unexpected impacts with its 1.5-inch heavy-duty tubing frame With rugged construction, this is easily among the top grille guards and bull bars!
Boasting a fully-welded one-piece construction, this bumper guard or bull bar is strong enough to withstand impact damage to keep the truck components safe. The polished stainless steel version comes with a lifetime warranty!
You can also opt for the one with a black powder coat finish that arrives with a 3-year warranty. This version boasts a thick protective layer to resist scratching, chipping, and other wear, allowing it to retain the cool looks for years! The upright sports thick rubber to provide additional safeguarding in addition to giving a cleaner appearance.
Shipped with the mounting hardware and pre-drilled holes, you can get right to the installation process after bringing this thing home. As it comes with pre-drilled holes for mounting driving lights, installing won’t be a hassle. Your vehicle’s headlights, license plate, and other things will be safely guarded by this sturdy truck gear.
This unit is the perfect armor for saving your grille. Once installed, you’ll get to drive comfortably knowing that you’re seating in a much safer vehicle.
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All Sales AMI 19285K Black Swing Step Flat Powder Coat
If you want something that guards your front bumper in style, this attractive bumper guard or brush guard from All Sales is sure to meet your expectations! In addition to ensuring maximum grille protection, it adds a touch of compelling design to your vehicle. You will be out on the road with rugged good looks!
Made with heavy-duty rust-resistant stainless steel, it’s capable of withstanding impacts from head-on collisions. Designed to completely wrap your grille, all your vital front-end components will be safely kept behind reliable protective gear. In the event of a vehicle accident, they will be untouched and unharmed.
Thanks to the durability, this grill guard is guaranteed to be long-lasting. It’s definitely one of the best front bumper grille guard units on the market. A unique feature of this model is that it comes with a built in step ladder!
Releasing the latches will cause the center bar to swing down and transform it into a ladder that you can step on to reach the hard-to-reach areas of your truck or SUV. Pretty innovative, isn’t it? You’re definitely going to love this! Furthermore, this thing can be a great place where you can easily set a LED light bar.
Although the installation brackets don’t come with this model, it’s still pretty easy to install. Once you buy the brackets including the one for your license plate and other things, installation won’t take much time.
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Westin 32-1690 Ultimate Chrome Stainless Steel Grille Guard
The Westin Ultimate bull grille guard or bull bar shields the front end of your vehicle from a plethora of damages including collisions, deer contact, etc. With its captivating design and sturdy construction, your precious components will be fully secured from any sort of harm.
Thanks to the heavy-duty tubing frame built from 3-inch stainless steel, your components will be housed in a tough and reliable armor. It will serve as the first line of defense in the event of an unwanted accident.
If you run into a deer, this front bumper grille guard will prevent it from rolling onto your windshield as well. The protection is enhanced by the addition of the stainless steel skid plate. On the skid plate, you’ll find a beautiful laser-cut Westin logo.
While this feature doesn’t add any protection, it definitely contributes to its sleek appearance! Thanks to the black molded end caps on the crossbar, it looks quite clean.
Westin offers a lifetime warranty with this unit which shows how confident the manufacturer is with their product. Installing is surprisingly easy and with simple directions, you can do it by yourself without having to call for the professional help from mechanics. You can ensure perfect fitting for best results easily.
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Westin HDX Grille Guard | 2009-2014 F-150
For completing the rugged look of your Ford F150, look no further than the Westin HDX Grille Guard! It offers the perfect combination of style and protection. This heavy-duty grille guard is sure to keep your front bumper components from harm’s way without fail.
Being a fully welded grille protector with wraparound wings built from black mild steel tubing that’s about 2-inches in size, this bull bar offers complete protection. Your front end will stay safe behind this sturdy gear, away from the reach of harm. It’s durable enough to endure the force of impacts.
The addition of the full punch plate grille is undoubtedly a nice touch to its heavy-duty durability. Sporting extra-wide rubber on the uprights, your vehicle will look much cleaner and more appealing. The Westin HDX grille guard is widely acclaimed for its reliable protection and top-grade build quality.
You will find this to be available in both black powder coat finish and stainless steel finish. Feel free to go for whichever suits your style the most. This is a great option to have. Overall, this is a solid grille guard that you can rely on for keeping your vehicle safe.
This model can be set up all by yourself as it’s easy to install. Everything you need comes free with it so you can get started right off the bat. It even lets you keep the tow hooks in most of the time!
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ARIES 2059 1-1/2-Inch Black Steel Grille Guard
ARIES manufactures outstanding bull bars and grille guards. This grille guard is just as impressive as their other products, designed to give your truck or SUV an aggressively good appearance. The front-end protection that it offers is amazing as well so that you can sit behind the wheels in peace!
This brush guard offers strength and rigidity with its heavy-duty one-piece frame design. The solid welded steel tubing is about 1.5-inches in diameter. It will hug your entire front bumper with ease, leaving no component unguarded.
Featuring black powder coating along with a dual-layer e-coating, this grille protector offers excellent corrosion resistance. It won’t get rusted or wear out even after being heavily exposed to sun, rain, and other damaging elements.
For enhancing the protection, it sports rubber-covered vertical risers. As a result, your vehicle gets a cleaner appearance than before.
This model is one of the easiest grille guards to work with since it’s easy to install. Coming with pre-drilled holes for mounting, it can be attached to the front-end of your vehicle using easy bolt on installation!
You’ll be astounded as this thing’s fitment. The tubing of this bull bar comes angled to fit the exact contours of a specific vehicle model. This ensures perfect fitting and in doing so, it manages to keep your truck’s features highlighted instead of blocking them!
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Why should I install grill guards?
The Front end of your vehicle is the most vulnerable part. It can easily get damaged by minor and major impacts. Installing a grille guard or a bull bar will make sure your vehicle’s front remains unscratched from most of the damaging elements. The best grille guard will offer heavy-duty protection to your vehicle
Which is better grille guards or bull bars?
Bull bars and grille guards are quite similar in terms of purpose. They are both built for offering front-end protection to your vehicle. The main difference is that bull bars are made to protect a vehicle’s middle part and the underside with a skid plate while grille guards are capable of providing full coverage
Do grille guards interfere with the vehicle
airbags? An incompatible brush guard can definitely negatively affect the vehicle’s airbags. It can cause them to deploy too early or too late which can be dangerous. So be sure to choose compatible bull bars and grille guards
Are grille guards capable of affecting gas
mileage? Well, heavy bull bars should reduce the gas mileage, technically speaking. But the best grille guard doesn’t bring any noticeable change to the gas mileage
Can tow hooks be used with grille guards?
Sure, you can use tow hooks with grille guards. Most of the grille guards nowadays allow the use of tow hooks. In fact, tow hooks are capable of serving as a mount for your bull bars.
Final Words
The best grille guards are essential for protecting the vulnerable front end of your truck. They will give you the confidence to cut through the roads in style and with safety.
Our reviews should have already introduced you to some of the best bull bars out there. Now that you know what to consider when buying a grille guard, choosing one shouldn’t be a problem for you anymore!