revive a common question thread
Yes I see this is an old discussion but one that comes up fairly frequently.
There would appear to be several variations of front mudflaps-as there are at least a couple of varieties of fender flares/trim.
Trying to sum up for everyone's benefit that might be searching.
1/Some 4 Runners have the thin metal chrome pieces that accent the top of the wheel arches. These are not actual fender flares at all but just trim pieces.
2/ A lot of 3rd gen 4Runners came with running boards-so no actual front mudflap was provided-the forward edge of the running board contained a cap that would block road debris from soiling the tread surface of the boards.
3/ The thin plastic fender flares are I believe most commonly referred to as "SR5" flares.
4/ The beefier fender flares are commonly referred to as Sport flares.
5/ The Limited fender flares strongly resemble Sport flares-however the rear doors have plastic cladding that flows into the rear flare.
6/ A common aftermarket set of fender flares is made by Bushwacker-I have these now installed on my own ride-which replaced the thin metal trim I referenced above as #1.
Pictures are of course the most helpful-I found several here on this more recent thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/123144-wtb-sr5-flares.html
snowrunner in posting #2 of that thread shows pictures of flare types 3,4, and 5 though not exactly in that order.
I'm still on the hunt for the best option for my own front mudflaps. I've tried a couple of do it yourself flaps but have never been satisfied with the look or function.
If there are any Denver area members with Sport flares and factory
front mudflaps I would welcome the opportunity to examine the fitment of one of yours to my Bushwacker flares. Cold beverages could be provided.
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