To Flap or Not to Flap

[LeMoeCND]

To flap or not to flap

I have always driven a car with mud flaps and if the car did not have any I would get them put on. The point of a mud flap is to prevent road particle/debris from hitting the car or spitting it out to the car behind you.
When I purchased my new 5 GT the car came with the side skirts and no flaps. I asked about it and found that the dealer does not provide flaps for the GT and only the GS can have them. The dealer did suggest to get aftermarket flaps and he has seen them put on by other owners.

Soooo I picked up a set of plain black flexible flaps at the local Canadian Tire store and installed them with the break away clips. (Just in case) This was just before the winter season started. (Think ice, snow, slush, wet and sandy salt spray). Our roads over the winter are covered with a mixture of road salt and sand. Therefore when you drive over the stuff with winter tires, or tires of a larger tread design, the stones are picked up and thrown about. If you think about it, I am salt sand blasting the unprotected part of the car. Ive seen many cars with the doors falling apart from the bottom.

Due to and excessive amount of ice build up one of my flaps got torn off. I did notice that these flexible flaps are not very flexible when exposed to very cold (-25 deg C) weather and its stiff state likely contributed to being torn off. Im currently looking for a better solution. I chose not to replace the flap for now and found myself driving in a very warm (-2 deg C) slushy condition this past weekend. I just wanted to show you all the difference between using flaps and no flaps. Driver side with flap nothing on or near the door. Passenger side without flap what a mess. This sticky slush is full of sand and salt.



LeMoeCND
2010 Mazda 5 GT MT

 

[BPboiler3]

You could always check out the Urethane mudflaps from RallyArmor as an alternative

They do not mention the temperature capabilities of these on their site but urethane typically has an operating temperature of -40 C to 93 C which is more than adequate for your application.

 

[skyhawk]

Look for the kind that has moulding. They are usually flexible like rubber. Then cut out the molding part that touches the paint work (flaps move around and the 'moulding' that touches the body could rub on the paint.

I put a flap back in 2006.. it is still ok.. it hits the speed bumps at times but it is flexible.. here is another thread on mudflaps.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123692338-mudflaps-for-GT

 

[LeMoeCND]

Thanks guys for the information and the link to the other thread. It is very helpfull. I'm looking for that mudflap with great flexibility in cold weather. The issue is the low clearance between the road and the skirt that does not allow for the flap to flex very much especially if it is encased in a flapberg. Deep Dips in the road and speed bumps always cause flap scrap. If I could hinge the flap just below the skirt, I'm sure this would solve some of my issues. Actually, Just thinking about it now, I think I will take some time at the Home Depot and look for a hinge...

LeMoeCND
2010 M5 GT MT

 

[skyhawk]

You can get material from an interior tube (tire tube). Cut to length and width and attach to the end of the flaps. You can then set it as low as possible, but high enough so that tire won't step over it when you are backing up a speed bump. I had this in my old buick.