The Ultimate Guide To Ford F-150 Mud Flaps
Mud flaps are a fantastic option to help your truck stay cleaner, avoid rock chips, and they also offer a unique avenue for some extra customization. Not only do they protect your ride, but they protect cars and pedestrians behind you from flying rocks and debris that you might kick up.
If for nothing else, they break up the curves and lines of your truck and add some extra dimensions to your ride. Which mud flaps are best for your Ford F-150? Let’s learn a bit about them, take a look at some styles and options, and get you the best ones that work for you.
Front and Rear
Mud flaps are known for being seen behind the rear tires in vehicles, especially big rigs, but on passenger vehicles, they are very common up front too. On big rigs and box trucks, they are pretty much designed to just stop rocks from hitting cars behind them, but on passenger vehicles, they mainly help protect your ride.
Rocks can be kicked up and easily chip away at the paint on your fenders, doors, bumpers (rear), rocker panels, and running boards/step, and if you’re here looking to modify your F-150, you know truck parts and body work can be expensive. With mud flaps extending below the end of the wheel well both front and back, they will help deflect what your tires might kick up to help protect your investment.
Despite mainly offering protection to you, your higher ride height over that of a car can be less fortunate for those behind you if you are to kick something up. While standard size mud flaps won’t assure complete protection to any car too close behind you on the highway, these will help cut down on any rocks or debris that your tires may throw behind you.
Drilling VS Non-Drilling
When it comes to the installation of mud flaps, it could be plug and play, or you may need to drill a couple holes. This will depend on the kit that you get, and the trim level of your truck. If your truck came with OEM splash guards, you could luck out depending on the kit that you get. Other kits have mounting brackets to make things easy. Regardless, each reputable kit that you get will come with detailed instructions so you don’t have to worry about messing up.
Materials
The material that a mud flap is made out of is key. They are designed to be beaten by rocks, mud, and dirt, so they have to be strong. The most common material mud flaps are made out of is rubber. Rubber can be thick and dense, but when hit, the material will rarely chip or crack. It will absorb the energy of what hits it, and deflect the debris away.
Another good reason for rubber is flexibility. If you have longer mud flaps and you plan on doing off-roading, you will want something that will not snap off when crawling over a rock. Over time, rubber flaps may get brittle depending on quality.
Mud flaps can also be plastic, but if they are, they should be shorter, and of a higher quality material such as a polymer. As I mentioned about the flexibility, a long, plastic mud flap could have a tendency to snap if under the correct conditions. This leads me to my next category…
Sizes
Mud flaps can be really short, or longer. Typically from the factory, most vehicles come with short mud flaps generally referred to as splash guards. Visually, they are more acceptable to a wider audience. Keep in mind that not everyone buys a truck because they intend on using it as a truck. Short flaps don’t offer as much protection, but they are better than nothing. They can offer a nice color contrast while not being too obtrusive to the lines of your truck.
Longer mud flaps are best when you plan on driving on rougher or dirt roads. They offer more protection to your truck, as well as to the people and vehicles around you. They also offer more versatility for customization which I’ll talk about now…
Customization
With the right size and material, you can get some serious customization done. Laser engraving, chrome plates and silhouettes, text, and more. The most common would be brand names or logos, truck make or model names or logos, and of course the stereotypical “trucker” look of a chrome silhouette of an attractive woman.
Weighed vs Non Weighted
Weighted mud flaps offer a metal piece on the bottom of a rubber/flexible mud flap to keep them hanging down. This is beneficial because when your truck is in motion, a flexible mud flap might tend to rise up in the wind, which would remove a good amount of protection. A weight helps avoid this.
Popular Options for the Ford F-150
Now that you know almost everything about mud flaps, let’s dive into available mud flaps for the Ford F-150. This is by no means a complete list, but just some of the popular ones found on forums, Facebook groups, and based on what our customers say. Hopefully this will help get you pointed in the right direction.
If you want to keep things looking and feeling as factory as possible, then you’ll want to invest in the OEM front and rear splash guards from Ford for the F-150. Ford has different ones for different years of the F-150, so make sure you check to make sure you are getting the right ones for you. With these, you can usually get just the ones up front, just the rear, or a kit that has them both. Your average price for front or rear will be around $35-$55, and a kit of front and rear will be about double. You can get higher end factory splash guards that have “F-150” on them along with metal, and those will run around $200.
Husky has been protecting all types of trucks inside and out for years, so they know what they are doing! When it comes to their mud guards, the same applies. For $74 you get a kit consisting of front and rear guards that do not require drilling. The guards themselves are made of plastic, and powder coated black for a durable finish. The ones linked here are for 2021 to 2022 Ford F-150s, but they make these for plenty of other years and generations.
Like Husky, WeatherTech has been in the business for years protecting rides. This complete kit allows you to purchase front, rear, or both flaps. Both would run you $112. There is no need to drill, and they claim to mount in minutes. The flaps are constructed from a proprietary thermoplastic resin to ensure long lasting durability, and if you had any doubts about that, they do come with a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser, and original vehicle installed on.
If you’re looking for a bit more custom for your 2021 to 2022 F-150, Rokbloks gives you two size options, ten color options, and five logo color options. They come with the mounting hardware that you need, and will line up with the factory holes. The kit comes with both front and back, and prices start at $160. Keep in mind like with most things custom, the price will go up when you start choosing options.
If you want something with a lot of personality, Rekgen might be what you need. They are a bit more on the bold and “show” side of things, but can still get the job done. The flap features brushed stainless steel mesh that gives it a more edgy feel. The kit comes with two, so you’ll have to order two if you want front and rear. You can choose to have the “RG” logo in gloss black, white, or red. You also have the choice of eight, ten, or twelve inches in length, and eleven or twelve inches in width. They are a bit on the pricey side at $240 for two, but they are on the custom side as well.
All in all, mud flaps are a good investment to protect your truck and those behind you. Find what you and your wallet likes, and start modding your truck!
Image Credits
F-150 with Mud Flaps - Courtesy of F150 Forums user “Texas.Thunder”
Ford OEM - Courtesy of The Ford Store
Husky - Courtesy of Reddit user “yodaveo”
WeatherTech - Courtesy of WeatherTech Amazon Store
Rokbloks - Courtesy of Rokbloks
Rekgen - Courtesy of Rekgen