Reviews: Smittybilt XRC Fender Flares

Installation was quick and easy as this was my 2nd set to install on a JK. Would definitely recommend this for a new rugged look that is easy on the budget.

Very high quality and very easy to install. Can’t beat the price and the upgrade to the look of the Jeep after install

Good fenders, pretty decent quality and I would buy them again. You’re buying fenders under $300, they’re not going to compare to big brands but they have a nice curve to them, fairly good body lines and seem very sturdy.

These offer less coverage than factory flares, but isn't that the idea? fairly good fit and finish and easy to install. A lot cheaper than other aftermarket plastic flares and they look great!

Looks great and was easy to install. I was able to reuse part of the plastic liner with some trimming as mentioned in the instructions. These flares add a lot of clearance versus the stock fenders.

installing these is a breeze, there’s one or 2 bolts that are difficult only because they’re in a hard to reach spot, removal of stock fenders is super easy

Solid fenders with easy installation! And they look great on my Jeep!

Hardest part was letting all that sweet OEM plastic go...GME to the moon

They look great and we're pretty easy to install. The only thing I would like to see is a plug and play marker light option. Even if the light was on top of the flare.

These fenders are durable nice looking and are great replacement for the cheap plastic ones that come stock. They were pretty easy to install and I cut the stock wheel well liners to fit and that wasn't to hard either.

I purchased these flares around the 20th of October (my wife authorized the purchase as part of her Christmas present to me). Unfortunately, they were out of stock at 4WD - I figure that's a good thing, as it means the product is so good that it's difficult to keep it in stock. Well, the flares came this past week (on my porch on 17 November). I installed them on 22 November. Here are my thoughts on the order process, price, customer service, instructions, install, appearance/performance, and over-all experience with ordering, installing, and using these flares. 1. Order Process - very simple. www.4wd.com is as easy a site to navigate and use as they come. The one slight issue is using my CarCareOne card on the site. I've never had success doing that. Not an issue. I just used a different card. 2. Price - very good price for what you get. I paid $269 + tax and got 4 flares with all necessary hardware, and shipping was free. 3. Customer Service - as always from 4WD, excellent. I ordered the flares on a Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, I had two emails from 4WD letting me know that the product was out of stock, but giving me an ETA on when the product would be in stock and expected to ship. Granted, the ETA was a little off. It said something like 4-5 weeks, when it was really only like 3 weeks. When the flares did ship, I had an email from 4WD letting me know they had shipped. So, no surprises along the way, and 4WD did everything in their power to take good care of me. 4. Instructions - very simple to read and understand. They even included notes about possible drilling due to slight differences in hole locations on vehicles. The instructions had pictures showing where each bolt/screw was supposed to go. They included directions for removing the factory flares. 5. Installation - difficult in some spots. The difficulty is due more to the design of the Jeep body, rather than the actual product. There are places along the front of the Jeep where there isn't a lot of room to work a nut into position to meet the bolt and washers. I had to use a 1/2 inch wrench and a 13mm socket to install all of the bolts. That's no issue, as those are pretty common tools. So, I didn't have to purchase any special tools. I used a drill, needle-nose pliars, a flat-head screw driver, and a 10mm socket to remove the factory flares. The most difficult part of that operation was removing the clips that held the factory flares in place. Also, these flares do not come with liners. This isn't a bad thing for the rear, as there's really nothing back there that needs liners for protection. The front is another matter. You have all kinds of sensitive parts under the hood. The liners keep mud, excess water, and other debris out of the engine compartment. I was able to mitigate the lack of liners by re-using the factory liners. I simply trimmed the front liners down. I then used one of the bolts from the factory flares to secure the liners at the rear and a zip tie to secure them at the front. These flares also do not offer any place to re-mount the factory marker light, or to mount an after-market light. I simply got two small LED lights with a two wire connection. I cut out the factory lights and spliced the LED lights into the factory wiring (I actually did this about six months ago, when I initially chopped my front flares). Once I had these flares installed, I used a bracket that remained on the Jeep from the factory flares. There is a bit of space between the Smittybilt flares and the factory bracket. I was able to run the LED bulbs and wires under the flares and onto the bracket. I then zip tied the wires down and secured them to the bracket. I did have to do some minor drilling on the back of the Jeep for the self-tapping screws that help to hold the rear flares in place. The entire install probably took me about five hours to complete. If I have a suggestion for Smittybilt, it would simply be that they might consider including a few extra washers, nuts, screws, and bolts. If you slip and drop one of these pieces, they're small enough to easily get lost if they bounce or roll too far from your work area. Overall, the install wasn't too terrible. It's just the places along the front where it can be difficult to get everything in place due to spacing on the Jeep body. 6. Use - primarily designed to give wheel clearance for off-road, while maintaining legal tire coverage. Unfortunately, my work schedule doesn't allow me too much time to hit the trails. If I did get off-road, I have no doubt these flares would allow me the clearance I would need for my wheels to articulate over obstacles. I primarily bought the flares because I wanted a more aggressive, sleek look on my Jeep. So far, they look like they're going to do the job. Overall, I'm totally satisfied with my whole experience with ordering, installing, and using these flares. Smittybilt even threw a sticker in the box with the instructions. Yeah, I put that right on the front of my hood. I like Smittybilt products. I'll hook them up with some advertising. I'll edit this review and post pictures in the days to come.

Does not fit perfect, hugs the body line, but has a few smll gaps at the curves. I am sold, I will keep them till I break'M!

I ordered these on a Wednesday afternoon and they were at my house Thursday night!!! The back flares are super easy, the front is another story. The flare does not follow the body line near the front of the Jeep, it is only noticable because I know it is there. Also, holding a washer/nut/bolt in a space no larger than my fingers was time consuming but doable.

They make my JK look much more aggressive than stock.

I originally reviewed this product a few days ago and promised an update. Well, here is the update, complete with pictures. After driving for several days with these flares on, I'm 100% completely satisfied with them. They do everything I was hoping they would do and more. First, the look of my Jeep is definitely improved with a customized, more aggressive look. I absolutely love the way these flares look on my vehicle. Second, I think they improve the performance of my vehicle. The OEM flares are plastic and very light. These flares, while not super heavy, are made of steel. The steel makes them slightly heavier than the plastic OEMs. The additional weight actually improves the vehicle's stability, thus improving the overall performance of the vehicle. I love it! Third, the "rig job" that I did with the front liners seems to be holding up well. The bottom line is that I believe these flares to be a great investment. If you're looking for a good set of flares to customize your vehicle, or simply to replace your broken existing flares, these flares will do the trick. They're priced right. They are no more difficult to install than any other after-market flares. Solutions for the side marker lights and front liners are very workable. They add style and improve performance. What more could you want? If you're considering these flares, I say you should go for it. Plus, with 4WD, you're getting excellent customer service and free shipping. What are you waiting for? Click the button that says "add to cart" and either continue shopping or checkout. If you're looking for a great Christmas present for your Jeeper, this set of JK fender flares is an excellent idea.

Easy install, overall looks pretty good, weld spots along the edge look a little funky close up, though not too noticeable day to day

Directions were mediocre thanks to the poor picture quality. After reading them a few times, I felt good about starting, everything went well, fitment is pretty perfect. Purchasing titanium drill bits and the smitybilt nursert tool as suggested in other reviews made a huge difference. Also used my impact driver to drive the self tapping screws into the frame. So far I’m very happy with the end result but have had some problems with other accessories that have this finish on them rusting way faster than expected, so we'll see.

I love these flares and for the price, you just can't beat them! So stoked to have these up on my rig! Highly recommended.

These are great! Make my 2014 Jeep look more aggressive. Easy install, took a couple hours with minimal tools. Only reason I didnt give 5 stars is because they made my tires shrink & made me need to buy new fender liners to complete the look!

Very easy to install. All pre-fab holes line up perfectly on '14 JK. Solid iron/steel and bolt on, definitely not a break away or plastic flare. Takes some minor trimming to factory liners to re-install with larger washers and factory bolts.