Ford fender flares - how do they fit

[Mosey]

I am looking to add fender flares to my 21 XLT. However, looking at the install instructions from Ford, I am not confident in how well they will fit or hold up over time. My issue is with having only press-on spring clips to hold them to the fender. On my last truck, a GMC Canyon, the GM fender flares attached with adhesive at the outside of the flares plus some screws inside the folder lip, and they were rock solid.
I am looking at the OE flares solely for ding protection.

If you have these kind of flares, what is your experience? Thanks.

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[Mosey]

bueller, bueller?

 

[tre_77]

Also interested

 

[Mosey]

Well, I guess I will answer my own thread.
I installed the basic Lund (Ford accessory) flares last night. Not the easiest job for a first timer. It took about 3 hours. Two people would have made the job go faster but is not really needed. The front flares use mostly existing holes with one clip, the rears use 3 additional clips.

The included instruction sheet has a few errors which I suspect are the result of carrying it over from the previous model. Most notable is the gen14 is lacking one fender liner screw in the front and you have to remove the “spat” in front of the rear tire.

Fit and finish are nice, about what I expected for bolt on flares. They fit snugly against the fender and do not move. The tool provided to “adjust” the seal around the flare was almost useless. I had to modify it to work properly. This may just be a lack of experience.

 

[tre_77]

Excited to see the pics!

 

[Mosey]

Here are some pics of the install.

 

[tre_77]

Looks great!

 

[SuperRaptor]

Those look nice,

 

[QWERTY]

Any idea if those would prevent you from installing the Ford OEM mud flaps?

 

[Mosey]

I would say no. The fender profile changes significantly.

Any idea if those would prevent you from installing the Ford OEM mud flaps?

 

[QWERTY]

I would say no. The fender profile changes significantly.

Damn shame.

Looks good, regardless!

 

[Mosey]

There is one detail I should mention, and this applies to any add-on. It is a bit worrisome that if you are not careful you may inadvertently end up with steel clips in contact with aluminum. I took extra care to avoid this making sure to position the supplied insulators between the fender and clip, but a better way would be preferred. There is only one press on clip for the front but three for the rear.

I may end up pulling the fenders off to reinspect all of the fasteners. I may also look to see if aluminum fasteners of some sort could be used instead.

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