You may have noticed rectangular, often black pieces of rubber or plastic hanging behind the rear of a vehicle’s wheels — those are mudflaps. They might come in other colors and lengths, but they are primarily plain, simple, and durable. When you drive, your tires spin super fast and can throw up all sorts of stuff like rainwater, mud, rocks, and other road debris, especially when you try to rev out of a muddy spot. Mudflaps hang behind the tires, acting like a shield to prevent all that gunk from getting any further up into your car’s wheel well.
Now, in a situation where your car doesn’t have a mudflap: The more often you drive, packing up all sorts of oil, slush, and muddy water along the way, the higher the chances these all coagulate underneath your car.
Although it’s one of those hidden spots in your car that you might be missing during your cleaning routine, if you’re not in the habit of cleaning your car’s wheel well or you don’t do it properly, the accumulation of gunk up there could be annoying and cause serious damage to your vehicle. Mudflaps protect your car’s wheel well and general undercarriage from dirt, rust, and corrosion. They also make cleaning your car a lot easier.
Beyond this, while there are no federal laws regarding this, several states require you to have a set of mudflaps, depending on the type of vehicle. Ensure you check your state’s requirements and confirm you’re not breaking any laws.
