Go for the stainless, it will last longer. I have polished nerf bars and grill guard and I can not tell much of a differnce compared to the chrome.

 

HiYa Bob,
Your little dancing bannana drives me crazy!! When I read your posts he's jumping around and distracting me!!![:@]

I take it you live in the "Rust Belt" as well?

 

Good quality chrome on good quality steellasts a long time with proper care. The least durable combination is chrome over aluminum. Unless you live in an area like Southern California or Miami, it's best not to run chrome wheels through the winter, the road salt will cause the chrome to peelsooner or later. Factory chrome wheels all seem to have a layer of silver paint applied to the inside of the wheel over the chrome and some sort of a lip or step cast between the spokes. My guess is that this helps stop the chrome from peeling off the face of the wheel before the warranty period is over.

On the other hand, I've also noted that chromecan beless prone to etching from highway road debris (sand) when used on the front of a vehicle than polished stainless steel trim. The good thing about stainless is that it won't rust and any etching can just be buffed and polished out again to revive the piece to like new condition.

Regarding the color of stainless, I think there are several different grades in use for brush guards. I've seen some pieces that are almost identical to chrome in terms of color and depth. Maybe you can try shopping a few off-road shops to see samples from several different brands before you make your purchase?

 

I have the GM SS nerfs and they look like chrome to me, I don't notice a discoloration at all. Haven't seen the aftermarket ones so I can't comment on those but I agree with the majority here. Get stainless steel, I've seen too much problems with chrome in the past and down low where the nerf bars run I can see the chrome getting dinged over time...

 

I live in Houston so rust wouldn't be a problem. Don't get me wrong the color almost matches and I'm sure 99% of the people out there wouldn't notice it. I think I'm probably just going to go with the polished stainless for the brushguard.

 

stainless<chrome, i live in so-cal so its nice and safe here