New truck, gravel = mud flaps?

[rotti]

I have been pounding down a lot of gravel roads with the new rig and I am starting to see the resulting rock chips. Years ago I had put mud flaps on my previous truck but as time passed they slowly disappeared one by one and by then I didn't really care. Old truck syndrome I guess.....but on this new rig it is killing me, at least for now.

So I have been looking at these: WeatherTech No Drill Mud flaps
I like the idea of no drilling and I love the floor matts I have from them.

Any up close and personal relationships with mud flaps out there?





Note the interior of the world head quarters of FWC Denver.

 

[jcfly]

I have the Husky liner mud flaps. Wouldn't have a truck without them.

 

[herm]

i also would not own a truck without splash guards/mud flaps. I like the gm molded plastic ones that I have for my 09 sierra.

 

[RJones]

I keep flaps on my truck and keep a few spairs in the garage and my paint still looks good. I think its worth the effort for resell or trade-ins.

 

[SunMan]

My paint on my fender flares is pretty much wasted but if I had a do over I'd put clear 3M tape over the area getting peppered. Just a thought.

 

[mtn-high]

You could always be the laughing stock here and grab a set of running boards like mine.

No shame here. We can count rock chips if you'd like. My truck is 8 years old/105K and there are only a few dings because I installed them 2 days after bringing it home. Great in the winter to keep the mag chloride off the side of the truck as well. That **** is like cleaning snot off yer car and corrodes all it adheres to.

Doubt I'll ever have a truck without em as long as I live in CO and deal with these types of Winters.

Obviously...YMMV with driving and road conditions (and individual ego levels).

mtn

 

[Spitfire]

I got the GM mudflaps for my 2011 2500HD. I think they work pretty well.

 

[rotti]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I went ahead and ordered the mud flaps. I really have to get over this new truck thing though!
So far I had the 3M clear bra stuff put on the front of the hood, LineX bed liner WITH a rubber bed matt to protect the liner, WeatherTech floor matts front and rear, and now my wife is complaining about the climb into the cab.

Is it true you can lose your senior member status if you have running boards?

 

[UglyScout]

Is it true you can lose your senior member status if you have running boards?


Just call them 'steps'

 

[ski3pin]

Is it true you can lose your senior member status if you have running boards?


Like there's a "Code"? WTW Code? Kinda like the Cowboy Code?

 

[craig333]

Mudflaps? Never had them never wanted them. Running boards are frowned upon because they can and do cause you to get hung up on the rocks. Having running boards means either you don't do rocks or are willing to risk getting hung up. Don't do rocks then running boards are fine.

Okay, I lied. Running boards are just flat ugly. There, I said it.

 

[camelracer]

I've heard that having running boards is so traumatic that some people overcompensate by installing a flat bed.

 

[ntsqd]

Is it true you can lose your senior member status if you have running boards?

Make them "rocker-knockers" (structural rocker guards intended to be slid across/against rocks) and all is good. Such a set is on my list.

Every time I see how much space is lost to the sheet metal bed I swear that a purpose-built semi-flatbed (flatbed w/ wheel arches) would be the better answer.

 

[craig333]

Not sure how we went from mud flaps to bed design.

Everything is a compromise. Flat bed gains you interior room but at the cost of a higher entry and taller profile. To me thats not worth it. I like being able to hop in and still use drive thrus. Ideally I'd have a utility bed. Keep the same profile yet add lots of storage space. I'd love to take a cutting torch to my bed. If only i had the fabrication skills to go along with my imagination

 

[Barko1]

I guess running boards detract from the macho quotient but I wouldn't want a truck without them. My F250 has a slight lift and 285/75 tires so it is not all that high but still the boards are convenient multiple times per day.

 

[rotti]

Like there's a "Code"? WTW Code? Kinda like the Cowboy Code?


OK.....so would this pass the WTW Code, i.e. approved vehicle modifications?
Retractable power running board

I want to be in compliance.
I can pick up and throw the dog in but my wife frowns on such things.

 

[mtn-high]

I've never been into the "macho" rock crawling/trail destroying kinda thing.

I guess I've spent too many days volunteering for the Forest Service/trail crews in my younger days where we busted ASS to clean up such damage to be a part of such damage. Unless I'm at an impass and can do nothing else, I pass on such activities these days....so the running boards are not a problem here when it comes to getting hung up on rocks.

Like my wife just said "Are you kidding? These guys are driving around with campers on their trucks that scream >OLD MAN ON BOARD< and they are worried about "running boards" somehow crimping their "style"?

Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!! Wow..do I love her...

 

[ntsqd]

By "intended to slide across rocks" I wasn't suggesting that sort of driving, but rather that they be structural enough to support the truck in the even of an Oopsie! A typical running board would be destroyed should that happen. I'm thinking along the same lines as removing the jacks from the camper.

Pegasus Racing sells the "Helicopter Tape" that racers use to protect their paint from chips. It was originally made for protecting the leading edges of composite helicopter rotor blades and is the same stuff as those sections OE applied to late model trucks.

I'd never build a typical flat-bed for the reasons mentioned. It's deck would be no higher than the current bed's deck surface.

 

[craig333]

I'm not sure what rockcrawling and trail destroying have to do with each other. A trails difficulty has little to do with how well a trail is treated. I've seen perfectly fine smooth dirt roads torn up.

 

[ski3pin]

I have been pounding down a lot of gravel roads with the new rig and I am starting to see the resulting rock chips. Years ago I had put mud flaps on my previous truck but as time passed they slowly disappeared one by one and by then I didn't really care. Old truck syndrome I guess.....but on this new rig it is killing me, at least for now.


rotti, that nice new truck must have cost a lot of hard earned money. Do whatever you need to do to keep it looking nice and drive it like you're still making big payments. I'd much rather see rigs that look like they are cared for and driven carefully then some of the vehicles I see out on the roads. Somebody that cares about their rig is most likely somebody who also cares about the land, resources, and environment.