Sorry for what may be a stupid question, but after a few years of seeing cool looking WRXs on the road with the mud flaps, I am wondering if they serve a purpose on a daily driver? Trying to determine if $200 for RA or $100 for the rockblox (which reviews say are 1/2 the price but less than 1/2 quality of the RA flaps) is worth it. Would love to hear what the MN Subaru community has to say about it.
I had black RA on my last wrx but not my sti. I've definitely noticed the sti gets dirtier, not just during winter but all of rhe time. The flaps were more form than function in my case. The ra have a nice quality to then that I'd feel would be cheaper in the long run, especially if the ebays need to be replaced several times. If I ever get cash burning a hole in my pocket and want to add something new to the car besides another short block, good quality flaps (and maybe tint) are my next choice. Mind you, I generally dislike the obnoxiously loud accessories. I personally would get black no writing or gray so it's harder to see. But that's juts my $0.02
I don't think it would do anything to keep salt off your car, that stuff gets everywhere. Or snow for that fact. Snow just builds up on my flaps. I think it's primary function is to keep rocks/gravel/debris from being thrown up along the side of your car and causing scratches/dings/dents.
I bought the RokBlokz because I'm a cheap ass. And because they have a Z in their name... Haha. They're chunks of plastic, how much difference can there really be? Not enough for me to pay twice the price. I've since made my own out of blue plastic from work by tracing my RB's and cutting them out. As far as protecting from salt, I don't think that's really possible. It definitely keeps the slop off the car but the salt in misty/spray form will get everywhere no matter what. I do notice a pretty significant difference with dirt and mud, tho. Just do it. All Subaru's look cooler with flaps of some sort. Well, unless they're the limp floppy ones...
Flaps FTW. They make it look better regardless of the model year. I plan on getting some RA for the RA, lol.
Ironically, those non urethane RA flaps kinda suck for actual stage rally and rallyx. Fine for a street car. The mounting hardware is well executed. Personally, I'd want the floppy ones (giggitty) on a street car after seeing the bolts ripped out from backing into a snow pile with the regular ones. Better off going diy for a #bcracecar and spending the spare $190 on entry fees imo... Butttttt I digress. Anyway, yeah they'll save you some chips and such. Just keep in mind you have a new pocket for mud to accumulate so pull them off and clean back there periodically if that sort of thing matters to you.
Thanks all for the input. I'm likely going to pull the trigger soon, so the additional info is great.
I have experience with both. I can tell you that the Rally Armors held up fine and then on a day that we had -20 temps I went over a speed bump at the garage at my work and one cracked. This was year two with them. When I got my new car I went with the less expensive RB and now on my second year and nothing, they still look new after washing. I got a high quality t-shirt to boot with my order.
I have the floppy RA's on my Foz, they work awesome, and unlike the harder ones, the ice and snow just fall right off with no buildup. Harder ones would be better for rallycross, but daily driving the softer ones is where it's at. I was having concerns on having my car lowered, but they still have enough ground clearance to not worry. Mine are the black with the blue writing to match my MNSubaru decals.
Factory fit for me. Had some cheap ones, they broke. These fit the inner wheel well and have no gaps for dirt, mud, or snow to build up in.
I've had the RA flaps on my wagon for 4 years. Never had any issues with them, except that backing into a curb pops them off. It snaps one of the 3 fasteners, so I'm running em with 2. Morale of the story, don't back into a curb
Exact opposite imho. Bc: This is exactly why the harder ones suck for rallyx/rally. You're constantly bottoming out on them, taking them sideways through ruts, etc... the soft versions have some give and tend to stay mounted when you bang them against something. That said they're stupid expensive (imho). Better off cutting up some rubber floormats if you want function. For a street car, it's a toss up imo. I personally think the harder plastic ones look better and have better coverage than the oem ones. In any case, this whole thread is WAY more conversation about mud flaps than I would have imagined. Nerds.
I ran the RA’s for like 13 years on two different bugeyes(same pair). They were the stiffies, cuz that’s how i like em. Never broke or cracked. Got rally crossed for about 5 years. Snow, every year. I’d buy them again. Sheen is correct tho, they are crazy expensive when you see guys make them for like $10 out of Ikea cutting boards. Although the Ikea ones probably wouldn’t last you 13 years. They were on the car when i sold it, probably still rocking without issues.
Weren't one of those sets my old ones? They'll def last forever and double as curb feelers for a street car. Saw 2 fly off on course this last event lol
Had a set of black/red on the wrx, black/black on the sti, and bl/gray on the lgt. Maybe one of those sets made it to the rsvx?
They won't keep snow/salt off your car. But they will keep your rocker panels from getting sand blasted in the winter & on dirt roads.
