I have a question regarding the compatibility of grill guards and hood deflectors. I own a 2011 Xterra S with a factory hood deflector installed. I am planning on buying a Steelcraft Grill Guard and I'm curious to know if anyone is aware of a potential complication with installing this, when a hood deflector is already present. From the photos I've seen of the grill guard, it appears that there are brackets that fit either under the hood or under the grating. I'd prefer to keep the deflector on if possible. Does anyone have experience in this regard?

We don't use grill guards because they are a foo foo cosmetic affectation that don't do what the newb's think they do.

In most cases, they cause more damage than they protect you from, due to the way they need to mount....

So the complications with mounting a newb bar is that one, it brands you as a total newb, and, it wastes your money, and it costs you money/downtime if there's an accident, and, it kills your approach angle if you actually off road.

The correct choice is to use nothing at all, as the newb guard is WORSE than nothing, or, get a real bumper that does what you probably hoped the newb guard was going to do.


Look at www.shrockworks.com and/or www.4x4parts.com to see real bumpers. There are others...but that will give you an idea at least.

Thanks for your reply TJ. I appreciate your views on grill guards and I have heard others say the same. In my situation, this accessory is strictly for aesthetic purposes, as I do not now nor do I plan on offroading. Lame as that may be, it is what it is. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.
Mike

If you haven't bought the grill guard as yet I have two for you to choose from (an Aries and a Waag) ... in fact you can take both for the price of one (MAKE ME AN OFFER). I have the mounting brackets so you can install without drilling or cutting.

I sold my Xterra now but the brush guard came in handy when I hit a deer. Although I had to get a bunch of body work done, I was still able to get home, drive around for a couple of weeks and then get the necessary repairs done when I had time and money.

In my case it served the intended purpose.

And yes, I had a bug deflector on along with the brush guard. No issues.