Metal Vs. Poly Fenders for Heavy Duty Trucks

Sporting a fender on your heavy-duty truck is a must for many reasons. Besides giving you added protection from weather conditions, fenders can help prevent up to 30% of road spray from hitting your truck, cutting down on lag time and added maintenance. Fenders also make your life on the road easier by reducing wind resistance, which works to maximize your fuel economy—both a money and time-saver. Are you trying to decide between metal and poly fenders for your heavy-duty truck? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you make the best choice to suit your needs.

Metal Fenders

Pros:

• Variety—Merritt Aluminum Products offers a variety of metal fenders for you to choose from—over 36 models and 12 designs made from aluminum and stainless steel semi-truck fenders.
• Versatility—These products fit most applications and styles, so they’re very versatile as well.
• Durability—metal fenders provide a long-lasting, dependable sense of durability, which is essential when you’re on the road in your heavy-duty truck. The added visibility is another bonus when you’re sharing the road with other drivers—keeping you both better protected.
• Sleek style—the unmistakable bright, illuminating finish that comes with sporting a metal fender adds just the right amount of style to your truck, giving you a sense of pride in your ride.

Cons:

• Count the cost—metal fenders are usually costlier than their counterparts, but when you take into consideration the lifespan and other money-saving incentives that come with a metal fender, they’re more than worth their price tags.
• Aluminum can “outshine” stainless steel—Although both stainless and aluminum fenders have great sticking points, aluminum is often a slightly smarter pick. Aluminum fenders are more lightweight, adding less bulk to the truck and thereby improving fuel efficiency. They’re also naturally resistant to corrosion, so they’ll never rust.
• …Yet aluminum fenders aren’t without fault—for all of their perks, aluminum fenders aren’t flawless. They are more prone to dents, scratches, and dings than their stainless siblings—and aren’t as easy to fix.

Polypropylene “Poly” Fenders

Pros:

• Dependable durability AND unmatched cost—poly (plastic) fenders are the most durable on the market, resisting corrosion, damage, and even the harshest weather conditions. When stacked against their metal counterparts, they come out ahead in both durability and cost-efficiency. These are two very important Pros to consider when weighing your options.
• Easily Repaired—Poly fenders are also pretty easily repaired—some repairs can even be done right there on-the-spot.

Cons:

• Less flash and panache—Simply put, plastic fenders are usually not going to have the same element of flash and style as metal fenders, but if you consider all of the immensely attractive other features, including top durability and cost-efficiency, style may seem like a fair trade-off. It all depends on what is most important to you when deciding which type of fender to go with.

Want more? Visit https://merrittproducts.com/heavy-duty/fenders/ to explore the wide variety of metal, poly-pro, and more types of fenders Merritt Aluminum Products has to offer.