The dealer says the factory confirmed the order so I started ordering a few accessories. Do mud flaps serve any purpose in protecting the finish around the wheel wells if I don't plan on driving on gravel? If so, are the wider European any better? Thanks.
Hello sparkie welcome aboard. I have the euro type on myself. I believe they do help cut down on rock dings on the lower panels but certainly don't help keep the car "clean". See photo below.
We've had mud flaps, front and back, on every vehicle we've owned for the past 30 years. The Prius is our first non-Honda, and also first vehicle without detachable mud flaps. I thought I'd give it a go without the mud flaps. The body panels go down quite far at the back, sort-of behave like a mud flap anyway. Can't say that I miss them. If anything, mud flaps will trap mud and grit, and also can accumulate snowcicles in winter.
I see the spot below the drivers door where you wipe the sill off with your pant leg when you get in and out of the car.
i've had mudflaps on my car since i purchased it... ok.. a few months after anyway... it was fun.. i hit the snow.. the mud.. and.. overall it really didn't help all that much. mud and snow cakes up on them.. they reduce mpg.. and eventually they become loose since they really need to be bolted on and not simply fastened with clips or sheet metal screws (that's what i did) once one fell off i took them all off.. it looks better with them but i'm really not missing them anymore.
Thanks--I'm more into making a practical decision regarding mud and snow (and cost) than caring about the cosmetics of the car so your advice was most helpful. Thanks, I think I'll "wait".
Hey V8 there is and has been a great debate on the mud flaps decreasing MPG's if you have some MPG numbers could you post them please? You don't think that it was just the winter cold weather MPG hit and not the mud flaps? I want to get some but I don't know who to believe. Did you have the U.S. model or the Euro's?
