2010 Outback Splash Guards and Wheel Moldings

Comments

• ateixeira Member Posts: 72,587

  November 2009

  These are made from a fairly resilient plastic, but they are not meant to be skid plates. The splash guards actually do more to protect the paint finish along the side of the vehicle. I imagine the fender flares do the same thing.
  
  I had them on my Foresrter (unpainted, black plastic) and like having them. My Miata does not and you get dirt kicked up from the tires on the lower doors.

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• xwesx Member Posts: 16,790

  November 2009

  For gravel, they will last the life of the car. Larger rocks or other debris could break the splash guards, but the moldings are not likely subject to those items.
  
  Given the guards' proximity to the tires, I would say they make no difference in ground clearance for practical applications. If you are doing low-speed maneuvers over obstacles like small boulders or trees, they could be impacted. They only jut down about 2".
  
  Honestly, I don't think they do much as far as guarding against splashing (as their name implies), but they dramatically cut down the amount of larger-grain material contacting the car. The arch moldings also create a nice visual continuity with the cladding along the bottom of the doors.
  
  I have both of these items on my '10 Forester, and you can see from photos on my carspace page that the fine stuff sprays the car with enthusiasm.

  2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250

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• mcpoteet Member Posts: 6

  November 2009

  Thanks for your response and that of ateixeira. I was not thinking of off-roading but we do plan to run the car out West. Most of the county roads in Colorado, up in the hills, are not paved; I used the term gravel but that is normally not the actual surface. They use a "road base" which is composed of (mostly) fines, sand and clay but it can spray a lot of grit (depending time of the last rain, last grading, etc). Think I will go ahead and get this option. We are looking at a Limited in order to get the internal NAV plus backup camera so adding a few more shekels to get the moldings is not going to hurt much.

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