Do our F150 really need mud flaps?

[redline]

YES

/thread

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[Popplemer]

I bought the fiendishly expensive Gatorback Ford branded chrome mud flaps. They are great. I'll take a picture tomorrow. I think they look great if you have chrome on your truck.

 

[JJSnell]

No, you do not need them...I would recommend them to help reduce rock chips. They will not prevent all rock chips, but they certainly help.

^^^
This

 

[amschind]

I have the stainless Ford logo Gatorback mudflaps on all four corners and love them. My truck lives outside, so I was worried that they would fall apart quickly, but no such trouble. They may well last the life of the vehicle at this rate.

Gatorbacks

The look isn't for everyone and it's a pricier option, but it fit my compromise between style and function to a T. Note that if you change your wheel offset to get some "poke", these will give you at most 1/2" of extended outboard coverage.

 

[SpaceWhiteF150]

Saves your butt on rock chips! Looks badass!!!

 

[amschind]

I bought the fiendishly expensive Gatorback Ford branded chrome mud flaps. They are great. I'll take a picture tomorrow. I think they look great if you have chrome on your truck.

Note that they are polished stainless, not chrome. Looks wise maybe irrelevant, but I don't think that a chrome finish would last in that habitat while the worst the stainless one can do is get dings or scratches.

 

[diambo4life]

You have AT tires on a truck that’s not even driven when it’s wet out? I don’t get it.

It's a good thing then that I didn't consult you first?

 

[Antimatter22]

TLDR: if you don't mind the look then you won't lose out. If you do, then weigh the cost/benefit of having or not having mud flaps. The flaps are probably cheaper than repainting the quarters.

I'm a no mud flaps guy but can definitely see the benefit depending on your use case. I don't go off-roading but did pick up a decently sized rock off a country road roughly 30 days after I bought the truck that left a pretty good ding in that area behind the front right tire below the passenger door. Unfortunately I didn't think twice about it since it happened on my way home from a 12 hour shift and the guy installing the PPF conveniently never mentioned it. It's not his job to tell me about it but it we would have both benefited from it being corrected.

I would recommend getting the front of your truck installed PPF if you plan on keeping it long term or drive in the city. That definitely depends on your use case and budget.

 

[BUDXR7]

It's a good thing then that I didn't consult you first?

It’s alright to say “I like the way they look”. It’s also alright to say “they’re a waste of money”. See, we’re both right.

 

[diambo4life]

It’s alright to say “I like the way they look”. It’s also alright to say “they’re a waste of money”. See, we’re both right.

FNG. How about you focus on building your junk and not worrying about the choices that others had in their mod selections? This is F150gen14.com not budxr7.com. Goofy.

 

[diambo4life]

TLDR: if you don't mind the look then you won't lose out. If you do, then weigh the cost/benefit of having or not having mud flaps. The flaps are probably cheaper than repainting the quarters.

I'm a no mud flaps guy but can definitely see the benefit depending on your use case. I don't go off-roading but did pick up a decently sized rock off a country road roughly 30 days after I bought the truck that left a pretty good ding in that area behind the front right tire below the passenger door. Unfortunately I didn't think twice about it since it happened on my way home from a 12 hour shift and the guy installing the PPF conveniently never mentioned it. It's not his job to tell me about it but it we would have both benefited from it being corrected.

I would recommend getting the front of your truck installed PPF if you plan on keeping it long term or drive in the city. That definitely depends on your use case and budget.

100%!!! You pick up all sort of debris on the road. I learned my lesson with my previous truck. I usually run flush to slightly aggressive offset so it's important to keep the truck sides free of debris, water and anything on the road. My least favorite is asphalt that's been recently laid down on a road in construction. I also do plenty of burnouts in my truck and the flaps work wonders containing where the rubber is tossed.

 

[TeamCanada]

I put on Gatorbacks on the day I got my truck, no body screws, stainless brackets, and come with a lifetime warranty against ripping.
I backed into a snowbank last winter and it ripped one of them. A simple call and the dealer gave me a brand new one for free.

 

[Popplemer]

I put on Gatorbacks on the day I got my truck, no body screws, stainless brackets, and come with a lifetime warranty against ripping.
I backed into a snowbank last winter and it ripped one of them. A simple call and the dealer gave me a brand new one for free.

I have the same ones in stainless. Very impressive design. Although the price tag I didn't love.

 

[Old Bear]

Just gotta be a little different. Plain SS is on the front.

 

[amschind]

FNG. How about you focus on building your junk and not worrying about the choices that others had in their mod selections? This is F150gen14.com not budxr7.com. Goofy.

It is also noteworthy that many of us who have AT tires for "practical reasons" drive 99% of our miles ON road. Calling out the guy who CHOOSES not to go off road may be kind of pointless when that's the undeclared use case for most of these trucks. I think the real downsides of AT tires are noise and decreased mileage, so if he's fine with it why bug him?

I suspect that most of us would love touring tires that can automagically morph into mud terrains at the push of a button and would pay for the privilege, but alas no such tire exists.

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