Bed Caps & Bed Rails Tech Center

Why buy a grille guard?

A good grille guard can be quite the versatile tool for your truck or SUV. In fact, grille guards better your driving experience because they:

• Add tough looks that bring a serious dose of attitude and style to your front end
• Protect the delicate, expensive parts on your vehicle behind rugged steel bars that deflect potential hazards
• Come in a number of shapes and styles, from standard push bars to sleek euro-shaping that follows your vehicle's lines
• Boost your versatility to hold auxiliary lighting or a winch

A guide to the tough looks of a grille guard

It's true that a solid grille guard serves a number of functions and utilities for your truck or SUV. Still, most people get one for looks. Adding a grille guard to your ride unmistakably means that you and your truck or SUV mean business.

Grille guards earn this reputation with their rugged construction. Employing various diameters of steel tubing bolted to heavy-duty uprights , a grille guard looks like a high-strength facemask for your vehicle. Full front end grille guards even wrap over your headlights, too - extending the appearance package across your vehicle.

There's finish options on most grille guards, too. Generally, you have your choice of a smooth black powder coat that resists chips, scratches and ugly corrosion. Or, many grille guards offer a top-shelf polished stainless steel or chrome plated finish that oozes style.

Grille guards and front-end protection: the basics

Grille guards don't just look tough - beneath the finish is true strength that works to keep your front end unharmed in a number of sticky driving situations. The strength is derived from both the materials used to make the guard and the way it's mounted.

Forget soft, lightweight metal - steel is king for making a grille guard. Most of the grille guards AutoAnything offers thick-wall steel tubing for all bars and light covers, plus rugged steel sheets for the uprights. And, the entire assembly bolts directly to existing holes in your frame using sturdy metal brackets for strength and rigidity, not to mention ease of installation.

How tough is your grille guard? It's safe to say that attempting to drive through barriers, ramming still objects or other cars, and high-speed pushing shouldn't be tried. However, a grille guard will safely absorb minor impacts and accomplish low-speed pushing with ease. Not to mention effective coverage against airborne road debris, rocks, and stray parking lot menaces like shopping carts.

Full front end grille guards protect another sensitive part on your front end: the headlights. If one of these gets cracked, replacement can be quite costly. Considering the automakers' trend toward more expensive headlights, replacing a busted one can jam you for almost the cost of a grille guard. Part of your guard's value is simply preventing expensive body shop bills or replacement parts expenses by putting tough steel in the way of potential damagers. Since your lights will be sitting pretty behind your grille guard, you might want to consider picking up a set of eye-catching aftermarket headlights.

The basics of grille guard shapes and styles

Whatever grille guard shape and style you want, AutoAnything probably has it. We showcase every kind of grille guard, from full front end beasts to small nudge bars to intricate winch grille guards. Plus, there's standard-shaped utility designs and euro-inspired sleek models that reflect your vehicle's styling lines.

Full front end grille guards

The original front-end protector boasts solid uprights bolted to your frame. Some grille guard models feature padded uprights for damage-free pushing. Bolted to the uprights typically is a bar for mounting auxiliary lights, a top hood guard bar, and shaped headlight guards (aka brush guards).

Center grille guards

The center grille guard features the same assembly as a full front end grille guard without the shaped headlight guards. They make for solid impact protection, excellent winch or light mounting and great looks without the dominating size of their bigger brothers.

Nudge bars and sport bars

Crafted primarily for subdued looks and style, nudge and sport bar grille guards offer solid low-speed impact protection. Their short design, however, prevents these grille guards from protecting your upper grille and headlight areas.

Bumper guards

Laying low to guard against a vehicle's most frequently hit area, bumper guards boast padded uprights and steel tubing to stop minor fender benders from creating a $2,000 damage tab. Plus, they're the ideal safeguard against oblivious parking lot drivers and disaffected municipal workers. Front and rear bumper guards are available for duty.

Skid plates

A few of AutoAnything's full front end grille guards and center guards can be ordered with a skid plate. These tough guards, crafted from steel sheets or tubing, attach to the bottom of the grille guard for ground clearance protection. Anything you drive over—from tree trunks to parking barriers—will hit the skid plate instead of your sensitive underside parts. Not to mention the looks. A skid plate is the exclamation point on your vehicle's frontal attitude.

Tail light guards

Ever had to replace a tail light on account of a stray rock, wayward baseball or misguided vandal? Tail light guards surround them with a durable steel tubing perimeter and rolled steel crossbars. Tail light guards match the look of your front grille guard, and add to the tough style package on your truck or SUV.

Mounting accessories to your grille guard: quick advice

A grille guard can be a great utility station for your vehicle. There's a multitude of lighting options which can be mounted to the center bar. Or, for off-road enthusiasts and the perpetually prepared, many grille guards can be equipped with winch mounting plates.

Most of our full front end and center grille guards come pre-drilled for attaching auxiliary lighting to the center bar. This includes driving lights, fog lights and off-road lights, which fit in a prime position for brightening the road and wiring to your vehicle's electrical system.

Winches can be rigged to most any grille guard, but they're best used with winch-specific grille guards and mounting systems that maximize pulling power. Winch-specific grille guards require more solid mounting to your vehicle's frame , a task that can require cutting, drilling, two or more extra people for help, and several hours time. AutoAnything keeps its winch grille guards with other winch accessories, because these grille guards are best used by the frequent wincher and are not worth the hassle otherwise.

See our winch-specific grille guards in our winches department.