LOL well I'm headin to a friends house to help him work on his jeep... in the beer break period I may just close my eyes and do it...

 

i agree with no flares it just makes the truck imo unless of course youve got 4 inches of rubber stickin out then flares would look a bit better. but i took my flares off in the summer and didnt like the little holes so i went to an auto parts store and found these plastic plugs they look pretty much like these


and then just put a dab of silicone around the teeth on the plug to hold the plugs in nice and solid and there still solid to this day. heres a pic to give you an idea, i also rock guarded the bottom of the body and around the wheel wells to cover up the scratches left by the flares not the best looking but it looks better then a nice scratch around the wells

 

I like the look of flares, but did not want the paint damage, extra plastic, or holes. That's why I bought an XLT and added the FX4 stuff.

 

You could always fill the holes with the plastic clips and have Line-X sprayed on. Or, just use the plastic clips and color-match them. It's not the ideal situation, but it's better than leaving the holes.

 

If you are having a tough time deciding pop them off and run it for a week or more. If you are happy with the look and there is no rubbing go for it.

+1 on the plugs in between bodywork and the paint booth.
and imo the flares look great(not as bulky as some older xlt models) but to each his own

 

I ordered my Sport because of the flares. Like Dave said, take them off for a bit and see which you like better.

 

Keep the flares. Yours looks so much better then trucks that dont have them.

 

HA... sorry for the people who like flares... But I just removed them a couple hours ago... LOVE IT... the paint damage is minimal as it's only been on the road for a year and a half. I could give my truck a good wax and buff and it would reduce them to being almost invisible for now.
1 ISSUE (will post a thread for help as well): on the two front fender flares, on the back side near the bottom of the flare there was 1 metal rivet or plug of some sort, I'll have pics tomorrow if people don't know what I'm explaining)... Everything was plastic and popped out or snapped off except these two metal rivetish things on the front fender... feels like it's either threaded or ribbed, and on the inside of the fender it is pulled tight to the fender with some sort of plastic surround or something?

Anyways, bottom line is, i love the look without the fenders, the amount of rubber sticking out the fender is great, hopefully I don't get bugged by the cops much.. will have pics posted tomorrow, with close ups of these metal thigns I can't get out of the front fender if I don't get an answer first. Cheers

PS: I really like those little black plastic plugs for a temp solution as well. Thanks for the tip.

 

Funny thing is I did too... I remember when I first saw the base XL ranger and cringed and said, oh no, I think I need a step up from that in the style department... and it was specifically because of the lack of the fender flares... it just looked like too basic a truck... now a year later I've pulled a 180 and like the more simplified clean truck style without the plastic flare. I think the other reason I wanted the sport was because there was an option or two that was available in the sport that I couldn't get in the base model... I think it was maybe the Limited slip rear diff, maybe the tinted privacy glass... Forget..

 

Yeah that was 2 of the options that I had ordered on mine as well. Not too mention the vinyl flooring.

 

Flares suuuckkk!! trust me they actually hurt your truck too. I could take close up pics of mine that would make u cry. Where they come in contact with the body has rubbed all the way down to sheet metal in spots. they crack and chip like crazy. if i ever paint my truck there comin off

 

yep.. after just a year and a half of driving my truck is left a nice line... it's not bad in most parts though.. I think I could wax and buff and some special treatment can eliminate a lot of the damage.. I'm not too concerned though because ultimately I'll get the fenders redone with the holes filled.

Take a look at my most recent post on the exterior forum. I have a handful of pics with them removed.

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