Pecos Hank
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Brush Guards / Bull Guards / Grilles... Safe, or Cool?
🕑 Added 2019-01-09 22:54:21 +0000 UTCI was shopping for a brush guard / Bull guard / whatever guard for my Toyota Rav4 because it makes sense that it will protect my radiator in case of a collision with one of the many, many deer I fly by on dark country roads. The grille guard over the headlights will certainly add protection from the giant hail stones I frequently encounter. BUT, one of these guards could tamper with the sensor system designed to deploy your airbags.
As someone who has experienced the life saving smack in the face of an airbag and walked away from a violent cartwheel on the interstate, I'm a believer and likely owe my life to the dude who came up with the idea. So, do I want to tamper with that even in the slightest? No I do not. Hell, even last night I had to pull a drunk woman out of her car after she smashed into a parked car. She didn't have a scratch, though she might have later obtained one when she was cuffed and jailed.
So the question is, Do these brush guards indeed toy with the airbag sensing system? The fact that Toyota doesn't make them and you have to order them through some shady aftermarket company might be strong enough answer. Anybody care to comment on this?
Comments
You won’t regret it if you do
Pecos Hank
Appreciate that Jay. I'd like to get my front end fitted. Might not happen this year.
I have a Ranch Hand on my FATIT (Fire And Tornado Intercepting Toyota) and have no doubt that the SRS will work just fine if a hit of sufficient force occurs. The truck is a helluva lot smarter than me or 100 lbs of extra steel up front if the time were to ever come. Cons include cheap grille guards may actually cause more damage than they prevent and your gas mileage will take a hit...bigger the guard, bigger the hit from the disruption in aerodynamics. Something small for a RAV4 may not be noticeable, but on my big truck it certainly is...however my gas mileage sucks so bad anyway that it’s a wash.
Heiden Shadows
I have a cow plow on my semi truck. I've repelled many deer that like to jump out in front of me here in Northern Michigan. Also good for clearing fallen trees, after being caught in a EF-1 between Escanaba and Manistique 2 years ago. In your case you could mount a camera behind the grille and the guard will help deflect larger hail stones if you decide to go chase with it.
