I found some treads on here discussing which kind of hood deflectors are best, installation, etc. but what I'm really interested in is will it protect my windshield from chips and cracks?

I live in Denver and go up to the mountains a lot... so a lot of gravel flying around on the winter roads. I just replaced a windshield a couple weeks ago and another huge crack sprung up today. Obviously, I'm going to try to make it through the winter on this windshield... but when I replace it I am considering a hood deflector if it will actually protect the windshield.

Not that I don't want to keep my hood in good shape, but I'm not as concerned about it as the windshield.

I'd appreciate some opinions!

@1engineer you're up.

Oh thanks @TOY2G .
Short answer is it won't keep rocks away from your windshield...nor bugs nor rain nor anything else. It will protect the portion of the hood it covers and the leading edge of fenders though. Rocks are a lot heavier than air and it takes quite an airflow to change the trajectory of a rock. They look good though! Hope this helps.

That makes sense, that was kind of what I figured. Thanks for the explanation!

I agree with 1engineer regarding stones, rocks, boulders, asteroids, etc..
However, after much experimentaion and accurate record keeping, I can say with 97.004% certainty, with margin of error being less than 50%, that an OEM bug deflector will definately reduce the number of bugs striking the lower portion of the windshield, by 0.00010984%
I am confident it would be an even higher percentage if said bug shield were mounted on the TRD Pro.
(I know, I have too much time on my hands!)

Any thoughts on whether the deflectors give you any aerodynamic benefit?

Didn't save me from satans stone during the week from a township truck. Not even 1000 miles on my 4R and I was pissed lol / insurance company will cover repair. No (IMO) aerodynamic benefit over not having one.

I just got a 96 and no hood deflector but came with a crack window shield.

They aren't especially functional. But they look atrocious, too.

Agreed. Bugs are a fraction of the weight of a rock, and are generally hot falling directly downward when you find them on the road (so deflectors will help a bit with pushing them higher than the plane of your hood). Rocks are much heavier so that pressure zone the deflectors create won't prevent them from hitting your windshield (I'd question if they would do anything to protect your hood for that matter, depending on the size of the rock).

No.

Especially not in CO.

Get used to getting a new windshield every 6-12 months.

If you want a proof of concept, throw a rock at a desk fan.