Well as some know I just put on a new set of wheels and tires. They are 12.50's on **** Cepek DC-1, so with knowing this the stinking things stick out pretty far. Now I love the look of the wide tires sticking out of the fender wells, my problem is that my girlfriend lives on a gravel road. Putting two and two together I wont have paint left if I continue going down this road. Right now I'm to the point I hit her road and immediately slow down to about 15 and just about double the time to get down the road.

I have considered flares, but not sure this is really the fix I need, the rocks are usually hitting my bottom rocker panel with the occasional thrown up farther. I am thinking my fix is more along the line of mud flaps, maybe I'm wrong I guess this is really my question, which will I benefit better from? I guess what makes since is the tires are throwing the rock as they are spinning up off the ground, so mud flaps would offer the better protection. Like I said my thinking could be wrong though.

I am thinking if I go the mudflap direction I will just put front ones on, the rear isn't really the one throwing rocks down my body most of those end up behind me, its just the fronts.

Any help is appreciated, I don't really want flaps or flares, neither look to great, but if it will protect my paint it will have to be done.

 

I had the same problem except I live on the gravel road and my wheels and tires that stick out are for sale and I am running a set of FX4 wheels with stock tires. My truck looks like ***** right now with the small tires but I couldn't stand the rocks and mud on my truck.

I was just PMing ballnstx about his fender flares to try to cover my tires but I gave up on the idea and went back to the narrow wheels. His flares are the one off of ebay for just over $100 and he said they cover right at 2". They aren't the huge flares they are the small almost factory flares like the EGR aftermarket but cheaper.

By the way I had factory mud flaps on my truck when I first put the aftermarket wheels on it and I rubbed them and full lock. The wheels were the same offset and back spacing as your's and I was running 295/70/17 nitto terras.
Just my 2 pennies.

 

Get a new GF?

Sorry, couldn't resist...........

 

Dominion Seal Chip Guard

Jim

 

make her meet you at the end of the road!!!

 

That would be one of the funniest breakups ever.

"Babe, listen. Its not you, its your stupid rock road that keeps chipping the paint job on my truck. It was either you, or the awesome wheels and tires on my truck..."

 

She already knows I hate driving down her road, but where I live almost all rodes are gravel. To get to either of my grandparents houses I have to go down gravel. I can't see myself giving up the wheels and tires, I will buy a set of mud flaps before that happens. I guess I'm just not sure which would protect better mud flaps or fender flares.

 

Go with 3" Fender Flares from Bushwacker ($450.00). They will protect the backside of your fenders and bumper edge. For inside the fender well, there ain't much od **** you can do, other than rubberize (Herculiner, Line -X) or touch-up periodically with paint. Good Luck!

 

get flares of some sort, they save your paint. My bushwackers have taken a serious beating and need repainted badly, but the side of my truck is chip free, i think the extend a fenders painted to match would look pretty good on your truck. it will be 350 bones well spent

 

DuraFlap mudflaps are really nice... they blend in pretty well with your tires so you don't really see them and they hold up real nice. I've had mine on for a couple years now.

My garage is on a sand and rock alley so thats why I added them... the do a nice job of keeping the truck clean and chip-free

 

Alex, have you seen the mudflaps I added?
(Your monster, 4x4 Tires were doing the same thing to me! )

They really aren't bad, very OEM looking, and a hell of a lot cheaper than flares.





Food for thought anyway.

(Pro-Fit part #8, for front & back)

 

Yeah see, i just think that the rocks getting thrown down my truck are coming more off the bottom of the tires rotation off the ground. So to me mud flaps would be the way to stop that, flares wouldn't protect from that as much, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't mind having mud thrown down the truck and stuff, its the rocks that mother me. So i was thinking maybe mudflaps (cheaper) would be the better option. I think I may buy a set of the weathertech no drills.

 

Just get the nice ford ones. I have the rears and will be getting the fronts in a few weeks.