When you buy a new pickup truck, there's a chance that it will have stock mud flaps mounted behind the rear tires. In most cases, these mud flaps are fairly small, which means that they may not offer the functionality that you want. It's worthwhile to think about replacing them with aftermarket mud flaps. Truck accessories suppliers carry all sorts of mud flaps for different sizes of pickup trucks. You can choose a product that has a simple, subtle look, or perhaps even think about something with a vibrant design. Here are three benefits of adding aftermarket mud flaps.

Body Protection

The biggest reason to upgrade your pickup truck's mud flaps is to protect the body of your vehicle. When you drive over rocks, your rear tires can kick them up. Although many of the rocks will simply land on the road behind you, others may fly up at an angle that causes them to hit the body panels of your truck behind the tires. Over time, this can cause paint damage and perhaps even small dents. Large mud flaps in place will essentially eliminate this risk.

Trailer Protection

If you expect to pull a trailer behind your truck, whether it's a boat trailer, a camper, or some other type of trailer, mud flaps are a must. Without them, rocks can damage the trailer as it follows along behind your truck. Even if you don't ride over rocks, your tires can spray mud onto the trailer. The last thing that you want when you plan a day of boating is to arrive at the lake and find that the front of your boat, as well as the trailer, is covered with mud. With mud flaps in place, you won't have to worry about this issue.

Other Vehicle Protection

Large mud flaps will also prevent your vehicle from flinging rocks at other vehicles on the road behind you. While you wouldn't be held responsible if a rock from beneath your rear tire were to hit another vehicle and chip the windshield or cause a dent on the hood, you wouldn't feel good about causing this damage — even though it's completely inadvertent. Installing new mud flaps will give you the peace of mind that you won't cause any damage to any vehicle that is following you on the road. Shop for a new set of mud flaps for your pickup truck at a truck accessories supplier.