Is it the glass... or the windshield angle?

[ExoShield]

We've heard both sides of this debate.

Some owners blame the glass.

Others think Gladiators simply take rock impacts differently because of the windshield design and the places they're driven.

What's your opinion after owning one?

Has your experience changed the way you think about it?

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[ErylFlynn]

There is no debate, this has been a known issue before the JT/JL, and even JK eras. The windshield does not have enough angle for a deflection, or to allow the wind to carry it over. Even Gorilla Glass and other hardened glasses will all get chipped eventually given the way the window is designed.

 

[ExoShield]

Yup, the windshield angle definitely seems to be the common thread in a lot of these discussions.

Do you think driving environment plays just as big a role, though? Highway driving vs. off-road vs. gravel roads?

 

[Labswine]

Yes.

 

[DylanM]

Only time I've ever gotten windshield damage has been while driving on pavement. There's less traffic to throw stuff into your windshield off pavement, and generally in those places you're travelling slower so the impact speed isn't as high.

 

[WambliSka]

Gorilla glass is absolutely shit. I’m on my fifth Jeep and never had issues like I’ve had with that horrible glass. A month after leaving the dealer the glass already looks like a 5 year old windshield with a million tnyvdot pockmarks. And the “warranty” is non-existent because Jeep will not honor it, will weasel out if it and Corning won’t even talk to you. Ask me how I know. A $1,300 TURD…

 

[WestwallNF104A]

Yup, the windshield angle definitely seems to be the common thread in a lot of these discussions.

Do you think driving environment plays just as big a role, though? Highway driving vs. off-road vs. gravel roads?

My two cracked windshields were during highway driving.

 

[Free2roam]

It's not just angle but the lack of curvature of the windshield itself. Most cars and trucks have curvature as well as angle. Flat glass will tend to crack before a curved one. Just as with almost anything that is curved vs. flat. .02¢

 

[VA6489]

Flat glass is and has been an issue for impact resistance. I will say the three layer tear-offs help a lot. Need to pull my 2nd tear off and look at ordering another kit. Any discounts for a ole mil guy?

 

[Janster]

No comment really.. I have a 2024 Gladdy w/ 18,000 miles (mostly highway) and haven’t had an issues with the windshield at all (knock on wood).
I’ve had some rocks & stuff hit it…..
One time, one of those huge walnut things hit the windshield so hard that scared the bejesus out of us. I swore there’d be a big crack and surprised it didn’t totally break…. Nothing happened to it.

I’m probably jinxing myself as I type……

The windshield is all part of the entire package….. The gladdy is a big BRICK and things hitting the windshield is like head-on collision.

 

[ChrisNLA]

My 2015 Camaro I am pretty sure has its original windshield - at least I have not changed it since I got the car in 2018.

My Jeep is on its second windshield. It has less miles than the Camaro, and all the damage occurred on highways.

It's all about the angle and curvature.

Lot's of things hit the Camaro windshield and deflect off.

I had a small chunk of 4x4 post bounce off a trailer, glance off the hood of my '93 Chevy, and then bounce off the windshield. The laid back, curved windshield of that truck helped vs a flat wall of glass.

If you don't want as much windshield damage on a Jeep the only way to solve it is make it not look like a Jeep

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

3.5 years in, still on the factory windshield. I make it a point to not follow semi's, dump trucks, etc. and so far that seems to work.

 

[AOGAudiman]

i wasn't aware there was anything to even debate. The windshield is flat, and has no aero profile. Any type of glass would crack if placed in this situation....

 

[D_JT]

The angle defiantly plays a part. Its just the nature of the beast. But the road condition also doesn't help. 95% of the broken windshields I've had happened on the freeway. And no, not from following to close.

 

[AustyPosty]

Im sure its the angle, but honestly I don't want them to change it. It could really mess up the silhouette of the truck. I haven't had any problems with it and i'm constantly on the highway. The trick is to make sure you repair/fill in any chips in the glass before they can become huge cracks. I fixed a rock chip in the windshield and its held up for the last 2 years without spreading.

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