Adding Style with F-250 Grilles

The grille is likely the most important body panel. Most of the F-250’s body panels have two jobs: they are meant to give the vehicle’s body definition and cover unsightly structural parts of the vehicle. Grilles are tasked with both of these jobs but are also critical to protecting the radiator, which is important to sound operation of the vehicle.

An F-250 grille’s design is a solid frame with a mesh center. This mesh is needed as the radiator lives right behind the grille. It is the primary source of fresh air to the engine bay and without it, the cooling system would fail. This mesh is also important as it prevents large debris from hitting the radiator and potentially damaging it.

Over the years the F-250 was offered with a few different grille choices. The grille the truck arrives with depends on the designated submodel. For 2011-2016 F-250s, the basic design of the grille remains the same across all submodels. With XLT, Platinum, and King Ranch trucks the F-250’s grille was fitted with a chrome finish. XL models were separated as the grille was fitted with a black finish.

The 2011-2016 F-250 grille design featured medium-sized bordering trim with wide bars that ran from side to side. These borders were separated with a mesh pattern to allow air to flow through. For 2017-2019 the grille was updated. The design is similar, but the bordering trim and bars are much narrower with larger sections of mesh.

The grille design and submodels still follow a similar rule of thumb for the 2017-2019 F-250s. The XL’s grille is all black, while the XLT and King Ranch features a grille with chrome bars and black mesh. The only grille to come completely in chrome is the grille featured on the Platinum model F-250.

Aftermarket grilles bring multiple benefits, but the materials used characterize one particular advantage. Many aftermarket grilles will be constructed of hard plastic. This hard plastic will keep the grille light but help it better deflect rocks and debris than the factory piece could. For extreme cases, aluminum grilles can be used which offer even better protection. The fact that aluminum is used will drive up the price but these units are still very light and much more rigid than any plastic grille will ever be. It’s important to remember the style or design of a grille will depend on the material used. More articulate grilles with additional features are often constructed of plastic while simple mesh grilles are often constructed of aluminum.

The primary reason one would ever want to consider changing their grille is on account of personal preference. They may not like the look of the factory unit and will opt to set themselves up with something that better represents their personality. What many may not realize at first is that aftermarket grilles can be much more than looks and bring additional benefits to the table.

Performance: The air that flows through the grille of the F-250 is the engine’s primary source of fresh air. Factory grilles have thick plastic mesh and a big logo right in the center that can hinder the vehicle's performance. By swapping to an aftermarket grille one may reduce this issue, offering more fresh air to the engine bay. In turn, this will help lower operating temperature and even impact power output.

Extra Lighting: Aftermarket grilles are often a place manufacturers opt to provide additional lighting or mounting solutions for additional lighting. Grille marker lights are very popular on F-250 trucks. These are a series of amber lights across the top of the grille, which mimic the look of a semi while increasing visibility of your F-250 to other drivers. Another popular option is having a light bar mounted to the grille itself. This is an excellent place to mount one as it provides a beam of light directly in front of the F-250 and it will be mounted to look almost as if it were a factory option.

Installing an aftermarket grille will vary in difficulty depending on the features of the aftermarket unit. To access the grille for removal the hood will need to be popped and the radiator extension will need to be removed. Once removed one will have access to the mounting hardware on the factory grille will then need to be removed. At this point, the factory unit can be pulled away from the truck and the new unit installed in the reverse order of steps.

For most cases, basic hand tools will be required but if the aftermarket grille features lighting, additional tools and steps will be required. Along with the steps discussed one will need to splice into a source of electricity. This process will vary depending on whether one will need to hook the light up to an existing light switch or set up a toggle switch. If you are not confident with electrical work calling a professional is necessary.