I'm considering purchasing splash guards for my 1LT Z51 to help prevent damage to my paint from road debris. Looked all over the forum and seems like most people talking about this are Z06 or GS owners. Is this an issue with base models since the wheels don't extend out as far? If it is an issue, are the ACS guards the best at preventing damage? That seems to be the consensus from what I can tell.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have.

Kevin

 

Very good question! And I have some first hand observations and experience. I was considering splash guards also. So at a meet up last summer I looked at the 2014 Stingrays and some of them had considerable mileage on them. The only stone chip blemishes were on that factory film just in front of the rear wheels. No chips or blemishes behind the front or rear wheels.
I decided not to install the splash guards and all is well with my car at 23,500 miles. Only blemishes I have are on the factory film, and that was minor. None of the stone blemishes went to the paint. Just on the plastic.

 

Good to know. Thanks for the info, brother!

 

They're inexpensive, easy to install and don't look bad, all for extra protection. Win win win in my book.

 

A lot of guys are putting side skirts instead which would also serve as protectors for the sides of the car between the wheels. I think that will be my next mod after wheels & tires!!

 

^ a must imo.

 

Cheap insurance for my peace of mind.

 

Perhaps depends on where you drive but not only are GM splash guards not enough to help, have not seen any that will, especially with the sticky Z51 tires. Just look at where GM put the heavy plastic that in fact will discolor and look bad in addition to being all marked up.

Just posted this on a similar thread:

I bought side skirts for function, not the intended increased down-force at high speeds but to stop pebbles from marking the GM plastic protection and rocker panels!

Recall on my '88 and '93 Vettes had damage because of the wheels throwing up rocks. On my '08 C6 bought contoured rather large and matching color splash guards as soon as I got the car. They worked although some thought they were a bit tacky! They are not available for the C7 and in fact, IMO would not look good or work because of the Coke bottle shape.

Bought the GM splash guards when I got my C7. Rears work find because the body panel is not in line with rocks when the splash guards are added, However the fronts were not doing much. Once you look at where GM put that heavy protective plastic (from the center of the door to the rear wheel opening) you can see those small front splash guards are not very effective.

Added Carbon Fiber Side Skirts and they stopped all marking and allowed me to remove the discolored, marked up GM plastic protectant.

After 3 years my rocker panels look new.

Your car your choice!

 

If you have side skirts definitely get the ACS splash guards for the front, as they extend farther down and farther out. Either way, I think the splash guards are a sound investment, and don't detract from the car at all.

 

I added a set. No idea if they will help, but can't hurt . . .

 

Looks like the color is a perfect match on yours. Are they ACS? Where did you get them? I'm curious if the paint would fade or get chipped over the long term. Will probably go with ACS but can't decide on black or painted to match the car.

 

Thanks! Mine were from RPI. Look really nice--like you mentioned, hope they hold up!

 

For some reason it looks like they only have the front splash guards on their website. Did you get the rear set from them as well?

 

I now have both the Splash Guards and Side Skirts. From the 2 road trips I took (~ 2500 miles each), 1 with just the Splash Guards, then one with both, I believe the Side Skirts do help protect much more than just the Splash Guards. I also have the RPI color guards. Good Luck!!
They come as a set, front and read price ~$200 per set.

 

I see the ones you're talking about. Full set for $209. I don't believe they are ACS, however. Based on what people are saying the ACS guards are slightly larger and do a better job of protecting the paint. More expensive, though. The fronts alone (painted) are $259. And it doesn't look like they sell the ACS rear guards.

 

I know what you mean. I sent them a note to confirm that it was a set of 4. Here was the actual link to what I purchased: LINK

 

My take is that the GM splash guards provide good body protection and improve the look of the wheel well. No splash guard is going to protect the body in front of the rear wheels. You need "side skirts" for that protection. And if you keep the splash guards black they almost disappear from view. And that's good.

RPI Stage One and GM Splash Guards:

 

Thanks. Think I've decided on the ACS guards but the ones in the link you provided look to be the ones made by GM. Can't understand why they don't offer a full set of painted ACS guards. Sent them an e-mail about it.

 

Thanks for the pic. That side skirt looks really nice. May have to go that route as well. Did you install them yourself?

 

The other protection option I added was SunTek film on rocker panel up to that lower crease (flare?) on the door. Going to skip the skirt for now.