Mudflaps on D4 necessary or not to reduce stone damage?

[PCH]

Hi All,

I took delivery of my D4 in all of it's very bright Fuji White.

Thankyou Mr Sneigy for the delivery work - top notch as usual.

Previously my D3 was supplied with mudflaps and there was much criticism of the stiff material and ease in damaging when off-roading. After 6.5 years mine were pretty close to dead and in that time I only replaced one which was almost ripped off.

Even though they were big and stiff I believe they still reduced some sandblasting and stone damage although the rear plastic wheel flares copped a beating from stones from the front wheels

Anyway Discovery 4's now don't come out with any mudflaps. I'm wondering are owners fitting the "improved" smaller rear version and front ones? Are they providing some protection of the paint work or are they still being ripped off and not worth bothering about?

I still prefer the look of the moulded mud flaps over a floppy rubber one but I'm trying to get used to no mud flaps but just not sure about the long term potential damage if not fitted.

Any opinions?

Thanks Chris

[sniegy]

Congrats Chris,
Sorry wasn't at work today had many things to do & was owed an RDO.

It was one of the first things I fitted & they aren't as big as the D3 ones.
Even if it to reduce a little damage to the rear wheel arch flares as they are painted don't forget!
I fitted font & rear & yes I think thy look good also :)

[discomaniac]

Hi Chris,
Congrats on the White D4. I went about 2 weeks without mud flaps on my D4, started to notice light damage, certainly mud and dirt. Went for the Land Rover molded flaps. They look the part. So far I have been lucky while off road over sand or rocks and haven't damaged any of them yet. They are smaller than the old D3 version, so may survive a little longer.

Broke all 4 of them on the D3 at various times. Bought another set for the D3 and took them off when I was seriously going bush.

Considered the other alternatives, but for a car that looks this good, decided to stay with the original equipment.
By the way, the dealer moved a long way from their starting price when I mentioned that I was considering importing some Original mud flaps from the UK !!!

discomaniac.

[Dirty3]

After ripping mine off on first trip off road last year, I have finaly gotten round to buying some cheapo square H/D truck flaps and they have come up ok I reckon. Not they don't follow the mould of the car or are pretty to look at, but they work a treat. They honestly don't look out of place.
Will take a pic and post it in the next few days.
Neil.

[ADMIRAL]

The LR 'spats' certainly look the goods, but are damn expensive, and next to useless if you are in for anything more serious than a graded gravel road. Mine are already splitting, and I will have to find something more durable and half decent looking.

[Disco4SE]

Hi PCH,
Congrats on your purchase of a finr piece of machinery.
I bought a full set of the genuine mudflaps as I think anything else looks ugly. Managed to rip 2 off in the first 6 months, but replaced them with originals again.
I kept the ripped ones and have been meaning to make up a moulded rubber mudflap using the original ripped off one.
Will make sure I post some pics when / if I get around to it.
Cheers, Craig

[Tombie]

Fuji White D4.. :cool: Excellent choice :D

White is the new Black this season!

Congratulations!

[mowog]

If you are thinking of buying head to ebay I got mine from the UK a heap cheaper than the Oz price.

I don't know how much they stop if anything. The front of my caravan has been hammered and I even have rock tamers fitted.

[jonesy63]

Fuji White D4.. :cool: Excellent choice :D

White is the new Black this season!

Congratulations!

Indeed - what great taste you guys have! :cool:

Chris - I got a set similar to these:
2010 2011 Set of 4 Mud Flaps Splash Guard For Land Rover Discovery 4 New | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2010-2011-Set-4-Mud-Flaps-Splash-Guard-Land-Rover-Discovery-4-New-/300616165309?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item45fe1ea7bd)

For the price, it is hard to justify the extra for genuine ones.

Cheers,
Rob

[PCH]

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I am convinced to get them fitted.

Fortunatley the front set are the same as the D3 and I have brand new set never installed. I will just need to get a rear pair though.

Now I need to get my 5 off General Grabbers AT's fitted next week, Aux battery installed on one of the new Traxide D4 mounting plate and I'm ready to hit the tracks :D.

Thanks Chris

[macwood1]

I was lucky that my Father-in-Law was on his way out for Christmas from the UK when I bought my Disco 4 in Nov. 2009, so he popped a full set in his bag for me. They were fitted immediately and I can safely say they have done three major off road trips including the Anne Beadell, Sandy Blight, Gibb River Road & the Tanami and have stayed intact. The bad news is they don't work so well off road on gravel and stones from the front tyres clip the wheel arch at the rear and like Mowog, my camper trailer even with full width stone guard still copped a battering. Actually until I read Mowog's post I was seriously considering investing in some Rock Tamers as a solution. I have found a guy in the UK who makes custom flares for Disco 3/4... expensive though at $450 a set and they still require some special fitting...ie, not for the un-mechanically minded such as me! Not sure yet what the answer will be? I am now putting checker plate on the front facing area of the camper trailer which will at least stop the damage to paintwork.... if anyone else has ideas would be glad to hear. Being in WA, wherever we go off road here involves gravel and stones.

[~Rich~]

Plenty of ideas on how to stop stone damage on Camper trailers or Caravans.
The back window is also at high risk with stones deflecting back at it.

camper trailer stone guards (http://www.campertrailers.org/stone_guards.htm)

[baldivistribe]

Rich raises a good point with regard to stone chips on the rear of your vehicle from rocks/stones rebounding off the front of your caravan/camper. when we traded our last vehicle we gave it a good wash, I was amazed at the chips and damage on the rear door. Even decent sized chips out of the glass. I would certainly look at something to tame the rebounding stones/rocks.
cheers
Steve

[DirtDigger]

Hi , I am enjoying my Disco 4
I have recently installed a Deep cycle battery system to run an Engel refrigerator in the back when I go camping. Not an easy exercise.

[NavyDiver]

I think they are needed. I have ripped and broken my LD ones several times in deep mud and honestly think they are a poor design. If on dirt roads and not deep mud they are fine and nessasry as the stone blasting is amazing. Bare metal to be expected on your D4 if you do not have them and drive on dirt roads. If your planning to get really dirty in the mud then take the LD ones off and put a large pair of $10-20 ones from your local auto supplier on for the trip and put the LD ones back on later if you do not like the look. another post has a good look at cutting flat ones to fit. I just used the removed LD ones as a template myself. Mine may not be pretty but possibly this fits as neither am I :D

[jliquorish]

I managed to fit the rear mud guards but the front do not line up with the existing screw holes. Anyone else have this problem?

[BobD]

I just got cheap Chinese knock offs and they fitted perfectly front and back. Maybe you are doing something wrong?


Are you fitting for the first time or replacing existing? Mine replaced the existing LR mudflaps so I don't know what had to be done to fit them in the first place.

[ADMIRAL]

Have a look at the StoneStomper web site guys.

[BobD]

Admiral,
I have a Stone Stomper on my camper trailer and it does not protect the car!
Even with mud flaps my plastic strips are stone blasted from front to back and the Kaymar bar has little paint on the sides and bottom behind the rear wheels. The outer corners of the trailer are also stone blasted where there is an inch or so outside the Stone Stomper. The wider tyres don't help either but it was the same when I travelled to Cape York on every gravel road and track known with 255 tyres.

[mowog]

Had a stone stomper on my D4 waste of money the front of my van is hammered. I took it off and sold it.

[IvanR]

Saw a landcruiser and trailer last year in the Pilbera, and he stone stompers on and a broken back window. Saw a number of vechicles with broken back windows including a D4, but he had no mudflaps or stone guard on the camper.
Ivan

[JamesH]

What about cheap rubber flappy mudflaps and as insurance the good old plastic cardboard cut to fit the rear window and duct taped on?

[discotwinturbo]

I would not head anywhere without my Stone Stomper in tow.

If fitted properly the front of my camper and rear of my D4 don't have the slightest blemish from stones or rocks with over 25k of travels. There is simply nowhere for stones or rocks to make it through.

Brett.....

[RickO]

I just got cheap Chinese knock offs and they fitted perfectly front and back. Maybe you are doing something wrong?

Are you fitting for the first time or replacing existing? Mine replaced the existing LR mudflaps so I don't know what had to be done to fit them in the first place.


I managed to fit the rear mud guards but the front do not line up with the existing screw holes. Anyone else have this problem?

I'm pretty sure the screw pattern changed with the MY14 D4.

[NTB]

Hello All,

I have a Stone Stomper fitted to my caravan and D4 and find it work very well.

It is not going to protect the plastic down the sides of the car because the Stone Stomper is not designed to protect that area.

It is designed to protect the area above the Stone Stomper mesh. I have fitted mine to the outer front edge of the caravan. I can clearly see that the Stone Stomper has protected the front of my caravan very well and removed the chance of a rock bouncing back on to the D4.

There is some pitting on the upper front corners of caravan from very small rocks being sucked into the vacuum created behind the caravan while travelling at speed.

I have been quite happy with its performance.

NTB

[Tassiefender]

Hi All,


One of the first things I did after selling the D3 and picking up the D4 was install mudflaps. My D4 was slightly second-hand (demo); yet had stone chips at the back and tar spread significantly on the underside extending upwards.
Now, I bought mine off eBay as a fully moulded LR4 Chinese version. Super cheap compared with LR, and yet exact fit. Slightly smaller than the D3 too. Thus far, three big trips and a year's worth of weekends - nil issues. Holes lined up perfectly, and they look like an OEM product... Happy!

[wbowner]

I have the stone stomper and reckon it works well.

Getting it positioned correctly on the D4 has been a bit of an issue as I was using the standard tow hitch.

The guy who sells them came to my rescue with a bracket that raised the SS to a good night.

BUT I am now dealing with another issue. On a whim I went and bought one of those replacement Mitch Hitches from British OFFROAD. The issue I am having is the same with the Mitch hitch, may be even worse for Mitch Hitch.

It becomes an issue if you want to have a spare wheel carrier as well. The SS bar will be in the way for most SWC handles except the Kaymar bar from what I have seen, please correct me if I am wrong here as I have not fully installed it yet.



Richard

[discotwinturbo]

I have the stone stomper and reckon it works well. Getting it positioned correctly on the D4 has been a bit of an issue as I was using the standard tow hitch. The guy who sells them came to my rescue with a bracket that raised the SS to a good night. BUT I am now dealing with another issue. On a whim I went and bought one of those replacement Mitch Hitches from British OFFROAD. The issue I am having is the same with the Mitch hitch, may be even worse for Mitch Hitch. It becomes an issue if you want to have a spare wheel carrier as well. The SS bar will be in the way for most SWC handles except the Kaymar bar from what I have seen, please correct me if I am wrong here as I have not fully installed it yet. Richard

I have a Mitch hitch, and when I ordered my stone stomper I just told Christian and he made the bar to fit.

The bracket slides in the back of he Mitch hitch and I bolt it from underneath....stone stomper support bar is clear of the wheel carrier latch.

No clearance issues or any obstruction.

Brett...

[wbowner]

I have a Mitch hitch, and when I ordered my stone stomper I just told Christian and he made the bar to fit.

The bracket slides in the back of he Mitch hitch and I bolt it from underneath....stone stomper support bar is clear of the wheel carrier latch.

No clearance issues or any obstruction.

Brett...

Brett
Any pics and which SWC do you have
I did contact Christian and as usual he was very helpful but after playing around with the hitch it appeard the bar would sit to high for SWC

Richard

Brett
The new hitch is a different shape than the Mitch hitch you have I suspect. I did notice the Mitch hitch also changed shape as well such that you could not sit the bracket over the hitch. You have to sit it on the TBM. Even though this would be lower the bar was sitting above the reflector lights on the bumper. All the SWC I have seen seem to have the handle below or near this.

[discotwinturbo]

Tried uploading pics....it keeps overwriting, and I have always been a fully paid up member lol.

I will pm you for your email address and send them through.

Frontrunner WC from OL.

Brett....

Edit ... If I go back an edit, it lets me keep uploading pics

[wbowner]

Tried uploading pics....it keeps overwriting, and I have always been a fully paid up member lol.

I will pm you for your email address and send them through.

Frontrunner WC from OL.

Brett....

Edit ... If I go back an edit, it lets me keep uploading pics

Brett
Thanks for the pics. Your bar is mounted under the hitch.
This is where the two hitches differ in design. I think the Mitch hitch has a gap where the new hitch does not. The only way I see to attach the SS on the new hitch is on the tongue shaft. If I do this underneath to allow for the SWC handle it leaves to bigger gap. If I mount it on top it will get in the way of the SWC.

Richard

Brett
I have sent you a pm. I seem to be sending the thread in a different direction.

Richard

[Pome pilot]

G'day Brett,

Having been researching stone stompers for the last few hours, I was pleased to see your post with photos showing how it is attached. I have a D3 with Mitch hitch and Frontrunner wheel carrier so was starting to get concerned that I could have problems ahead having read some others posts. Would you mind confirming the width of your stone stomper at the vehicle end please.
Cheers Warwick