[MudRunner]

As the title says, whats the point of metal fenders flares? Maybe there is some basic answer I am overlooking? Sure they look good, but in the case that you slide into a rock or tree on the trail, won't it just damage your fender rather than the flare, which is worse because now you have to replace a whole body panel? Whereas with plastic flares they would just bend, taking the impact instead of the body panel. All the advertisements for metal flares always show people standing on top of the flares, but how often is that going to happen on the trail? Guess I just can't see a reason to drop how-every-many hundreds of dollars on metal flares? Enlighten me please

 

[en1ma]

They look sick to me.

 

[chim-chim7]

Plastic flares wont save your paper thin sheet metal. If you hit something hard enough to bend the fender with aluminum or steel flares, you would have bent the fender with plastic as well. Plastic will dampen small blows, but don't think it will save your fenders.