When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I was about to call to order splash guards as for some reason I thought they would look like mud flaps, but upon looking at nissan's accessories the image they show looks just like what I have here:
Nissan Maxima splash guards have become more of a protector of the finish of the car in the area where pebbles, trash, etc, tend to be thrown up from the tires than guarding against moisture thrown up along the side of the car. I always buy four appropriately-sized mud flaps at a place like Pep Boys and carefully cut them down till they stick out to the side just to the outside edge of the tread (not the sidewall), and reach just around three inches below the bottom of the splash guards. I mount them on the bottom rear wall of the wheel well with stainless steel lag screws. In order to further hide them, I mount the usual 1" wide black hard rubber molding around the outside edge of the wheel well (helps block dings from careless nearby door openers), then sand the body-colored painted surface inside the wheel well and paint it black.
These give protection to the side of the car, and are so difficult to spot that nobody other than my friend who is the service manager at my dealer has ever spotted them. She misses absolutely nothing.
Last edited by lightonthehill; Jul 21, 2015 at 03:20 AM.
Nissan Maxima splash guards have become more of a protector of the finish of the car in the area where pebbles, trash, etc, tend to be thrown up from the tires than guarding against moisture thrown up along the side of the car. I always buy four appropriately-sized mud flaps at a place like Pep Boys and carefully cut them down till they stick out to the side just to the outside edge of the tread (not the sidewall), and reach just around three inches below the bottom of the splash guards. I mount them on the bottom rear wall of the wheel well with stainless steel lag screws. In order to further hide them, I mount the usual 1" wide black hard rubber molding around the outside edge of the wheel well (helps block dings from careless nearby door openers), then sand the body-colored painted surface inside the wheel well and paint it black.
These give protection to the side of the car, and are so difficult to spot that nobody other than my friend who is the service manager at my dealer has ever spotted them. She misses absolutely nothing.
Anyone else noticed the small rubber "mud flap" on the FRONT SIDE of the RIGHT REAR WHEEL well? No such thing on the other three wells (I checked).
This is a front wheel drive vehicle... so what is it? What does it do? And why just that side?
Anyone else noticed the small rubber "mud flap" on the FRONT SIDE of the RIGHT REAR WHEEL well? No such thing on the other three wells (I checked).
This is a front wheel drive vehicle... so what is it? What does it do? And why just that side?
I thought I recalled seeing that flap on the front of the FRONT LEFT wheel well on the one sitting on the raised platform in front of one of my dealer's lots. I am probably mistaken about which wheel well, but I did see that flap, and I was not able to figure out its purpose unless it stops gunk kicked up when we throw the car in reverse and spin the front wheels. Obviously not a normal splash guard or mud flap, as those only work on the REAR side of the wheels. I will ask my service manager the next time I see her. She knows everything.
Last edited by lightonthehill; Jul 22, 2015 at 12:23 AM.
Wouldn't they raise the air turbulence under the car. It would be like putting your hand out the window while moving down the highway, lots of turbulence. I bet those are supposed to be removed after vehicle delivery to the lot. My thoughts anyway.
If they were supposed to be removed before putting the car out on the lot, then I can think of no reason for putting them on in the first place. But who knows? Maybe this does a little 'split' of the air to help divert it around the sides of the tire, rather that hitting the tire head-on?
Aerodynamics is a strange science. Things that seem 'streamlined' and 'aerodynamic' from our view are sometimes not the most efficient at moving through the air. Through the use of smoke and wind tunnels, we sometimes find the best air movement is obtained through odd-looking structures.
Example - When I put rain guards on my 7th gen, the wind noise at speed picked up noticably. I experimented with many different shapes and sizes of molding added to the molding along the bottom of the sides of the windshield just ahead of the outside mirror (and ahead of the rain guards), and the one that helped reduce noise the best was a rather strange combination of several shapes of molding. I know the next owner of my 7th gen is going to lay awake at night wondering what that strange concoction of extra molding is for.
I do have two... it just wasn't easy to spot. Whatever it is, it's there for a reason.
Just seemed odd as I had expected the splash guards themselves to be more substantial, with something protruding downward like these do.
That was the old days, Shmoopy. Maxima splash guards for over the last decade have been there to prevent pebbles and trash from hitting the painted surfaces, but have done very little to prevent glop from splashing onto the sides of the car. That is why many folks (including me) automatically grab mud flaps from any auto store and cut them way down to mount behind the wheels, sticking out to the side exactly even with the edge of the tread (not the sidewall), and sticking below the bottom of the car no more than three inches. They help keep the sides of my car clean, but nobody even knows they are there (except my service writer, who doesn't miss a trick).
The ones on the rear of my '10... They do actually serve a purpose. Nissan or no company would not hide parts which are intended for cosmetic enhancement. I hit some furniture debri that was on I95 and my front wheel deflected a large piece of wood to my rear wheel. Instead of hitting the tire and blowing it out etc it hit the guard with enough force to split it in half.... Also I hit a nail (I heard it deflect to my rear tire) and it did puncture near the sidewall area of my rear tire... I'm talking about the black flaps not the color matched pieces.
Last edited by zoemayne; Jul 24, 2015 at 08:45 PM.
The ones on the rear of my '10... They do actually serve a purpose. Nissan or no company would not hide parts which are intended for cosmetic enhancement. I hit some furniture debri that was on I95 and my front wheel deflected a large piece of wood to my rear wheel. Instead of hitting the tire and blowing it out etc it hit the guard with enough force to split it in half.... Also I hit a nail (I heard it deflect to my rear tire) and it did puncture near the sidewall area of my rear tire... I'm talking about the black flaps not the color matched pieces.
