December is coming. Do you guys prefer cocooning in winter? I am sure you like gifts, celebrations, and cozy family parties. It’s pleasant to get useful Christmas gifts. Especially if they include accessories for your cherished vehicles. Do winter months suit off-road trips? Of course, they do, with proper safety measures. What do fender flares do? They protect your truck, enhancing its rugged look. Let’s discuss their role and function once again.
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Do I Need Fender Flares in Winter?
Do you prefer to flee cold weather? Travelers of this type are pretty common. December is a busy time for business, shopping, and cooking festive pies. However, look at the window. Is it a bit cloudy in your locality? I am sure it won’t prevent you from driving and traveling.
Fortunately, in Illinois wet season is already over. Now it’s sunny and a bit chilly. So, install the best fender flares for trucks. Discover any roadside attractions, such as:
- Olney’s City Park.
- Garden of Gods.
- Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
- Starved Rock State Park.
- Castle Park in Carbondale.
Do fender flares help when a blizzard starts? They protect your vehicle body and wheels from snow and mud. Traveling in winter is beneficial. You can see beautiful snow scenes and visit Christmas markets.
White squirrels might hide away in their wintertime shelters and sleep. However, festive lights are amazing! If you travel with kids, they would love these beautiful views and festive atmosphere. Just don’t forget to check the current road conditions in advance.
What Are Best Fender Flares Made of?
Do you like driving on mountain trails? Visit Pyramid State Park in Pinckneyville or Orland Park in the suburb of Chicago. Snow chains help you drive safely during a snow storm. Enhanced traction would be necessary on snowy or icy roads.
Meanwhile, which accessories are weather-proof and reliable? Fender flares are made of polymer materials. ABS plastic and polypropylene are the most popular. Let’s compare basic properties of these materials.
Polypropylene vs ABS Plastic
| Characteristics | ABS Plastic | PP |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Styrene –40-60% Acrylonitrile -15-35% Butadiene -5-30% | Ethylene - 45-65% Propylene – 35-55% |
| Tensile Strength, psi | 5500 | 4000 |
| Density, lbm/in3 | 0.038 | 0.033 |
| Melting, point, °F | 220-225 | 320-340 |
Do fender flares prevent rust?
They protect your truck surface from loose rocks. The accessories hold water and salt for several seconds. Otherwise, they would mask or hide available scratches, improving your vehicle’s look.
So, what about the materials? ABS plastic is more durable and impact-resistant than polypropylene. It’s hard and tough. According to research, its mechanical properties vary. They depend on production methods. Polypropylene is more flexible and lightweight. As a result, it withstands heat and cold better than ABS plastics.
What Are Fender Flares Used for?
Installation of these accessories to your impressive vehicle is not compulsory. Legal requirements concern only certain vehicles. However, it’s desirable. Have you replaced your truck tires to oversize ones? Fender flares cover them, ensuring essential protection.
These perfect accessories perform 3 basic functions, that is:
- protective;
- masking;
- aesthetical.
Fender flares make your impressive Ram 1500 or Tacoma look even more aggressive. Now it’s appearance is even more stylish and rugged. Customize your off-road beast, enchasing it by any color you like.
How to stop rust from spreading on a car? Fender flares protect its metal body from water and mud. Is damage already evident? Hide it by sleek plastic accessories. Fixing minor dents and scratches on fender area of your vehicle is time-consuming. Don’t waste money on it. Mask wheel imperfections well and forget about them for several years.
Finally, fender flares reduce wind resistance. As well as tonneau covers, they streamline truck’s relief. Its aerodynamics is improved. Quite naturally, these improvements are slight. They don’t help you to save a lot of gas. However, when winds are harsh, you drive faster or just don’t get stuck in the blizzard.
How to Put Fender Flares on a Truck?
Are you an experienced driver? If so, this task is comparatively easy. Installation process takes about one hour. Buy suitable accessories in advance. Consider their size, look, and color. Read installation instructions.
Additionally, unbolt and remove existing flares. Quite naturally, if your vehicle has them installed. Now, start the installation, follow several installation steps.
- Inspect the fender.
- Lay flares to the truck body.
- Attach the brackets.
- Insert and tighten the screws.
- Use double-sided adhesive tape.
- Add plastic fasteners.
Using bolt on fender flares, car enthusiasts make their impressive vehicles look great. This style suits your powerful pickup truck. Meanwhile, try to select top-quality sets of accessories. The ones that require no-drill installation are preferable.
General Impression
Are you going to install fender flares now? I guess these accessories are essential during wet season. They prevent corrosion of your truck body. Now you need them too. Quite naturally, fender flares mask available rust and wheel well damage. They also cover large tires, making your trips safe. Harsh winds don’t prevent you from driving and traveling in winter.
