Hood / windshield stone protection

WestCoastDan

WestCoastDan

JK Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 28, 2022
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Location
SoCal
With 2 Wranglers in our stable we have probably replaced more Jeep windshields than most Safelight locations, and I'm growing tired of it.
I found a clear film that goes on the glass to help with stone chips, but this will have to wait until my next new windshield or it will have small air bubbles between the layers due to the current chips.
I'm wondering if the deflectors that go on the front of the hood are really any help aside from redirecting a few of the bugs.
Any experience with these types of devices?

A:
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B:
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C:
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If you have had good or bad experience with any f the above, please let me hear about it.

I know there are a few other types that are a lot taller, and the wife will not approve of them, so to protect my windshield and hearing, I need to try one like pictured. ;)
 
Here's what someone posted on Wrangler Fourm.

I had the Mopar bug deflector on my 2012 Rubicon for 5 years and in my opinion the only thing it protected was the leading edge of the hood.
From all of the research that I've seen, a bug deflector of any brand, on a Jeep Wrangler is just about useless for it's intended use.
If there was a deflector that had more of a upward bend at the rear, it might have a little more chance of helping , but I doubt it. The Wrangler has the aerodynamics of a brick and will always catch just about anything out there.
 
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zinisk said:
Following. My friend with a JK worked at Safelite for 11 yrs, until recently, he said Gorilla glass is worth the price
Click to expand...
So when we bought the JKU the windshield was pitted pretty badly and I replaced it.
2 weeks after installing it, my BIL shoved a longboard in the Jeep from the back and shattered the new windshield.

That’s when I upgraded to the Gorilla glass. The cost at that time was $750, more than double the cost of the standard OEM glass.

Literally within 3 weeks, I caught a stone directly in front of the steering wheel , at eye level.
The glass didn’t break, but it did chip.
Not one of those spider web type, just a small Nick in the glass.

I figured it was fine, but I was chapped.

Last month we were driving from Palm Springs on 10 West and the wind was insane!
It was about all I could do to stay in my lane.
All of a sudden, this giant sagebrush came flying across the freeway and I had the really hit the brakes to keep it from slamming into the hood/windshield.

We thought we dodged a bullet, only for the gravel and root ball of that sagebrush to be flying right behind it.
All of those stones really chipped the hell out of our paint and windshield.

Now I’m looking for ways to possibly improve the life expectancy of our next windshield.

I’m not even sure if leaving it parked in the garage will work. 😂
 
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zinisk said:
Here's what someone posted on Wrangler Fourm.

I had the Mopar bug deflector on my 2012 Rubicon for 5 years and in my opinion the only thing it protected was the leading edge of the hood.
From all of the research that I've seen, a bug deflector of any brand, on a Jeep Wrangler is just about useless for it's intended use.
If there was a deflector that had more of an upward bend at the rear, it might have a little more chance of helping , but I doubt it. The Wrangler has the aerodynamics of a brick and will always catch just about anything out there.
Click to expand...
That’s kind of what I figured; they might work well to redirect bugs, but probably not very effective on stones & debris.
 
WestCoastDan said:
That’s kind of what I figured; they might work well to redirect bugs, but probably not very effective on stones & debris.
Click to expand...
I've found, regardless of the vehicle, stones/debris small enough to be affected by the airflow over the hood are too small to really matter or do any damage. The ones that have enough mass would have to physically hit the deflector and be redirected away... Bugs or lighter debris are a different story.
 
If my calculations are correct, the lack of ANY aerodynamic design actually creates a localized vacuum directly in front of the Wrangler windshield at speeds greater than 35MPH...
 
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I bought my JK in December with 110k miles on it. Its in really good shape but when I got it home I noticed that the windshield has a lot of tiny pits and a small star crack. I think it racked up a lot of highway miles in the northeast. I haven't replaced the windshield yet as its still serviceable but the pits bother me when its all cleaned up. Wondering if a bug shield would help too.
 
PennJeeper said:
I bought my JK in December with 110k miles on it. Its in really good shape but when I got it home I noticed that the windshield has a lot of tiny pits and a small star crack. I think it racked up a lot of highway miles in the northeast. I haven't replaced the windshield yet as its still serviceable but the pits bother me when its all cleaned up. Wondering if a bug shield would help too.
Click to expand...
Well, they call them "bug shields" not "rock & debris shields"...

I found a source for a clear overlay for only about $250 if I recall.
I'll dig it up and post here for folks to review, criticize, etc.
 
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I've used the Weathertech bug shields on 3 Tahoes, an Expedition and 2 Jeeps over the past 30 years. They do help with the bugs, but nothing is going to redirect the rocks and stones that do the most damage. I've removed the one on my Jeep about a year ago as it was getting pretty old and it cracked on one corner. But, I do think they help with the bugs- not much else.
 
Not "immune" per se, but mile-for-mile, the Wranglers in our stable seem to go through windshields at a much higher rate than any other vehicle we have owned.
Exponentially higher repair/replacement rate.
Maybe they use softer glass than others... ?

Being flat doesn't help, but the flat windshields in the Winnebago motor home I grew up with never had to have a windshield replaced in probably 20 years & 300,000 miles, and I've replaced 4 Wrangler windshields in the past 5 years.
 
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WestCoastDan said:
Not "immune" per se, but mile-for-mile, the Wranglers in our stable seem to go through windshields at a much higher rate than any other vehicle we have owned.
Exponentially higher repair/replacement rate.
Maybe they use softer glass than others... ?

Being flat doesn't help, but the flat windshields in the Winnebago motor home I grew up with never had to have a windshield replaced in probably 20 years & 300,000 miles, and I've replaced 4 Wrangler windshields in the past 5 years.
Click to expand...
In the past 20 years, I've driven full size trucks, mid-size trucks, Wranglers, and a couple sports cars. I don't see any real difference. It basically comes down to how much highway driving I do. It could be because Colorado is a sand state, not a chemical melt state.
 
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