[Post-P.S.... Spent way too long on this post zooming and correcting (like a ridiculous amount of time) but what else is there to do these days?
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I like when shops talk people out of buying stuff from them because it breeds justified trust. Slee does that with 35’s (for example) and Rob does that here as well...like all the time.
But anyway...
-For those who can justify shock guards ...I gotta say that my BB shock guards have—at the very *least*—allowed me to wheel more aggressively...and more *likely*...have prevented real damage that would have truly sucked without them on the trail.
Honestly, I think maybe the best part of adding this kind of armor (after adding it) is that you gain the luxury of assessing its benefits **when BACK HOME & INTACT**...rather than potentially thinking about it while stuck on the trail with broken stuff, or after hobbling/bouncing back without a functional shock.
I don’t have money to burn on frivolous stuff so I do see asking the real question of whether it’s needed. There are only a few doodads on my truck that are for fun only vs. 100% useful to me. That doesn’t mean essential for someone else, but it serves a purpose that I’m happy with. I only mention that because so many trucks end up with stuff that never gets tested or pushed hard, so as folks look at different builds, trying to assess what works or what may not...it can be hard to assess. People naturally express their happiness with all sorts of mods that may...or may not...actually be effective or beneficial in reality. That’s ok too, because of just had to work that way. You can’t prove negatives, so the question hangs in the air, leaving others to hypothesize, and even leaves those using the stuff to hypothesize about whether it saved them or not.
I do feel it’s especially helpful to hear from folks pushing stuff hard when it comes to armor. So... I will say...
They are 100% useful for me...and that means FUN levels go up with them as it becomes one less deterrent to obstacle damage concerns. It’s not just about avoiding damage. It’s also about its effect on what potential hits you choose to subject your truck to on certain obstacles. So it can have a real impact on what you tackle...and what you bypass or avoid.
About cost... BB was kind to me with these as I was directly involved in testing prototypes...but...IMHO...they are worth every penny of the price and kind of a bargain in terms of armor costs and ease of install.
If you actually do bang stuff out in the boonies?...I highly recommend these BB’s. I have beat the poo out of my SS units and they’ve swatted every nasty impact away like swatting mosquitos off a buddy’s neck.
Just super solid stuff holding up under my 8k# 200.
Here are a couple shots from last year at Cruise Moab... Only the post-mud hits are visible here...but there were many others beneath eventual mud.
The fact these were done in stainless meant no touch-up needed even after this nasty stuff (see below).
What you can’t see here are the hits on the upper rock guards...but they are there, under the mud layer.
Passenger...
View attachment 2267862
Driver...
View attachment 2267863
If you need to guard your shocks?
These things are as close to bomb-proof as we civilians can reasonably get.
