Should I take off my mud flaps?

I have big goofy mud flaps that are really awkward that I would like to take off, but I don't want to damage my Taco by removing its protection. Has anyone found smaller mudflaps to put on?

 

I personally only know of larger ones (Rekgen, etc..but may be shorter ib length?), but I'd like a set of those big goofy flaps to experiment with modifying, so if you do wind up replacing them let me know.

Funny thing, got a drivers front flat a month or two ago, and the flap was dragging on the ground..less ground clearance than sidewall height apparently!

 

I took mine off years ago. I kept tearing mine off when backing over rocks and curbs and finally, just kept them off.

Try cutting a few inches off the bottom on the ones you have.

 

I removed the OEM mud flaps soon after buying my truck back in 2011. I installed Husky mud flaps. They're shorter, a little more rigid and have a nice contoured shape. Still holdup nicely after 13 yrs.

 

No mudflaps last 15K miles, no complaints, no major damage that I can see.

(Maybe 300-400 miles on dirt forest roads during that 15K.)

 

Keep em. You not only protect your own paint, but protect cars behind you. World would be better if every truck/SUV had mud flaps.

 

I would be happy to take your mudflaps if you don't want them. I have been missing rear passenger for a couple years and just lost my front passenger on a trip a couple weeks ago. 2013 4x4, I prefer having them on.

 

trimmed with ossilating tool... now 8" front/9" rear

 

I took mine off a while ago, no complaints.

 

Take them off and check the paint on the fender flare underneath. The flaps mount with a slight overlap, so it's possible that 10 years of driving would leave rub marks esp at the edges of the flaps. Might make you just leave them on.

 

I've been driving 4X4's off road, and on dirt/gravel roads for over 50 years. Average of about 1000 miles/year on such roads. My 07 Tacoma is the only vehicle I've ever owned that had mud flaps. Only about 5% of the trucks where I live have them anyway. My front flaps broke off after 3 years and I took the rear's off at that time. Never once in those years have I ever had any damage caused by my truck or any other truck because it didn't have mud flaps.

I can see the need on big trucks and trailers that don't have fenders. But as long as your tires fit inside the fenders, or if you use fender extensions you don't need mudflaps. If your tires poke outside the fenders even mudflaps won't help.

 

ODOT cinders the roads in the winters as part of their snow removal operation around here and up to the mountain where I work in the winter. My windshield, headlight lenses, grill and hood finish HATE everyone that drives without mudflaps, especially those with rock chucker A/T's. I own and maintain a shit box daily (with a cracked windshield there's no point in replacing) because of those that chose to drive without mudflaps. Do what you want but I'm passing you with my middle finger in the air.

 

I don't run flaps on my 09... they were "removed" by the tires long ago up front,
my 90 Pickup use to absolutely throw some stuff from the back and did put some universal ones back on after I purchased it.

 

Good chance you may have given me the bird as I was hauling ass down Hwy 35 in mid February lol

 

Lol!! Pretty sure everybody's middle finger gets plenty sore driving Hwy 35. Can't imagine living/driving on the Govy 500 side.

 

My Jeep J-10 had a very good anti-tailgate feature. Cars would pull up so close that I couldn’t see them in the rear view mirror or side mirrors. Then they would slowly fade back. Then, like clockwork, they’d hit the bug juice/wipers. Then they’d pull off to the side to clean the 90 wt. gear oil off their windshield. At least the ones dumb enough to tailgate a pickup with a 1/4” thick step bumper, yet smart enough to keep some rags in their trunk.

 

(It had no mudflaps… no one did on light trucks)

 

Step 1. Get 35’s
Step 2. High clearance bumper
Step 3. Figure out semi truck mud flaps and post how to do it

done