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SRT Design Boss Wants Dodge Challenger and Charger Owners to Take Off Their Splitter Guards

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TrackhawkDave

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Yes folks even Dodge has chimed in on this epidemic:ROFLMAO:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/30157...rger-owners-to-take-off-their-splitter-guards

Dodge's head of design, Mark Trostle, has taken to the internet to make a simple plea to Challenger and Charger owners: Please remove your cars' splitter guards. They aren't part of the design and Trostle, along with plenty of others, think they ruin the muscle machines' lines.
For those (fortunately) unfamiliar with this debacle, it goes like this: Dodge slapped yellow plastic protectors on the underside of some Chargers' and Challengers' front splitters to protect them during transport to dealers. A few dealers delivered the cars to customers with the guards in place, and some buyers, liking the look, didn't remove them. Reinstalling discarded guards became a popular yet controversial mod within the Mopar community, and in the summer of 2018, the silly debate over what people do with their Dodges leaked into the mainstream online car discourse.
Now, Trostle hopes to end the discussion once and for all by siding with the remove-the-splitter-guard crowd.

"This is the final word: When we did the sketch for the Charger and Challenger, it never had yellow strips on it," Trostle declared in the final minute of a video uploaded to YouTube by Canadian automotive journalist, Brian Makse.

"I wish they would take them off," Trostle continued. "You're just ruining the paint, and they say to be removed by dealer. It's molded in, it's there to ship the vehicle. To me, as a designer, it ruins the lines of the car."
Dodge has sided with Trostle on the matter and will change the color of its splitter guards to a shade of violet, which Trostle hopes will end the trend.
"For the new splitter guards, we've introduced a new, fashionable purple color that...we'll see if that one takes off. I hope it doesn't. It's purple."
 


WildCat

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and now plum crazy dodge owners..............
 


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MiHiHemi

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lagerfield-safety.jpg
 


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Easy to remove?
 


Phizzle

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Been seeing lots of Charger GT's with the yellow splitter guards on. It's the new "Hellcat" look.
 


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Seems like an easy fix, stop shipping them with the cars or demand that the dealers remove them.
 


Stormtrooper1320

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Or, they could just make them black. I left mine on because I know me, and I'll surely scrape up my splitter. I'm keeping them on for the same reason they shipped the car with them. Although. I might just paint them black now and put them back on.
And if he thinks that making them purple will make people take them off, he's crazy, especially Ravens fans. I bet those will be getting stolen off cars left and right in the Baltimore area.
 


tkracing1

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Maybe let the dealers know to remove them like they are suppose to.
 


Blkout

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There's no reason for them really. I doubt they're really needed. Other cars dont come with them.
 


Blkout

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Maybe let the dealers know to remove them like they are suppose to.
Exactly, that's one solution.
 


Tannehill

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Or, they could just make them black. I left mine on because I know me, and I'll surely scrape up my splitter. I'm keeping them on for the same reason they shipped the car with them.
This logic is even worse. If you can't drive around without this fear, then get a different car. Furthermore, if this is that great a concern for occurrence then I fear said person driving 707+hp. Third, it's a $60k plus car you bought, if it gets scratched up enough just order and install a new one. It's not a huge expense.

I'm sorry to be so harsh, but this ridiculous "trend" needs to stop

Trostle is my new idol. I believe he has immediately shown via this political topic that he's already the best choice to be the top candidate in 2020!
 


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Amen. Those things trap debris under them and you're just gonna end up with a damaged from splitter in the end regardless from them acting like coarse sand paper on the splitter. Back in to parking spots and don't curb the damn car LOL.
 


2ndgen

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They actually reduce the clearance you have--so if you leave it on you're even more likely to scrape... just saying. At least on the challengers I just consider the splitter to be a wear part. It's what, $100 to replace? Once mine gets too dinged up I'll just replace it. I am not going to stress over it--life is too short. Just drive and have fun.
 


Blkout

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They actually reduce the clearance you have--so if you leave it on you're even more likely to scrape... just saying. At least on the challengers I just consider the splitter to be a wear part. It's what, $100 to replace? Once mine gets too dinged up I'll just replace it. I am not going to stress over it--life is too short. Just drive and have fun.
Yup, been driving my lowered Hellcat for 2 years now without splitter guards. My splitter still looks new.
 


Stormtrooper1320

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This logic is even worse. If you can't drive around without this fear, then get a different car. Furthermore, if this is that great a concern for occurrence then I fear said person driving 707+hp. Third, it's a $60k plus car you bought, if it gets scratched up enough just order and install a new one. It's not a huge expense.

I'm sorry to be so harsh, but this ridiculous "trend" needs to stop

Trostle is my new idol. I believe he has immediately shown via this political topic that he's already the best choice to be the top candidate in 2020!
Wow....this really bothers you doesn't it? That's a shame. But see...that's what makes this Country great....freedom of choice. I choose to leave mine on, and you choose to take yours off. You don't need to justify it to me, as I don't need to justify it to you. I live in an area with many steep driveway entrances and that little piece of yellow plastic gives me a certain peace of mind that has absolutely nothing to do with the ability to drive a 700 hp car. And yes, I paid MY money for MY car, so again MY choice. Simple as that.
There are plenty of automobile trends that I think are ridiculous, and many things that others do to their vehicles that I wouldn't do to mine. Oh well, it's their car, and that feeling is the same whether they paid $60 or $60k for their vehicle. Their car, their money, their choice. I guess when I start paying the note on their vehicles, then I might have some valued input. But until then, I'm sure they don't really GAF what I think. As don't I.
 


Tannehill

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It's what, $100 to replace? .
Exactly, don't know if it's that cheap but it can't be far off. I remember back in my 3rd Gen RX7 days we would all consider the front plastic lip spoiler a consumable, it was black plastic just like the hellcats and was $150 to replace
 


Stormtrooper1320

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Yup, been driving my lowered Hellcat for 2 years now without splitter guards. My splitter still looks new.
That's great!
 


Stormtrooper1320

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They actually reduce the clearance you have--so if you leave it on you're even more likely to scrape... just saying. At least on the challengers I just consider the splitter to be a wear part. It's what, $100 to replace? Once mine gets too dinged up I'll just replace it. I am not going to stress over it--life is too short. Just drive and have fun.
Sounds like great advice, and a wonderful outlook...for you.
 


Blkout

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Yup, its just a matter of being cautious with your vehicle. You cant dummy proof a car if someone is careless with it.
 


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