I will attempt to make a thread to post the cons of rolling the rear fenders on a Prius. I will start off with the fact that I needed to roll or cut my rear fenders. After reading about the cons of cutting the fender such as the weakness that it creates which can cause deformation and the added possibility of rust I decided to have a reputable person roll them locally. Since the most notable negative effect of rolling is paint chipping, I went for it. What I found out was that the rear fenders have a joint that is covered and painted. Once its heated with a heat gun and cut away it is ready for rolling. The seams of the inner fender and the outer fender seem to be glued together and once the rolling starts they separate creating a "V" shape that gets exposed to water and grime which in turn can cause problems down the line. In order to fix the "V" separation in the fenders I had to rent a fender roller, apply more heat and roll until these seams closed on each then apply automotive silicone in the seam. I am particular person so I had to fix it to an acceptable state. I will have the fenders cleaned sealed and painted soon before winter season. Example of what I am referring to... Pics of what the rear fender coming soon....
Just roll it.. if you have a fender roller.. it takes time and make sure to use a heat gun. I have also cut the lips on many cars becuase some cars have a chance of kinking .. Pretty much you just do what you got to do..
Fender rolling is done when you lower a vehicle and have either wide tires that rub on fender or a wheel offset that is low causing tires to rub.
My 2012 has about enough clearance to go over a tennis ball. Don't know where people drive that the roads are so flat that they can get even lower. However, good luck with it.
