[CER956]

Hi folks!

So 8 months into owning my 2016 Challenger I have zero complaints EXCEPT for the front bumper is starting to get little knicks here and there.. Nothing too drastic but enough to make me ask if it'd be a wise move to put a bra on it. What do you guys think? I was told by a friend that apparently the bra can cause problems with the paint underneath eventually but I figured I'd ask you guys before I write that idea off.

I'm looking into something like this, any recommendations or advice is appreciated.

LeBra® 551403-01 - Black Custom Front End Cover

 

[kstay203]

My 2 cents??? Don't do the bra. Ever. Will destroy the paint/finish as it rubs over time. Just my opinion. I'm sure you will get a number of them from the folks on here.

 

[Cuda340]

My 2 cents??? Don't do the bra. Ever. Will destroy the paint/finish as it rubs over time. Just my opinion. I'm sure you will get a number of them from the folks on here.

I agree. As an alternative, why not have the front end wrapped with clear 3M Paint Protection Film?

 

[CER956]

I agree. As an alternative, why not have the front end wrapped with clear 3M Paint Protection Film?

I had no idea such a thing existed! What's the average cost on something like that?

 

[Litdog]

The cure for one problem may be the cause of others if you don't stay on top of things. I had one on two different cars back in the 80's when they were quite fashionable. I found that rain would force dirt and grit down under the bra over time and wind buffeting caused clearcoat problems. This can be avoided with proper attention of course but at the time I was caught up in the inertia of life and didn't figure it out until it was too late. Constantly taking the thing off and on for cleaning would get old quick for me. Also, I drove one of the cars from Tucson to Seattle and in my haste to protect the front end from road debris, I ended up having the wheel well attachment points sandpaper'd down to bare metal from all the wind buffeting. I'm on my third Challenger and never considered a bra for this car. That said, it's your car and heaven knows, I appreciate the idea of being unique. Let us know what you decide.

 

[Cuda340]

I had no idea such a thing existed! What's the average cost on something like that?

It depends how much of your car's body you want to protect. For less than $200 you should be able to cover all of the vulnerable painted areas. (Note- Some guys also use this film on the rear fenders to prevent rock chips from the tires).

If you are not good at applying decals, you should take your car to a good body shop for the installation.

Here is one vendor:

RT-Rallye-SE-SRT8

 

[FlyingMonkey]

1985 called. They want their bra back.

 

[Cuda340]

This is the only bra that should be around a Challenger!

 

[skip62]

This is the only bra that should be around a Challenger!

and if she gets too close, that bra has to go

 

[2015SXT]

I had Ziebart do the clear coat/wrap done to my 2016 R/T SHAKER PLUS.


The whole front bumper, about 6/7 inches on the top of the front fenders, the whole hood, the A pillers, 6 inches on the roof from the top near the wind shield to the rear, the upper halfs of both mirrors, and the 4 splash areas on the fenders and rear quarters.
$ 1400.00 with a ten year warranty.
So far it's been great.
I had a 2015 SXT PLUS for ten months and the front end would get beat up, and this car never was in the winter in NY.
Look at some video on U Tube for some ideas.

 

[terrywalker]

I have the clear vinyl wrap on the front of my 15' R/T Shaker and I've had one rock penetrate it into the paint. A look at my windshield tells you it could be a whole lot worse. On a recent trip, a dump truck with an uncovered load of gravel was going down the interstate at 70mph with gravel bouncing all over the highway. I was glad I had a bra on the front end then. I have one that I install on trips over 150 miles. I remove it every day (on multi-day trips) to get out the grit and bugs trapped behind it. The vinyl keeps the trapped grit from damaging the paint. I use one only for long trips. I'm on a 3 week (2500+ mile) trip right now and have only had the bra on the car for 3 days. I get to where I'm going and remove it right away. It's amazing the amount of road construction areas during this time of. year resulting in a lot of gravel trucks on the highway. That's my 2 cents.
Terry

 

[gearset807]

I have the clear vinyl wrap on the front of my 15' R/T Shaker and I've had one rock penetrate it into the paint. A look at my windshield tells you it could be a whole lot worse. On a recent trip, a dump truck with an uncovered load of gravel was going down the interstate at 70mph with gravel bouncing all over the highway. I was glad I had a bra on the front end then. I have one that I install on trips over 150 miles. I remove it every day (on multi-day trips) to get out the grit and bugs trapped behind it. The vinyl keeps the trapped grit from damaging the paint. I use one only for long trips. I'm on a 3 week (2500+ mile) trip right now and have only had the bra on the car for 3 days. I get to where I'm going and remove it right away. It's amazing the amount of road construction areas during this time of. year resulting in a lot of gravel trucks on the highway. That's my 2 cents.
Terry

Terry, I didn't start this thread but that is exactly what I planned on doing. I had the clear protective film put on my 2016 SXT Plus then planned on getting a front mask (Bra) put on only for longer trips. I have had front masks put on most of my cars in the past but when the last car I used one on had minor paint damage because it didn't fit quite right I stopped using it. As you said you really can't use one for long term protection without a good chance of damaging the paint but I think they still have a place because they still give better protection than film - but only used temporarily.

I've seen two different brands of front masks, Le Bra and Colgan.

What brand of front mask did you buy?


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[Slidd]

I actually saw a Challenger with a bra on it for the first time yesterday. Don't know what kind it was and the way it was parked couldn't get a pic. I think for long trips a removable bra is ok. I've got about 5,000 highway miles on mine and so far not a chip or scratch knock on wood.

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[mvale]

i have a clear bra that previous owner had installed on challenger. it's my dd, so mainly city miles. but on my other car have a bra as take longer trips to shows out of town, plus foolishly had not put a clear bra on it right after i bought it, so some road rash that bra covers. i bought a colgan bra & had it customized. & am very happy with the fit & finish of the colgan bra.

 

[terrywalker]

I have a Colgan bra and it fits extremely tight and it takes my wife and I to install it. It looks great and the clear vinyl underneath shows no wear so it's an indication to me the bra isn't moving at all. The black bra really contrasts with the B5 blue of the car and I don't have to wash off all the bug crap from the car. The bra cleans easily with soapy water and a soft brush, then hang to dry. As I said earlier, remove it on a long road trip daily to get the sand, grit and bug bodies out to prevent damage to vinyl, paint.
Terry

 

[stevec3201]

If you drive your car, the front is going to get chipped. Bugs will ruin the paint as well, even if you wash and wax often. I say, just get the front clip repainted by a qualified body shop after ~100k miles. I've done that before, plus had the Sideview mirrors done at the same time. The car looked brand new again.

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[chuck2355]

I looked into the 3M on the front. If you wrap the front and part of the hood, in my area in Florida it may cost you 400 or $500. However people say that you can see yhe line where the 3M ends and you'll get wax and other stuff along that line. An alternative is to do the entire front hood plus quarter panels but that is much more expensive at around 1200.

 

[terrywalker]

I have the clear vinyl wrap on the front of my 15' R/T Shaker and I've had one rock penetrate it into the paint. A look at my windshield tells you it could be a whole lot worse. On a recent trip, a dump truck with an uncovered load of gravel was going down the interstate at 70mph with gravel bouncing all over the highway. I was glad I had a bra on the front end then. I have one that I install on trips over 150 miles. I remove it every day (on multi-day trips) to get out the grit and bugs trapped behind it. The vinyl keeps the trapped grit from damaging the paint. I use one only for long trips. I'm on a 3 week (2500+ mile) trip right now and have only had the bra on the car for 3 days. I get to where I'm going and remove it right away. It's amazing the amount of road construction areas during this time of. year resulting in a lot of gravel trucks on the highway. That's my 2 cents.
Terry

Here's a couple of pics taken recently with the Colgan bra on the car

 

[terrywalker]

Here's the second pic. It took a beating on our recent 6000 + mile trip. I removed it each day to get any road debris out. Worked great.

 

[Frank Julian]

Hi folks!

So 8 months into owning my 2016 Challenger I have zero complaints EXCEPT for the front bumper is starting to get little knicks here and there.. Nothing too drastic but enough to make me ask if it'd be a wise move to put a bra on it. What do you guys think? I was told by a friend that apparently the bra can cause problems with the paint underneath eventually but I figured I'd ask you guys before I write that idea off.

I'm looking into something like this, any recommendations or advice is appreciated.

LeBra® 551403-01 - Black Custom Front End Cover

Stop following cars so closely. If you are in front (winning) things can not get thrown up in front of your car. If you are far enough back things that do get kicked up are settled down before you get there.