I run them on my truck because intentionally taking my truck into mud is
about appealing to me as involuntatily being initiated into anal sex...
I've got no problem with Rocks (smaller ones), Gravel or Sand, but my prime reason for having a 4x4 is SNOW
I do run dust shields because their OTHER job is an aerodynamic one
in controlling (as in "Directing") the flow of air through the brakes
and since my supercab is primarily a highway runner and tow vehicle...
WITH the brake dust shields you'd think the brakes would run warmer,
when infact the opposite is the truth.
They direct air into the backside of the rotor hub to the internal cooling ducts.
Without this there's be a much greater temperature differential between the
back (spindle) side of the rotor and the front (wheel side)
Most people have difficulty grasping that the outer side of the rotor,
the wheel side, runs hotter than the inboard side.
yes the side facing the wheel is the hot side, because the face
of the wheel is a "low pressure area" and air frows from UNDER the
vehicle to the hub of the rotor, the rotor operates like a centrifugal
pump then the hot air flows out through the face of the wheel...
So if you drive mountain roads at high speed you probably want your dust shields.
AD