bushwacker flares

[xjordie]

I have a 99 cherokee with a 4.5 inch lift and i wanted to add some fenderflares on to give it a little more flex. The only problem is that they only make them for 84-96 cherokees. I will probly by them but i wanted to know if anybody had any trouble installing them on ther 1996 and above years on there jeep. It doenst look like to much extra cutting but any info would be apprectiated.

[RyanM]

20 seconds of searching, minor trimming to flares required
http://arrowheadmfg.com/tempItems/CRW_7070.jpg

[kubtastic]

I hope your searches lead to this conclusion: Don't buy them unless you legally have to get some fender flares!

[Chero-King]

I hope your searches lead to this conclusion: Don't buy them unless you legally have to get some fender flares!

X2

If you ever plan on doing any real wheeling then dont get 'em, they like to leave 8 beautiful holes in each of your fenders when the cheap plastic gets ripped off.
Sure they look good but I've always hear bad things about them.
Save yourself a few hundred bucks and get 4 rear tj flares.

[MuddinJeeper]

or just relocate the OEM ones higher up, if you're having an issue with clearance.

[Russ Pottenger]

or just relocate the OEM ones higher up, if you're having an issue with clearance.
X2 Do a search on 53Guy. He just did a good write up with lots of pictures. if you like the stock look. Most of the guys that wheel hard :flame: Bushwackers. There not cheep, and will probably be left on the trail in pieces.

[Russ Pottenger]

or just relocate the OEM ones higher up, if you're having an issue with clearance.
X2. Do a search on 53Guy. He just did a good write up with lots of pictures. if you like the stock look. Most of the guys that wheel hard :flame: Bushwackers. There not cheep, and will probably be left on the trail in pieces.

[seanR]

X2 Do a search on 53Guy. He just did a good write up with lots of pictures. if you like the stock look. Most of the guys that wheel hard :flame: Bushwackers. There not cheep, and will probably be left on the trail in pieces.
10-4 on that!

[apsdad]

I opened my front fenders up 2 inches all around. I installed Flexy Flares from Pacer Performance. It takes a little work (bending sheet metal) because they don't surface mount. That is, if you want the 4 inch ones. The smaller ones are surface mount. They are 1/4 inch rubber and won't break. The good thing is that a set of the two of them only cost $45 from J.c. Whitney. I supported mine with clamp bars similar to what the factory ones did. I have pictures if you give me an e-mail address.

[Zice]

Save yourself a few hundred bucks and get 4 rear tj flares.
Im with chero-king on this one... I only like the look of all 4 rear ones though...

[Jeepsporter]

I have a 94' jeep cherokee with 33x12.50 on 15x10 with 4" backspacing, and I was wondering what the best fender flare would be. Either Bushwacker or Rusty's? Or something else? :dunno:

[jdbwrx]

I used the TJ flares and they have worked great so far. I found 4 used for like $50.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/jdbwrx/CIMG1457.jpg

[Jeepsporter]

How do the TJ flares mount to the sheet metal? And will these rub with the tire and rim package that i currently have through out the range of the axle?

[lost1]

not with a sawzall they won't...

[el_roy1985]

I have bushwacker flares. I guess I didn't realize people thought they were junk. I've beat on mine pretty good and they don't have any cracks or anything.

I don't scrape them on rocks or anything. Although they do rub up along some trees and get smacked with some branches from time to time.

[jrowell]

I have bushwacker flares. I guess I didn't realize people thought they were junk. I've beat on mine pretty good and they don't have any cracks or anything.

I don't scrape them on rocks or anything. Although they do rub up along some trees and get smacked with some branches from time to time.

I've had a set on for over five years. Drug'em through all kinds of rocks and trees. only knocked one off twice. Put it back on with no issue. I love the looks of mine.

Some of the people that bash them, have never even owned them. Go figure

[traitor5150]

Yeah people love to bash things they dont own or do stupid things to them and wonder whats wrong. ANY flare that you scrape aginst a rock is going to come off I have had no issues with my bushwackers in 2 years of wheeling yeah they come off if you rub aginst a tree big deal screw them back in. They have some scrapes and gouges in them but they still look and work fine...

[Georgia Mike]

Ask MarkWNC about them. They are junk on any serious 'wheeler. End of story. I think he must have had to put his back on a dozen times before he just said "Forget it!" and left them off. I witnessed them being ripped off on more than one occasion, and they only took relatively minor hits when they came off. That was enough for me to know that I could spend my money better elsewhere. On a street or mild trail rig, yes, they look great, and will keep you legal. That's about the only advantage they seem to have...

[MG2000XJ]

off topic, but what bumper is this...

http://arrowheadmfg.com/tempItems/CRW_7070.jpg

[lancey3]

i just couldn't justify spending the money when a sawzawll is free. and well trimmed fenders imo look so much better than bulky plastic shit.

[CopperTop]

Ask MarkWNC about them. They are junk on any serious 'wheeler. End of story. I think he must have had to put his back on a dozen times before he just said "Forget it!" and left them off. I witnessed them being ripped off on more than one occasion, and they only took relatively minor hits when they came off. That was enough for me to know that I could spend my money better elsewhere. On a street or mild trail rig, yes, they look great, and will keep you legal. That's about the only advantage they seem to have...


Then maybe the first question that should be asked when some one wants to know about the BW is what kind of wheeling they are going to be doing. Instead the standard reply is "OMFG BW's JUNK!".

I have had hem on my rig for 3 years with no problems. But I'm not a "extreme wheeler" or evidently must not have a "serious wheeler"

I agree they most likely won't last being drug across rocks and such, but so far they have held up to pushing small trees out of the way when I encounter a tight spot.

[lancey3]

But for 400 dollars i mean jesus. I know you bought it and your trying to justify it to make that 400 you dropped seem like less of a waste but thats a new set of tires for something that won't last on the trail and leaves holes!

[CopperTop]

I got them off ebay for real short money....guy bought them and never installed them.....

Money aside, I ran flareless for 2 years loved every bit of it but unfortunately my local PD didn't share my enthusiasm.

I bought them for a purpose....They get me closer to "legal" tire coverage. What I'm getting at is that they do their initial job very well and they won't just "fall off" at the first sign of a tree like every one like to claim...

[lancey3]

fair enough hah i didnt mean to sound like an ass. do what you gotta do to keep the cops off ya. why the fawk is that even a law anyway?

[Racer-X]

off topic, but what bumper is this...

http://arrowheadmfg.com/tempItems/CRW_7070.jpg


Sure looks alot like my Hanson but Im not sure if it is. Nice looking rig though

[XJCruiser]

If you are looking for the 1997 and up Bushwacker Cut-Out Fender Flares then check out this site http://www.rocky-road.com/xjflare.html .....this is the only place I have found through numerous searches....they have them for the 2 and 4 door models.

[JNickel101]

Rocky Road doesnt have anything special there....they just got "smart" and are marketing them to all XJs.....they will work on 97+, you just have to mod the flares ever so slightly.....

Good luck ordering from Rocky Road too....maybe in 6 months you MIGHT get your flares....

[jeepme]

I have had my BW for about 4 years now and all I do is rock wheeling. Mounting them for that type of style wheeling is all you need to do. The factory flare mounting nuts are the same thread size as the BW mounting screws. If you use these with some washers when mounting they will not fall off. I have had the Jeep resting on the flares up against rocks numerous times and acually dented my fenders with no damage to the flares.

[jrowell]

I have had my BW for about 4 years now and all I do is rock wheeling. Mounting them for that type of style wheeling is all you need to do. The factory flare mounting nuts are the same thread size as the BW mounting screws. If you use these with some washers when mounting they will not fall off. I have had the Jeep resting on the flares up against rocks numerous times and acually dented my fenders with no damage to the flares.

I'm with you. you just have to be smart enough to mount them on your jeep. I have drug them passed trees, Laid over on a rock and scraped along them, without anything other than scrapes. And I'm not defending them because I dropped money on them, I'm defending them because they serve their purpose and I think they look good. I am a hardcore, serious wheeler. I'm just smart enough to mount them to my jeep. I did get mine in 2001, so maybe they are made of different material now...

[pierceME311]

x2 I bolted mine on and have used them to plow through the woods down here, I can't say much about rocks being in FL but I have considered crawling over some grand marquis though. I think that if bolts were included in the factory mounting hardware that alot of peoples complaints about being ripped off would stop because when you bolt them on they just don't come off.

[floppy]

the EPDM rubber Pacer sounds ideal, unbreakable and won't knock off, and cost a lot less money. but do they look silly?

[Deadman 94 xj]

I have'em, not for long. I do a lot of tight trails up here in PA and BW's don't cut it. There was a time when I would stick up for them but experience has proven that they're not up to the wheeling I do up here.

They're the "better" old style flares. Each screw has a crack around the plastic and the rears are shot to the point that I removed them completely.

I do like the look but I wish they were a little smaller.

I think next I'm going with the rustys flexy flares. I need something to keep me legal.
Either that or try and warranty the BWs. I've never tryed but I've read that if you give them a call they'll send you out a replacement. Anyone ever try?

[BudgetXJ]

I think floppy was talking about the flexy flares from these guys. http://www.pacerperformance.com/ They look pretty good as they are a universal fit so they would work good for those of us that cut a bunch of fender out.

[Ironpirate]

My buddy and I both have the Rustys Flexy Flares. We've had no issues with them. They'll smash down and pop right back into place. :skull1:

[floppy]

My buddy and I both have the Rustys Flexy Flares. We've had no issues with them. They'll smash down and pop right back into place. :skull1:
expensive as brushwackers though, i want lower budge

[Hammered]

I got pre 96 xj flares for my trimmed 97 fenders. if you look around you can actually find wider XJ front flares. sorta tapered front to rear. CHEAP at the Junk yard.

I did own a set of wackers, I held them in my hand for a few minutes and put them up for sale on ebay. The newer ones are thin hard plastic. And with winters freezing temps I knew they wouldnt even handle a grocery cart bump in a mall parkinglot. No flexibility.

[Mudderoy]

I e-mailed Bushwhacker first. They said the only problem was the wrap around factory bumper, that they would have to be trimmed. Well the side molding has to be trimmed or taken off. I trimmed mine, and I purchased a DetoursUSA slimline bumper that was specifically cut for bushwhackers. Here is the result.

http://muckleroy.com/images/Jeep_Bushwackers.jpg

Now your next question may be...

Can I put a snorkel on my XJ if I have bushwhackers? The snorkel people say yes, but you'll have to trim a little of the bushwhacker. Damn, who makes that snorkel, Safari?

If you haven't bought them yet, do a search. Someone found them for $380 shipped, after I had bought mine, of course.