By Roger Hall


Mud flaps are also called mud guards. As the name suggests, they are flaps attached on a vehicle to provide protection to the vehicle, other vehicles, passengers, and other road users from flying debris. The debris is thrown into the air by tires as they rotate. Debris varies in size from small pebbles to sizeable rocks. Custom mud flaps usually work in combination to the vehicle fender.

A wide range of materials can be used to make mudflaps. Superior qualities of rubber make it a favorite material in this application. Other materials in wide use are various kinds of plastics, metals, and polyurethane. The material used is usually flexible and highly resistant to damage when it makes contact with the road surface, tires, and flying debris. Soft materials would cause debris to be impregnated into them when the two make contact.

Installation of these products is not done on vehicles alone. They are also common on bicycles and motor cycles. Those installed on bicycles are often manufactured from plastic because debris thrown is typically small and low-speed. The size and speed of debris thrown in motor cycle is comparatively bigger, which makes mudflaps installed on them to be bigger and much stronger.

Installation onto the vehicle is done using different methods. In vehicles, aluminium brackets are commonly used to secure and maintain the device in place. Besides the use of aluminium brackets, bolts and rivets are also used. However, the use of rivets is not very wide. In bicycles, these devices are held in place by other parts and bolts. The flexible part of the device is usually attached to an inflexible parts usually made of metal.

Mudflaps are installed at the back of tires directly in the direction of motion of debris. Each tire has a single mudflap behind it. However, it is common to find one huge flap that covers both rear wheels. Large trucks are the ones known for such. Large mudflaps have information intended for the public.

Sizes and shapes of mudflaps vary widely and one should choose what pleases them. There are people who prefer huge mudflaps that swipe the ground when the vehicle moves. Those kinds are usually meant to be more cosmetic than functional. Similarly, there are individuals who like small but effective mudflaps. Rectangle is the default shape of these commodities, but other customized shapes like square can also be achieved.

In most cases, mudflaps are usually plain and undecorated. However, decorations can be added in the form of artwork and other forms of texts. In company vehicles, the logo of the company may be drawn on the mudflaps. Some use them for advertisement purposes. Vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota often print their logos on mudflaps.

Other customizations that people incorporate are LEDS, light-emitting diodes. The LEDs are often operated by the driver or they may remain on at all times. Different states impose different regulations on mudflaps. Regulations exist to ensure that even with decoration and other customizations, the products must conserve their primary functionality.




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