Gorilla Glass Windshields Are Impressive, but Are They Worth the Money?

Gorilla Glass Windshields Are Impressive, but Are They Worth the Money?

corning
  • gorilla glass, which promises higher resistance to chips and cracks, is now available for late-model ford f-150 pickups and jk jeep wrangler suvs.
  • it's also thinner and significantly lighter than regular auto glass, which has prompted porsche, mclaren, and the ford gt to offer gorilla glass as original equipment.
  • do the math and it's likely you won't be selecting gorilla glass to replace your windshield, even if the performance benefits look appealing.

    most drivers don't think about glass unless it chips, cracks, or shatters. unless you work at car and driver's headquarters, where we run a fleet of long-term test cars through 40,000 miles in a year, you probably don't have to deal with windshield replacement very often. (and even in our testing, windshield cracks or dings only happen on about 10 percent of vehicles we test long-term.) that's not preventing some automakers and aftermarket companies from selling tougher windshields—at a premium price.

    current-gen ford f-150 pickups and last-gen jk jeep wrangler 4x4s can be specified with gorilla glass, a thin-film glass pioneered by corning in upstate new york and not to be confused with the glue from another company. originally designed for smartphones, the special glass incorporates an inner layer chemically treated to increase its surface density over typical laminates. now in its fifth generation, gorilla glass is standard equipment on most consumer electronics displays because it's so thin, light, and resistant to punctures and cracks.

    but at automotive sizes, gorilla glass is pretty darn expensive. it can cost 50 to 100 percent more than a comparable oem windshield. setting aside the price for a minute, it has enough tangible benefits—shedding pounds, lowering the center of gravity—that the windshield of the ford gt is where it first featured. later, gorilla glass was used for the rear and side glass of the porsche 911 gt3 rs and the topmost glass attached to the dihedral doors of the mclaren 720s. corning presents the entertaining video below to prove that it can fire 1.5-inch-thick ice balls into the windshield at 65 mph from close range without any damage.

    mopar, fiat chrysler's parts division, offers gorilla glass replacement windshields on jk wranglers from the 2007 to 2018 model years. this week, a michigan-based manufacturer called hyperformance glass products announced it is selling replacement gorilla glass windshields for current-gen f-150 trucks. (you can vote on the hyperformance site whether you'd like the ford mustang, the chevy camaro, or the corvette to be next to get this aftermarket windshield.)

    we haven't tested a gorilla glass windshield up close. but if the metrics hold true, increased durability and lighter weight would help anyone off-road or on the track.

    just know gorilla glass isn't factory spec outside the supercar segment. a 2018 wrangler windshield lists for $410, whereas the gorilla glass version goes for more than $700. the same upgraded windshield in a 2019 f-150 is $900, while ford charges $430 for a base replacement windshield for a 2019 f-150. it's worth noting that if you need compatibility with windshield-mounted rearview mirrors, rain sensors, head-up displays, camera-based driver assists, and other equipment, the price of a replacement windshield goes up.

    what's more telling is what your insurance company would pay to replace a damaged windshield. typically, on new and late-model vehicles with full glass coverage, the policy pays for oem parts. on older vehicles, aftermarket parts get the nod, with the oem windshield treated as a higher-cost add-on. unless a gt3 rs or a ford gt is on your policy, you can be certain you won't be upgraded to gorilla glass.

    at this point, we'd say it doesn't make financial sense to ask for gorilla glass unless you have a deductible higher than $500; you'd be better off saving that money for other parts (or your policy's deductible) when you really need it. but if you have serious off-roading or ice-snowball fights in your weekend plans—or if you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spending to be an early adopter—you might consider this a luxury you want to shell out for anyway.

    source:caranddriver.com

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