your opinions on splash guards

[jmooney]

What are your opinions on splash guards for the C5? I drive my '99 mostly in good weather, however it still picks up road debris and deposits them along the rocker panel.
I would like to have the protection but I don't want to ruin the lines of the car.
Your input on this subject would be appreciated.

 

[DkBG]

I put the nice moulded ones on my 2000 . They're black and the car is a dark shade of green so they're not too noticeable . I can't say I like them on there but it beats stone chips . Cliff

 

[WhalePirot]

FWIW

For what it's worth: I screwed some on using the fender/inner well hardware. They did little or nothing on my C-4, but were near invisible, even being black on a white car. BUT..........

Lesson: look at the straight line from the rear of the contact patch to your rockers. That's the route the water and debris will take. It is likely that any guard that stops such debris, will be quite visible!

Perhaps the clear, static-cling film is a much better choice.

 

[Villain]

They may or may not help you but if you have to drive in the rain, they will keep down the amount of rain water spray you kick up on the guy behind you. And if he can see you he probably won't hit you.
JMO

 

[bowtie911]

:nono

 

[Rob]

I don't own a C5, but since day one of owning my C4, I have had mud flaps on it. I think they are an invaluable source of protection.

If I was racing the car competitively, obviously, I wouldn't use them, but for street use, I think they are perfect.

The front and rear quarter panels tend to wrap underneath and behind the rear of the tires, therefore they take the brunt of road debris.

Over time I have noticed the most damage occurs on the rocker panels starting in the middle of the door where the surface area of the splash guards cannot protect. Basically, you can't really avoid this.

As far as what type to use - it all depends on what you think looks good. Go to a local Corvette show and take a look at what other C5 owners are using so that you can get an idea of what might look good AND be functional at the same time.

Below, you can see the mud flaps that I'm running on my C4. I chose these because they are not only functional, but from the rear of the car, they tend to blend in with the tires:

 

[Tom Bryant]

If you have to use them black is the best choice. If they are mounted properly they don't show to badly. With all of the pictures I have seen of Rob's car I never noticed he had splash guards on it.

Last fall I saw a C5 white convertible with really big white mud flaps on it. I wish I had my camera with me. They looked terrible. I would rather do some paint work every couple years that to have a Corvette that looked like a '50s J.C.Whitney catalog ad.
The only thing missing was Yosemity Sam saying "Back Off" and a few red reflectors.

 

[JBsC5]

I would not put mud flaps on my 2001 Corvette. I do not care for the look.

 

[WEFs02]

I had clear ones on my C4(Lexan??) They caught all the ugly stuff before it got to the rocker panel but because they were clear they became gross looking. Changed them to moulded black and was satisfied. I will be putting the same type on the C5 soon.

 

[REDGAR]

I don't like them but my drag racing activities require them. I would have rubber all over the place if I did not have them.