Mudflaps are a great idea. They protect the fenders and side of your Patriot.

There are two types for the Patriot:

Deluxe Molded
82210377 & 82210378

Flat Molded
82203703 & 82203706

I have the Deluxe, however would actually recommend the Flat style as snow and mud does not get stuck in the cubby found on the Deluxe model.

 

I also have the deluxe molded ones and they work great. I definitely have less road mung thrown onto the sides of the Riot. I haven't had them on through a severe enough winter to comment on the snow building issue, but others have reported the same problem. They were very easy to install.

 

The deluxe molded ones are nice. The only thing I don't like is they have a cupped shape toward the wheel that collects snow and ice in the winter, causing giant fenderburgs. Shouldn't be a problem in the UK.

 

I have the deluxe.

For snow and/or ice, it's not hard to remove it, I give a 1 or 2 kick on it.

Even with flat style, snow/ice would stick to it. Didn't see a difference between Deluxe style and flat style...

 

I have a full set (front and rear) of the deluxe molded ones I am looking to get rid of. They do keep the vehicle alot cleaner but were not too good when off roading. PM me if you are interested.

 

Thanks joesjeep will get them off ASAP.

 

i think the flat style are better because, even if you are offroading, they bend, and wont break. the molded ones a r PITA when ur reversing upto a curb, because ull bend em and theyll bend the whole bumper, my bumper was already cracked, and i reversed and the bumper was twisted alot.

 

I had the hard plastic mud guards(?) well you can hardly call them mud flaps when they do not flap, can you) and took them off fast. Forget those if you intend to drive on any uneven terrain (I scraped them on curbs, so it is not just an off-roading issue). If you want something to protect the sides of your vehicle, definitely make sure they are made of a soft enough material to survival contact with the ground!

 

I just used some I had laying around for years, from Zeibart. They had to be "fitted", but was easy enough. First I make templates out of cardboard. I didn't even drill any new holes, just used existing ones. They bend a lot better when off road than the factory ones.

 

Right!!---according to my UK Patriot Accessory Essential leaflet " Moulded Splash Guards --Full set £69.00" I dont kow wether this price is fitted or just main purchase price.

 

If anyone is interested I've got a set of the molded ones I'll sell for $20+shipping. Pulled them off when I went to 235's.

 

I have the molded ones. I like them they keep the Jeep cleaner and they look good. I don't do any off road so that's not a problem. The only problem is that the dealer charges too much to install them so I put them on myself. I don't find snow and ice build up too bad as I knock it off when I clean my windows.

 

Haven't run these molded mud guards through the winter yet, but if past experience is any indicator, a kick or rap with the snow brush usually clears the snowburgs off.
The molded guards should be fine for everyday use, but if you're going "off-road", I'd suggest flat mudguards that are more flexible.
Good luck...

 

anyone have any pictures of these mud flaps, showing the fittings?

please lol

 

If you buy the flaps a complete set of instalation instructions come with them along with all the screws.

 

I don't have the moulded factory flaps, but if anyone is interested I can take some photos of the ones I put on, just let me know.

 

Ok, finally snapped a few photos of my flaps, just old plain ones I had laying around for about 20 years, lol. I first made a template from cardboard, then cut the template to fit, tried it out to ensure I liked it. The only real cutting is to fit inside the wheelwell. I used the existing screws too, so no new holes, or drilling, except through the flaps themselves. They've been on almost 2 years, all seasons, off road too, and no problems. I thought about adding a screw to the top, as there is no fastener there, so sort of loose, but thought I'd see how they worked before adding that. And since they've held up well, no need for that from what I can tell.

Once I had the template, I just marked the flaps and cut with shears, pretty easy.

 

i did the very same thing for my 2007 xterra 4x4 as i wheel it. it already had the oem mud guards but were low and stiff. i replaced then with some flexible cut to fit ones. I had 3 screws though per flap. I am going to see about fabbing up the flaps for my patriot this week. my xterra's customer flaps made by me look great sooo....

 

I've the fancy molded ones and while they work great for keeping some crud off, they don't like the bending and flexing when off road. I got a fairly large stick pushed through the back passanger side, between the mud flap and the steel, drove around for a couple days till i noticed it.

DixieDawg, how do the chains work and where did you get them?

I know, change of subject.

 

i had a set, but took them off, they really reduce deparcher angles. as well as they are to solid and i am worried about backing up to somthing and ripping them off, i would like to get the rubber ones if i could fiund a set that fit and looked good

 

I have the molded ones. I like them but I don't do any serious off roading. I do get the iceburgs but a kick takes care of that.
They do help to keep the crud off. I wouldn't be without something to keep the stuff off the sides. I have seen cars where they are all pitted and chipped because they don't have any kind of guards.

Which beggs the quesiton, why are cars shaped like they are. Why can't the body at least stick out a little more at the wheel wells? Older cars managed to keep their tires all in the wells.

 

The flaps on mine are old flaps from Zeibart, just plain rubber I think. They gave them to me when I got my truck Zeibarted way back then, but I had bigger flaps for the truck already, so just stuck them in the garage.

The chains are just regular chains ordered from NAPA to fit the tires. I need those for my driveway in winter. I've only used them off road, and I've had no problems with them.

I think there's another thread somewhere on chains.

 

I have the molded ones and on the ride home from the Mid-Atlantic meet, I pulled off onto a little scenic pull-off on the side of the road to snap some pictures. With the traction gravel on the road though, I almost missed it, so I had to reverse into it and I did not notice the plow line when I did. The snow was a good foot higher and I backed into pretty good. My first thought was that I had probably just ripped off both rear molded mud flaps (it made an awful noise). Pulled forward and everything was just fine. I did loose some paint off of my muffler though so I'll need a little touch-up now.

This photo shows where the snow rubbed a clean spot in front of the back wheel. This was how deep it was when I backed into it.

I guess the molded ones can take a little abuse...

 

Do not get the molded ones! I backed into a parking spot once and they met the curb... they damn near tore off the rear panels and made a godawful noise. Then in the winter the indentation/pocket they have fills up with snow while you drive, even getting to the point on one particularly cold day where the packed snow froze all the way up to the tires, nearly rubbing against them.

I had enough and took them off, they did leave a mark on the plastics and paint though since they had been on for over a year. I don't regret taking them off! If you're determined on getting mudflaps though, make sure they're flexible and NOT molded.

 

Well, I need to get something to try and keep tjhe dirt and salt off the side and back of our Patriot. My wife does nothing but complain about how dirty the car looks within days of it being washed.
"We shouldn't have got black. Black always looks dirty"

 

Because of these mud flap issues when off-roading or just backing up, has anyone tried the clear paint protectors made by 3M and Dupont?