Not a silly question

i can only guess that it would come in handy to anyone pushing against the bullbar as you are reversing out of a muddy bog?

To stop crud splashing up from the front wheels, onto the bonnet and windscreen, when you enter a puddle or bog hole at any sort of speed. You must have had water splash up when you have entered a puddle or bog? These are supposed to stop this happening.

Or CAT mudflaps. Definitely spank factor. Most vehicles with those front mudflaps usually have heaps of aerials, spotties, stickers etc. The whole B&S thing. Oh and don't forget the "RUM PIG" license plate.

First started seeing them on rally cars when I used to rally in the 70s. They seem to have progressed from there.

As said above, hit some water more than 10mm deep at speed and the wheel throws the water forward and up, the speed of the air pushes it back over the bonnet onto the windscreen.

Used to mount them at an angle forward like 45 degrees so they didn't catch on rocks.

These days rally cars have air dams on the front which help. Rallying is no where near as rough as it used to be. We were lucky to get over 160km/hr on a good road, now they are doing over 220km/hr.

These splash guards are really only intended for road and track use, and as you can imagine, would get torn off in a rougher 4wd sitiaution. They are really useful on the front of trucks, which is another place you see them, so some people are trying to copy that 'mean' look :-).

I have had mud splash onto the windscreen whilst driving through a pubble. It didn't even enter my head that this is what they are for. It's simple now.
Thanks
Barnesy

A curtain of rubber hanging from the bottom of the bullbar could theoretically bend back under the vehicle and provide an aerodynamic curtain to cut turbulance and resistance. But then again... maybe not!