Are the inner fenders needed?

[toys222]

I'm building my chassis kit and starting to think about which body I will use. I'm leaning toward the HPI FJ Cruiser body. I see there are some conversion parts that are supposed to make the body almost a direct fit.

I've done some research (searching threads and studying the parts diagrams) and it looks like removing the inner fenders altogether would be a lot easier and cleaner than trimming the fenders.

These are the installation instructions for mounting the body as tested on a Defender model/chassis: http://www.lockeduprc.net/instructio.../trx4-hvfj.pdf
Note the absence of inner fenders which I believe are mounted inside the Defender body.

Is there any reason I would want to keep the fenders other than protection from excess dirt/debris? Is there anything else I'm losing? Thanks!

[Inspector86]

The inner fenders fill in the wheel wells and make the truck look more realistic/complete rather than being able to see through a window and out the wheel well. Trimming the inner fenders is nearly as easy as cutting a piece of paper with a pair of scissors. The biggest advantage is that the inner fenders help keep the dirt and crap out of the electronics and generally just keep the truck cleaner. Yes the Defender inner fenders are attached to the body but Traxxas also sells several inner fender kits that are designed to fit non-standard bodies.

[toys222]

Thanks that helps a lot!

If I move forward with the FJ body I'm going to go ahead and order the narrow fenders from Traxxas and trim as necessary.

https://traxxas.com/products/parts/8080

[Inspector86]

It takes a little more time to trim the inner fenders but once it's done, it's done, and you don't have to adjust the fenders again unless you change bodies in the furture. BTW, the LockUpRC posts will make the install nice and clean. One note, LURC has the rear frame cross-member mounted backwards in their pics. The "U" shaped body post mount which Traxxas supplies will attach to the frame cross-member with the center screw if everything has been assembled correctly. Post up pics once you're done, we love pics! Most important of all, HAVE FUN!

[Topher Builds]

Fenders also give you the front tray, I’m a fan and trimming wasn’t all too much of a pain.

[Jeepy84]

In addition to the narrow fenders, they make bolt on extenders out of rubber if you need a little more coverage. I bought them, the narrows, and the wides to see what fit best under a Team Raffee XJ cab turned MJ Comanche.

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[toys222]

Originally Posted by Jeepy84

In addition to the narrow fenders, they make bolt on extenders out of rubber if you need a little more coverage. I bought them, the narrows, and the wides to see what fit best under a Team Raffee XJ cab turned MJ Comanche.

Thanks for the pic! Cool looking patina on the bumper/rails!

What fender or combo ended up working best?

[Jeepy84]

The narrows by themselves leave a 1/4" gap but the extenders would be mostly cur off and the wides were way too wide. Likely I will just extend the narrows with some gorilla tape cut exactly to fit.

The patina is natural rust, cause it takes me a long time to get things built, lol.

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[punkindrublik]

If you don't care about looks, a little dirt, and performance is more your goal, you can lose 4 oz by just taking them off. I recently put my girl on a diet and it made a world of difference.