What's with the deep-seeded hatred of brush guards?! They do what they do: they look nice to some people. They will undoubtedly cause more damage to the vehicle in a front end collision, but it's not "useless" to have a brush guard, it's simply for appearances.

Why do people put on tires with the blackwalls out? Because it looks better to them and it prevents the letters from getting mangled. I think it looks a little odd but I don't rip on everyone on this board that puts them on blackwalls out. And it doesn't make the tires useless, it just looks different.

And yes, I have a factory brush guard. I considered something "usefull" like the Calmini setup, but (feel free to call me a poser or whatever) I felt the brushguard would suffice considering I do a lot of highway driving and less offroading than I'd like.

And let us not forget:

Bolting a piece of ~1/4" steel (like Calmini, ARB, etc) to the front of your X makes you liable for damages caused to another vehicle by that aftermarket product. NHSTA ratings are no longer relevant when you significantly modify a vehicle. It's a matter taken pretty seriously by most insurance agencies. If you happen to cause significant damage to another vehicle (including injuries and/or death to the occupants) you can be sued for liability purposes and/or owner negligence. So can the manufacturer of that component unless they have a disclaimer.

I'd rather my truck crumple (weird, it's almost like they should make vehicles with "crumble zones" to handle this sort of thing) than kill someone because I've bolted a cattle guard to the front of my truck, significantly altering it's mechanical and physical properties. Not that I'm going to hit anyone, but I'd feel pretty sh!tty if I rolled over a Civic and injured someone because my front approach angle was identical to their hood angle. But I guess that's WHY Nissan makes a weak aluminum brush gaurd. It crumples like an empty beer can, making it...well, quite usefull in the eyes of that Civic driver.