Thoughts on removing mudflaps?

I really like the look without mudflaps. What I am most concerned about damage to the body and paint from not having them on. What do you guys think?

I have a set of avid sliders on the way, so that might help the front. There is no snow here, it doesn't rain that much and my off roading only consists of dirt roads more or less.

I would like to hear your opinions.

Before and After Pics on page 2

 

if your gonna take em off, might as well do it early so they don't leave a line on your paint

 

Looks better , depending on your tire type , can be tough on the paint with rocks .

 

just took mine off a week ago and it make it look much taller and aggressive from the back imo. i did some minor off roading and your truck will get 300% muddier with them off.

 

a lot of AT tires or newer tires with thicker thread may grab on the rocks and toss them toward your paint.. I been debating it too.. because like you said i think it creates an optical illusion that your truck is a bit taller

 

Yeah i think they are going to come off. Most of my driving is freeway anyways.

I took them off my 4runner, and dont recall any adverse effects.

 

My opinion kind of depends on what type tires you're running. As you said, you're mostly freeway so I'm guessing you'll be staying with an AT or less aggressive tread. I need MT's for the places I go and they like to pick up some rather large rocks. I had to pull mine to put the bigger tires on (32"), but am planning to put them back on now that I have the Billies. I have a rock chip all the way up next to my driver's access door window that came from my tires and that's from a gravel parking lot.

 

I took mine off,kept them off for about a month,then put them back on cause I didn't want rock chips.
I think I'll take them off again cause it does look better

 

i took my front ones off only because i got new wheels and bigger tires, otherwise i would have kept them on to prevent rocks and stuff hitting my painted surfaces. there is an ugly line where the stock mudflaps wore through the paint. keep 'em on.

 

Bought a 93 Hilux new, traded it last summer. After 19 years, no rock chips, keep the flaps.

 

I took them off to see what it looks like. When i get home tomorrow i will post pics and see what everyone thinks. I like it, but if i end up getting chips i will throw them back on.

 

Good post.

I will run ats due to the fact i drive mostly on the freeways.

 

I just hope that I am never behind someone who doesn't have their mud flaps on their trucks. I don't want to have more rocks and crap fly at me because of someone thinking it's "cooler" to have their mud flaps off.

 

I wheel hard enough that mine got ripped off. decided putting them back on would be a waste of time.

 

I thought about it, and then removed them... don't want gouged paint.

I'll make some flexy ones soon and put em on front and back to stay out of trouble while traveling.

 

I've ran over a few of those little cement stoppers in a parking lot and never came off. I'm sure that they will come off at some point, oh well if they do. I think that they keep the rocks and dirt down from my truck.

 

i keep the back ones but the front ones came off in the rain and scratch my side door scared the hell out of me lol

 

yeah ill have to make something up once i get larger tires.

 

In the last hour driving around, ive noticed almost no lifted or non lifted 4wd trucks have mudflaps.

Right now im in amador county where a lot of wheeling happens too. I would say 60% of vehicles on the road here are trucks/suv.

On a side note, my front flaps would scrape on speed bumps.

 

thanks, I saw em. I think for the cost, it might be a decent project as a DIY