Which material is best for engine guards?
3 Answers
Engine guards made of steel plate material are the best option, with available materials including steel plate, reinforced resin, plastic, and aluminum alloy. The drawbacks of engine guards: Hard engine guards can hinder the protective sinking of the engine during a collision, weakening the protective effect of engine sinking. The functions of engine guards are: 1. Prevent mud from wrapping around the engine, which can lead to poor engine cooling; 2. Prevent uneven road surfaces from causing impacts to the engine during driving, which can damage the engine; 3. Extend the service life of the engine, avoiding engine damage due to external factors during travel, which can cause the car to break down; 4. Keep the engine compartment clean, preventing road water and dust from entering the engine compartment.
As a seasoned driver, I've got some real insights about engine guards. The most common type is steel plates—cheap and sturdy, small stones can't penetrate them at all. But after long-term use, you'll find rust is inevitable. My previous car had steel plates, and after three years they started squeaking. Later I switched to aluminum alloy ones, which are much lighter. The front end became noticeably more agile over speed bumps, and highway fuel consumption dropped by 0.3 liters. However, they're vulnerable against large rocks—last time in the countryside, one got dented. As for plastic ones, a friend's car had them. They're fine in dry weather but terrible in rain, with mud accumulating under the chassis causing cooling issues. My current car uses fiber-reinforced plastic, that composite material kind. You can hear stones pinging on rough roads but the paint stays intact, though the price is indeed equivalent to half a wheel's cost.
When it comes to engine guard materials, it really depends on what kind of roads you usually drive on. For someone like me who frequently works at construction sites, I went straight for the manganese steel guard plate - a solid 8mm thick that can even withstand falling excavator parts. But there's always a trade-off; the car noticeably got heavier, and the engine needs a couple extra breaths when starting. Last week when helping my wife pick a car, we chose a resin one. Her car only drives in the city, and it can handle manhole covers just fine. The key advantage is it doesn't clang around like metal plates do in wind and rain - much quieter driving in rainy weather. Plastic ones are the cheapest, but my colleague's plastic guard got clawed through by a stray cat, and it shattered when kicked after becoming brittle in winter cold. My advice? If you're in northern areas with lots of winter ice, better avoid aluminum alloy guards - they might crack in low temperatures.
