# Bug Deflector vs. Fuel Economy



## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...if it keeps *bugs* from hitting the windshield it likewise deflects the *air* just as much, which causes *turbulence*, which produces *aerodynamic drag*, which _reduces_ fuel economy.


----------



## YKNWT (Oct 6, 2012)

Excellent answer, but to a different question. Not "how" but by "how _much?_" I am not looking for anything super specific just figured that others may have done this in the past and can speak from experience. But don't get me wrong if there is a physicist among us...


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Are you trying to protect the front paint or the windshield. If it's the front paint, clean it real well and install a clear bra. No aerodynamic impact that way.


----------



## YKNWT (Oct 6, 2012)

It is both windshield and paint. I will be driving across Canada then up the Mackenzie highway which is notorious for rock spits. Also I REALLY do not like the look of the bra, where this I actually enjoy. Do you think it will have a large impact?


----------



## Buckshot (Oct 7, 2012)

obermd said:


> Are you trying to protect the front paint or the windshield. If it's the front paint, clean it real well and install a clear bra. No aerodynamic impact that way.


The clear bra, I believe refers to paint protection film. It installs like window tint only it's clear. I'm interested in this as well...


----------



## HisandHers (Aug 18, 2012)

I cant answer about the Cruze specifically but I have had a bug deflector on almost every vehicle that I have ever owned and have never seen a change in fuel economy as a result.


----------



## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

Id like to see a flow test done in a wind tunnel with the deflector installed. I had a hood bra on my 99 s10, the one with the 2 rolls on each side to deflect air, and I noticed a good 2-3 mpg drop. I think the AVS bugdeflectors actually do better though.


----------



## YKNWT (Oct 6, 2012)

Oooh! "Clear" bra, I read "car" bra. Still it wouldn't help with the windshield...though I kind of doubt how many rocks this deflector will deflect.

Keep the experiences coming, I paid $75 installed for it.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I wouldn't go near a "car" bra. They scratch the paint.


----------



## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

I plan on getting this exact bug deflector as well. Ill take a small fuel economy to avoid having a cracked windshield and having to replace it every 6 months since the cruze's windshield has been reported to be very weak and easy to pit and crack.


----------



## CruzeDan (May 17, 2015)

Some deflectors help mileage. I put it the Subaru OEM one on my outback and it added MPG


----------



## Couch (Oct 11, 2013)

i got a hood edge protector from gm. though i have a pair of rock chips on my wshield already. but it has taken a few hits from rocks instead of it hitting the actual hood itself. hard to see on a black car but heres some pics, you can see it on the first pic how it just molds over the body.


----------



## bostonboy (Apr 8, 2015)

I would have just clear bra your car IMO It does look all right too. I have free glass insurance on my policy so break away


----------



## tommyt37 (Jun 14, 2014)

bostonboy said:


> I would have just clear bra your car IMO It does look all right too. I have free glass insurance on my policy so break away


Nothing is free my man you pay for it one way or another


----------



## bostonboy (Apr 8, 2015)

tommyt37 said:


> Nothing is free my man you pay for it one way or another


if all my window in my car get smashed by my old girlfriend & I have no proof I pay zero & no deductible & no surcharge. It all gets paid because I have good coverage & this can happen again in a month or less & same scenario. now I think I would have to wait 3 yrs for the 3rd time not sure LOL 
PS: $1343 a yrs full insurance for 2 car full full coverage


----------



## pL2014 (Dec 29, 2013)

I have the AVS bug deflector. I didn't notice any change when I installed it last summer. 

As for recently, I just got 38.0 mpg on a trip from MI to TN with my '14 LTZ. Most of the trip was 75 mph with the AC on, so I wasn't exactly hypermiling it either.


----------



## CruzeDan (May 17, 2015)

Any suggestions on a hood deflector for the Cruze? I am not crazy about the ones I have found so far, I do not want to use tape to hold it on, I was hoping for one that screws in. Thats how my Subaru one worked on my Outback


----------



## S-Fitz (Jul 16, 2012)

I'd take an actual car bra over the clear stick on film any day in my part of the world. BC interior highways get heaped with gravel from the end of October right up to April, the clear film just doesn't do much with the amount of rocks peppering the front of your car... especially when you get passed. The clear stuff is great in the city or highways with a bit of sand, and is nearly invisible. The bra doesn't scratch if you keep the inside clean, dirt trapped in there against the paint will wear against the car. Good to have for going on shenanigans off the main roads.


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Quite a difference between the mass of a mosquito and a rock, feel if you want to block a rock, would need a bug deflector at least three feet tall.

Put on a bug deflector on one Cadillac I owned, don't ask me which one, but created a new problem. If either tire hit a mud puddle, somehow the aerodynamics switched so all that mud would land on my windshield. Solution was to take it off and pitch it. Mud blocked my vision far worse than bugs.

Guess you don't know until you try. Rocks would not be a problem if dump trucks used a tarp, of if your highway department would spread them all over the shoulders on the roads. One solution is to leave your car in the showroom.


----------

