I'm running Evo 9 Wheels on my galant with Advan AO46's, I have the same problem you guys do, first cuz the wheel/tire combo is super wide, and second because the tires are sticky.

 

Got the mudflaps last week after reading this thread. The big shiny plates on the back ones are a little "trucker" for my tastes but actually they look pretty good when they're installed, and they are just as wide as the actual tires are on the car, so they should to a much better job of protecting the paint from any real damage other than the chips that are already there.

When the clouds clear up in the Chicago area and it stops raining and snowing I'll give 'er a good wash and wax (and maybe a claybar if I have time), and see how much of it goes away.

 

dammit guys... I got my rock chip.. size of a freakin DIME! THAT BIG chunk of paint just completely knocked off... at the driverside skirt. and the paint around the spot is peeling...

I'll take pictures today and order some mud flaps now...

 

I thought the same thing about them being a little "trucker" but they've grown on me and they do protect the paint fairly well. I've used them in conjunction with some 3M clear bra strips around the back tire well and on my skirts and so far so good.

 

I got 4k miles on my car and i already have rock chips on the rear parts of the side skirts and also in the rear doors, 90% of my driving is around town

 

i have it on my 9 too, i think is the way out back door is designed, it flairs out and catch rocks.

 

ouch, thats my favorite color too

 

Can someone confirm that I dont have to worry about this if I have the aero kit? I'm stuck at work and dont have time to read through the whole thread...

 

The guys with the aero kit say that the front of the side skirt seems to collect a lot of the debris, requiring a little hosing out whenever the car is ashed, but for the most part seem to eliminate the rock chip problem.

I don't have the Aero Kit, but I did opt for the mudflaps, and they have definitely helped.

 

I went in to the dealer today and had my ECU reflashed with the latest updates and asked about the rock chip problem. The service manager said EVO owners should get a letter about having the dealership put on the protective film. But it sounds like thats as far as they are going to go.

Wat I don't get is the fact that on these cars there is a 7 year / 100k anti-corrosion / perforation warranty. The minute someone gets a rust spot from this issue its covered because it is a self inflicted problem. Right?

 

I now have areas where there were rock chips that now have "peeled" away with pressure washing my car with an auto wash sprayer.

 

Has anyone gotten any rock chips on the front of the car? The only bad part is the back door and fender spot right?

 

Heres some quick pics to show my damage at just under 9k.

 

Hate to tell you this but do you need to read the anti-corrosion warrenty (could be wrong as I have not read the EVO warrenty either)....Pretty much industry standard is that it has to not just be a rust spot but rusted all the way through. A spot of rust alone usually is not enough to get a warranty claim.

I have the aero + clear bra on front, front half of hood, mirrors, front, side skirts and rear skirts, larger ones on rear doors and rear fender (had the installer wrap them into the door wells to cover the edge). Had the car washed and waxed yesterday. Some small blimishes in the clear bra itself where it looks like a small rock or 2 have hit but no chips that I found..3K miles mostly on a road with alot of construction + lots of snow and salt. Recently installed the "trucker" flaps for winter...have snow tires mounted on stock rims (wheels tucked under the fenders for winter driving).

 

just wanted to report that I just hit 10k miles with the factory plastic guards and I dont have any scratches. I do have the OEM mud flaps as well.