Plan for gravel?

[PV2EV]

My truck is on the way and I want to minimize the impact of the 2 miles of 3/4" minus gravel I drive on to get to the pavement.

I have the small mudflaps ready to go on, and passed on the larger ones as I dislike the look.

Would either clear coat or PPF be best to protect the lower paint, and are either worth it?

What speed is reasonable to keep from throwing gravel up enough to impact the paint?

Does the tailgate foam dust strip offered on accessories.ford.com do anything?

Does the F150 suffer a dirty ass (rear taillights, camera, etc...) like passengers cars (gen1 Volt is horrible) on gravel?

Can I assume the (stupidly) exposed cooler is safe as it is ahead of the wheels?

Anything else to consider?

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[Maquis]

I have a couple miles of gravel getting to the farm. I don’t plan on doing anything special. My current and past vehicles haven’t suffered much from gravel. I don’t drive over 30. I do have an issue with my current 2017 F150 - the paint is almost gone from the running board mounting brackets.

 

[PV2EV]

I have a couple miles of gravel getting to the farm. I don’t plan on doing anything special. My current and past vehicles haven’t suffered much from gravel. I don’t drive over 30. I do have an issue with my current 2017 F150 - the paint is almost gone from the running board mounting brackets.

From gravel? From the front brackets back to? How high up?

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

What about this:

https://realtruck.com/p/bushwacker-trail-armor-rocker-panels/bus-14097/

 

[Maquis]

From gravel? From the front brackets back to? How high up?

I honestly can’t say for certain it was caused by the gravel. It’s the only vehicle I’ve had with boards, so no point of reference. Each side has two brackets, paint is mostly gone from all four.

 

[PV2EV]

I honestly can’t say for certain it was caused by the gravel. It’s the only vehicle I’ve had with boards, so no point of reference. Each side has two brackets, paint is mostly gone from all four.

Oh, just the brackets, got it. What are your thoughts on the rocker panel in the above post.

 

[Tony Burgh]

Gravel? I thought you said grovel. I’d tell you stay single.

 

[O’Majestic1’slightnigF150]

Front cooler should not be a problem. I have multiple Ford trucks. Lots of gravel. I was concerned when I picked up my Lightning and started inspecting. ‘99 F350 is the oldest with that configuration and it’s fine. Bug migration is our worst culprit. In the middle of snout nosed butterfly season right now. Sure miss full service stations!

as for sides of truck I think the flaps will be your best option. Since Ford sealed up the mud n gravel n cow shit holding areas in the fenders in front of the doors I finally don’t have much to complain about. And the wipers now wait till the spray hits the windshield before starting. Only took a century on that one.

 

[Maquis]

Oh, just the brackets, got it. What are your thoughts on the rocker panel in the above post.

No opinion, really. I don’t plan on doing anything special to my Lightning regarding gravel protection.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

Oh, just the brackets, got it. What are your thoughts on the rocker panel in the above post.

I bought the above rocker panel protection. I will be installing on my Pro when it arrives.

For me the rocker panel protection is a bonus, I want my door sills protected as I have young kids and dogs that have scratched up my current truck's sills pretty bad. This product protects both.

Plus, the black on the sides might actually look decent with the Pro's black bumpers, door handles, and mirrors.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

Yeah, I would've gone with PPF. I prefer the look, but with 2 young active boys and a couple big dogs (Bernese Mountain Dog)...PPF alone wouldn't cut it for my door sills.

 

[broncoaz]

I went with the 6” wide factory steps and Rokblokz mud flaps for gravel and other construction site driving. The factory steps were about $275 off eBay and the mud flaps were $160. I had to make significant modifications to get the rear flaps to fit since the Lightning is different from the ICE in the rear. I feel like these will give it suitable protection. If there were some good simple fender guards to protect the edges of the fender openings I might consider them, I think small debris off the tires will damage the 45 degree chamfered section above the mud flaps.

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