What two and a half years living on gravel roads does to a new Ranger

[subquark]

The steps help a lot for that section. NH winter driver, I had steps but no mudflaps for the first winter, and my steps were coated in slush and snow. I put weathertech mudflaps on last spring and this winter very little snow slush piled up so far.

The two won't catch everything but they will catch a lot of that crap.

Defense in depth. every layer adds a bit more protection

Another NH driver here and mud flaps keep my side steps clean when driving. I use the OEM Ford Splash Guards but was considering RokBlokz as I like their wider option.

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[MountainGoat]

Already sweating rock chips on my soon to be here Tremor. This thread is ratcheting up my stress. Just sucks. Got me rethinking, again, my plans to immediately remove the steps. If those steps even block the occasional rock it may be worth leaving them on there.

It's even more emotionally horrifying when rocks are chipping the illustrious blue paint!

I'm not going to stress about it, there are solutions. I will put something on to stop the rust, likely a black strip of hyperdip. I just really wasn't aware how terrible paint has gotten when I bought the truck. Otherwise I would have done something right away. My old vehicles stood up to this much much better.

 

[NTXTremor]

<--- Frantically Ordering RokBlokz XL

I replaced my factory Tremor rails with GoRhino RB10 (1st gen Raptor-style) running boards, and even though I do not drive on many gravel roads, I cannot count how many times I have heard rocks ricocheting off of the running boards.

That said, your post truly convinced me to order RokBlokz XL mud flaps. I know you said that you have mud flaps, but I am hoping that the combination of mud flaps and my running boards might prevent some chips.

 

[Dereku]

The steps help a lot for that section. NH winter driver, I had steps but no mudflaps for the first winter, and my steps were coated in slush and snow. I put weathertech mudflaps on last spring and this winter very little snow slush piled up so far.

The two won't catch everything but they will catch a lot of that crap.

Defense in depth. every layer adds a bit more protection

Because no one wants to use plan B

 

[HenryMac]

Guess I shoulda got it in white...

I don't see a real solution for this outside of a expensive and ugly line-x coating or maybe I will try doing a strip of plasti-dip. Chips through the 3M strip and even if I got it repainted under warranty it would just chip again with this thin eco-paint.
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A set of rocksliders would have helped with this issue.

So would a set of running boards... but good lord are they ugly.

 

[MountainGoat]

A set of rocksliders would have helped with this issue.

So would a set of running boards... but good lord are they ugly.

Yeah I think they look worse then the paint chips. Chips at least get covered by dirt 5 seconds after washing it. Shrug

 

[JeffWoodall]

Already sweating rock chips on my soon to be here Tremor. This thread is ratcheting up my stress. Just sucks. Got me rethinking, again, my plans to immediately remove the steps. If those steps even block the occasional rock it may be worth leaving them on there.

It's even more emotionally horrifying when rocks are chipping the illustrious blue paint!

Ditto on the blue paint..I have 2 small chips on my hood, one on my tailgate (hell if I know) and one underneath driver's door. On top of it, I'm OCD. I mean, they must have put like one coat prior to the clearcoat. Cheap sons of bitches.

 

[Friday yet?]

Ditto on the blue paint..I have 2 small chips on my hood, one on my tailgate (hell if I know) and one underneath driver's door. On top of it, I'm OCD. I mean, they must have put like one coat prior to the clearcoat. Cheap sons of bitches.

Just sucks.

 

[got3fords]

Running boards would catch a lot of what the mud flaps miss.

Tell me about it.

 

[HenryMac]

Tell me about it.

Aftermarket or Dealer Installed? Doesn't look factory.

 

[JohnnyO]

They sell wide clear peel and stick stuff, JC Whitney used to sell it in a 6 inch roll , it was just under 1/8 " , I had it on the lower rockers of my Bronco for 15+ years, no chips and stayed put.

Amazon has it

ARMOR UP 12”x72” Clear Paint Protection Film for Cars, Trucks 8 mil(0.008") Polyurethane Automotive Protector Wrap for Rockers, Hood, Headlamps - Non-Yellowing, Self-Healing, Gloss Top Coat https://a.co/d/53KPPWl

I got something similar and put on this fall. My paint chips look similar but not quite as bad. I don't live on a gravel road but the weather here is sh*t half the year. My cousin owns a body shop so at some point I'll have him paint the vinyl coating on.

 

[got3fords]

Aftermarket or Dealer Installed? Doesn't look factory.

I installed them myself.

 

[HenryMac]

I installed them myself.

And are they OEM Ford Motor Company running boards or Aftermarket?

 

[got3fords]

And are they OEM Ford Motor Company running boards or Aftermarket?

Aftermarket. Probably a victim of going cheap.
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[Roscoe_t]

SEM makes a spray-on acrylic paint called Chip Guard. There are clear and black versions, available in a rattle can. Tough stuff. I'd use it on rockers instead of plastic film because of the area's vulnerability to rust.

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