Baja style fenders

[Oobray]

I saw a truck with Baja style fenders the other day such as the ones made by Fiberwerx. These fenders allow fitment and movement of larger tires without unnecessary lift. Got me wondering... I don't do any crazy type off roaring and really my suspension is capable of handling my off road needs. Eventually I'd like to improve the rough road handling. But my thoughts were that it might be better to use the fenders to allow larger tires for clearance without unnecessary lift.

Thoughts?

http://fiberwerx.com

 

[TwoTrack]

IMO it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish overall. Quick questions that come to mind are:

How will the stock suspension handle the larger tires?
To get the same amount of lift as a 3" suspension + 1-2" with smaller oversized tires what size do you need? 35's? 37's? Regear?

When I had my Ranger I thought about this exact thing but to get to the height I wanted I needed a 37" tire. That would have put a huge strain on my truck. 37's would have lifted me just under 5" over stock. With a 3" suspension lift and 32" tires I was 5" over stock with less strain on my drivetrain.

If you have enough to turn the larger tires and/or the means to make it have enough I say go for it. When done right it looks really good.

The other thing to consider is how much extra width will you gain with the fenders? Will the new tires fill it out enough so that they don't looked tucked in to much?

*Another thing that played a big role for me was price. The fenders + paint was more than my lift, and 37's vs 32's was way more expensive. I also still had the issue of how to turn a 35" or 37" tire.

 

[SDDiver5]

Fiberwerx makes some awesome products, specifically for off road racing.

Would you really need them? I see you have a yukon and an adventure trailer you pull? Those type of fenders are usually made for long travel. You will be better off getting better shocks. In southern CA, the "baja trucks" you saw the other day are literally all over the place. I actually parked next to one today in my parking garage. If not done correctly, they look very tacky and kind of pieced together. Especially when they're not painted to match the color of your car. In addition to that, lets say you get the fenders for the front, what about the rear? You'll have to pull the rear fenders out to match the front. Which is a PITA. And expensive.

If you have plans to customize your Yukon with center mount and 14+ inches of travel front, 18 inches of travel rear, bed cage, King Shocks, LS7, etc etc then absolutely get Fiberwerx fenders. Personally, I think some better shocks and a mild lift will do just fine for you. Just my opinion.

Oh and just as a disclaimer, I have no intention of sounding negative here.

 

[rayra]

Seconded. If you aren't changing the suspension itself AND you are willing to replace your fenders completely, then just go ahead get out the jigsaw and trim your original sheet metal to gain the clearance you need. Unless you are making a huge tire size change, you'll only need to chop a couple inches, usually just opening out the front and rear corners of the wheel well opening.

 

[pappawheely]

I built a 2wd prerunner so I know a little about it. If you plan on going the glass fender route, make sure you take into account anything that mounts to the inner fender structure. If your hood hinges for example mount to the fenders then you will need some structure to attach them. I wanted wider fenders for my obs F-350 but would have to fabricate inner fenders to mount all the flotsam under the hood. Many of the long travel suspension kits that desert racers use move the front tire forward on the truck to give more clearance to the firewall. Fender clearance is gained with glass but you might still have a clearance issue at the firewall.

 

[Oobray]

I was really only looking to go up to 35" tire. And a suspension lift alone will not address the rear axle which is only 5" off the ground with 265/75/16 tires. The front fenders are only $380 bucks, plus prob $400 for paint. PLUS no change in driveline angles. That was my biggest reason as well. With no left = stock driveline angles thus more reliable CVs. I don't think any modification to the rear fenders would be necessary. However I guess it is possible that it would look funny. Looking at the pictures on their website the fiberwerx fenders don't seem crazy wide.

I wouldn't mind cutting the stock fenders myself but then what do I do about making the edge look "finished". My main goal is to get somewhere close to 8-10" of clearance at the rear diff. Which, to my knowledge, can only be accomplished with larger tires.

 

[Oobray]

Thanks Papa, hadn't considered that. That would definitely rule this project not worth the hassle.

 

[SDDiver5]

To make the edge look finished you can add some fender flares like the ones Bushwacker makes. That's what most people do anyways. The fiberwerx fenders don't look wide on the website, I agree. If you had only the front and not the rear then you would be able to tell a big difference and it would look very disproportionate. When I was in High School there were tons of guys with glass fenders in only the front and I made fun of them constantly because of how weird it looks. To me anyways.

You mention keeping the stock driveline, if you go up to a 35 or 37 inch tire you will put more of a strain on the CV's, LCA's, UCA's, driveshaft, rear diff, etc etc. because of the bigger tires leaving more room for failure. Do you plan to regear at all?

 

[Oobray]

I know guys that sled pull in their trucks with the same front end by adding only tie rod sleeves pittman and idler arm braces. They are pushing 1000 lbs of torque and sled pulling in 4wd with no other additions. Sled pullers are confident in the CVs as long as they're as close to straight as possible. As far as the rear end I'm not worried about that at all. I would wait to see how the truck behaves after the bigger tires and yes I would consider a regear at that point. I wouldn't think a 3/4 truck would not have much issue with a 35" tire. I for sure wouldn't go up to 37".

 

[Box Rocket]

Firewall clearance is the bigger issue as has been pointed out. The other reason for going with glass fenders for me was because I needed wider coverage since the offset of my wheels was beyond the stock fenders. Fitment of glass fenders can be hit or miss so plan to spend some time "massaging" things to fit correctly. I'm using the 4.5" Glassworks fenders on my Tacoma.

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[comichero1]

I would like the aggressive look of baja fenders on my super duty
And I think less lift would add a benefit since I'm considering 37 to 44 in tires
I just wanted to chime in and say it's a great idea to have less lift and run large tires

 

[comichero1]

I would like the aggressive look of baja fenders on my super duty
And I think less lift would add a benefit since I'm considering 37 to 44 in tires
I just wanted to chime in and say it's a great idea to have less lift and run large tires

Oops old post

 

[Buliwyf]

2017-2022 Ford Super Duty Series Fiberglass Fenders

We now have the 2017 Ford Super Duty Series fiberglass fenders. These fenders will work with the factory hood and offer 6 inches of bulge per side. The fenders bolt to factory locations and clear up to 40+ inch tires depending on your suspension * The white truck has the 6" fenders, the black...

www.mcneilracinginc.com