Aftermarket fender flares

Took the truck on a serious wheeling escapade and got some decent scratches on the front fenders and rear wheel arches. I bought some rough country fender flares, wanted bush wackers but didn’t wanna drop the coin on em just yet. Right now, I’m just looking to cover the scratches up, which both would do perfectly. However, I’m wondering if either would actually protect the fenders from rubs up trees/deep rutted walls etc with the basic factory way of mounting them. Eventually I may wind up actually drilling the fenders and using the “wannabe rivet” location with real hardware to help them stay on.

Anyone have the RC or BW flares? If so, did you actually drill into the truck to mount them up?

 

IMO the scratches look better than most aftermarket flares I have seen,,, they just look awkward, but defiantly need some big O tires to fill, or they just look like glued on pool noodles flapping in the wind.

 

I’m more concerned with protection/function than looks honestly. I mean I don’t want the truck looking stupid af going down the road lol, but protection is more important

 

Go deeper

 

Protection from leaves and grass. Anything else hitting it is just going to crack the fender flare and then scratch your fender. Whatever you hit would crack or rip the flare.

 

Is there any flares that actually protect from real shit

 

Not at all.

 

Nice. Guess they’ll just have to serve the purpose of covering the scratches then

 

If there were, they would just bend the sheet metal of the fender and bedsides.
The guys that have real protection are made of steel and attached to the front bumper and rock slider.
Steel Plate.
DOM tubing

 

I mean protection against rubs, not bashing up beside rocks

 

I totally get that! I am usually too, but those flares stuck on top of fenders are obtuse, I would think they are just going to wider and grab more of the woods.
This is a tough transition, you get to that point you need to figure out if you want a street truck, or a trail rig. If pushing through brush, you are inevitably scratch and beat your truck. While I go off road, it's been mild until paid off (which it now is) and older and more worn. There is not right or wrong, everyone's threshold for this is different.

 

Stop and think about rubbing the sides. I once was on a narrow dirt road and I thought I could get between some brush and the edge. The brush actually dented the fender it gouged! Brush! So, really anything thicker than weeds is going to scratch or dent. The pics I posted above can hit rock or they can hit a sapling and protect. Anything less just helps keep the mud from slinging.

 

I agree. I only go 2-3x a year and only 1 of those is serious wheeling. Serious as in, serious for a nearly stock Tacoma.

 

They’ll add more scratches than they cover. There will be a ring left behind where the flare rides on the painted surface of the fender. Once they go on, taking them off is not an option. I put some on a truck one time and hated it so bad I sold the truck.

 

lame

 

Try out some of the TRD Off Road flares. I could be wrong but I don't think any drilling is required.

 

These RC ones don’t require drilling. They just have the lame-o fake hardware for looks. I was talking about drilling the truck and using real hardware in its place

 

You've got to ask yourself would you rather have a beat up looking truck or a stupid looking truck

 

Both simultaneously