Rock chips

Hey guys, quick question...

How effective will mud flaps be at protecting my sliders from rock chips? Every time i hit a gravel road i get chips half way down the cab and have to touch them up. Will flaps help that far down?
Thanks!!!

 

For what its worth i've had mud flaps on all my trucks...its the law here. In the past i've had many paint chips on my toyota's. Being my first tacoma, i had the simonize glass coat treatment professionally applied on my truck before delivery. I don't know if its the way this truck was designed, or built, but i can hear all the loose stones hitting the sides, and undersides of my truck every time i drive to, and from my home using this semi improved 2 mile dirt road i live off. So far not a single paint chip after over a year. My tundra had several by this time when i owned it. You could see the stone dust marks on the tacoma where they hit, but it didn't penetrate the coating.

 

IMO mud flaps help protect other vehicles directly behind you, they don't really stop things from flying down the side or underneath your vehicle.

 

I have been considering them as well. All our work vehicles have them, I want the protection, just don’t like the look.

 

Don't drive down gravel roads ...

 

but aren't your sliders there to be banged and scraped?

 

So, you're trying to protect your rock sliders from rock chips? I guess if you find that the mud flaps don't work well enough, you could try to find a way to install another set of rock sliders on your rock sliders to better protect them, but then you'd have the issue of trying to protect your rock sliders rock sliders, and that just seems like a never-ending cycle... This really makes me curious as to what your reaction would be if you actually slid across a rock with your rock sliders as intended.

 

Did you not buy your rock sliders to be used?

 

Yes, mud flaps protect the side of your truck.

 

Yes, the mudflaps will help.....to an extent.

To find out how much protection is from the mudflaps. Use a piece of string or a straight edge. Begin at the tire where it meets the pavement, the 2nd contact point is the bottom edge of the mudflap, the final contact point is the truck body. Remember if using string, pull a straight line from the wheel to the body.

The final contact point on the truck body is the leading edge of the rock impact zone. Anything rearward is not protected from impact.

A simple yardstick is a good tool to use for determining.

 

Best answer: mudflaps AND oem step tubes or running boards. Have had this combination on all of my Tacos and Rams. Hardly any chips on any after driving over 100,000 miles on all of them. Eight miles of gravel roads daily. Nuff said.

 

Rock sliders + mud-flaps make no sense. Here’s my take.

1. If you actually use your sliders, you’ll rip apart those mud-flaps.

2. if you don’t intend on using said sliders, then your better off with an actual running board with the mud-flaps.

3. finally, if you have sliders and you’re just doing it for the gram then idk man. I can’t help you there.

I’ve scraped my sliders end-to-end. Left them like that for almost a year, then repainted them. You don’t have to touch them up every single time.

 

Leave em ugly, it is the only way!

 

I have a truck but I’m worried!! Sorry just drive it and have fun. I wish I could have your sliders. Next on my list so
I can slide off rocks

 

I'm set up with OEM oval step rails and mud flaps because I will never do anything more "off road" than the very occasional dirt or gravel road. I got a truck mainly so I can tow my Honda Goldwing on an open trailer when needed. Set up seems to be doing well so far. If I was doing serious off-roading and had modded my truck to do it, the last thing I would put on would be mud flaps. They'd last about an hour.

 

Ok smart asses.
Fixing a couple scrapes from a trail now and then vs constant rusting chips from gravel are not the same thing.
But sliders for my sliders...??? You might be on to something.
Full disclosure i kinda want to buy another rig just to beat the sh*t out of.

 

Have you thought about powder coating your sliders? Mud flaps that are long and wide should cut down on stone bounces.

 

YES! Like this...

 

Yes, the mud flaps will help, but make sure you get the flexible ones. I think Rokblokz are made for trails.

 

The factory front mudflaps protect to the side mirror.
My truck came with the factory flaps since new. First pic is under the rocker panel to the side mirror. 2nd pic is what the rocker looks like the rest of the way back.