Wheel Spats

[DBMaster]

I just learned that the little rubber parts that look like short mud flaps - and are mounted on the FRONT of the rear wheel wells - are called wheel spats. I found this out because one of them on my 2012 Mazda 3 turned up missing last weekend. The things have been a PITA since day one in 2012. The clips that hold them in place, though tight, kept slipping and I was constantly snapping the things back into place. When trying to do so last Saturday I noticed that the right one is now gone. I pulled the left one myself and ordered a coupe of 1.25" hole plugs since part of the mounting is a plastic hole plug with a screw in it.

What do these things actually do, anyway?

 

[01rangerxl]

They are for aerodynamics...trying to get every MPG out of it.

 

[Hokiefyd]

You'll have to run some 0W-16 now, to compensate for the extra drag!

 

[DBMaster]

Good! For some reason I thought they were there to keep road grime/salt out of that part of the wheel well. Salt is a non-issue around here, anyway. I was not too unhappy about losing one. Popping them back into place was becoming irritating.

 

[Hokiefyd]

It surprises me that yours have fallen off already. I doubt they'll affect much, though. I have read that they're really only effective if covering the inner half of the tire (not the full width). There's something going on there, aerodynamically. It seems that they're highly tuned pieces. Both of our cars have them at all four tires as I recall.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Thinking about it more, if they have an aerodynamic benefit, they may have a noise benefit as well, at least at higher speeds. Again, however, it's likely something that's very minimal.

 

[Klutch9]

I have no idea if those 'wheel spats' are effective or not, but they gave me a nice, flat spot to mount the schrader valves for the air suspension on my Sedona

 

[DBMaster]

I haven't noticed any increased noise. I have driven several days already on the toll roads - speeds of 70-80. I'm sure they serve a purpose, but probably not enough for me to go out and buy a replacement piece.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Are you talking about mud flaps?

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Are you talking about mud flaps?


They are, literally, called wheel spats. I suppose you could call them mud flaps, but they are much smaller and mount on the leading edge of the wheel well rather than the trailing edge.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Are you talking about mud flaps?


They go on the leading edge of the wheel opening...

And spat is the industry name for them. GM calls them aerospats.

 

[1000MPH]

There was a discussion on the 4Runner forum awhile back.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/95894-faux-mud-flap-front-rear-tires.html

 

[sciphi]

More CAFE stuff. They don't make a discernible difference individually, but over a few million cars end up saving a bit of gasoline. Same thing with air dams and other underbody aerodynamic bits.