2019 Ford Ranger Fender Flare Upgrade With AirDesign Body Systems

Off-road trucks often kick up dirt and rocks that can dent, scratch, and chip body panels and doors. While some wear these abrasions as badges of honor, others want to keep their trucks looking nice and clean. Aftermarket fender flares are a great addition to any off-road truck, especially one with a lift and larger tires. While wider fender flares can prevent trail debris from hitting your vehicle, they can also dramatically enhance its appearance.

 

After adding a BDS Suspension kit and larger BFGoodrich Tries to a new Ford Ranger 4×4, the tires stuck out about 1.5 inches past the factory fenders. This led to some paint chipping along the rocker panels and fender sides when the vehicle was driven at high speeds on off-road trails. Wanting to avoid any further damage, we did some research and found that the AirDesign Super Bolt Fender Flares would offer protection while also enhancing the truck’s appearance. AirDesign products are also available from Ford as a factory dealer upgrade, which can be ordered separately or added to a new truck purchase.

The AirDesign fender flares and body panels add trail protection as well as an aggressive appearance to this 2020 Ford Ranger.

 

We also liked that the AirDesign fender flares and body appliques enhance the factory body lines of the vehicles they are designed for. On the Ford Ranger, these products are made from durable, molded ABS plastic, and are top coated with OEM-approved satin black paint. These fender flares also feature a patented mechanical fixation system called “Super Bolts” that attach to the factory fenders, making them vibration-free to avoid damaging the vehicle’s paint over time.

AirDesign Parts Are Easily And Simple To Install Taking Only Minutes With No Special Tools!

The fender flares are attached using AirDesign’s exclusive “Super Bolt” system that keeps them from vibrating and scratching the vehicle’s paint. 

Because these fenders extend outward 1.5 inches from the vehicle, Air Design also integrates bumper extensions to keep the body lines of the Ranger clean and uninterrupted. The flares feature an “anti-splash” contour at the bottom, acting like a mud-flap, but without the obtrusive appearance. The fender flares use Air Design’s newest black-out bolts that match our truck’s paint scheme, creating a subtle appearance to the popular bolted fender flare look that many off-road enthusiasts enjoy.

In addition to the flares, we also decided to install Air Design’s faux hood scooptailgate appliquefront fender vents, and tailgate spoiler that dramatically alter the truck’s appearance. These body appliques fit perfectly to the vehicle contours and use OE-style adhesive to bond them to the body panels. AirDesign also makes door rocker panels for this application that offers additional protection.

 

The installation took a few hours and did not require any drilling. The result, however, changed the Ranger to an aggressive-looking truck that also has improved protection from trail debris. Do not forget that all of these AirDesign USA parts are official Ford licensed accessories and available for purchase and installation directly through any Ford Dealership. 

AirDesign USA Takes Us Through The Installation For This 2019 Ford Ranger Fender Flare

All of the plastic rivet fasteners and screws under the factory fender are removed but will be re-attached to the underside of the new fenders.

Billy Longfellow, AirDesign’s designer, placed the new fender flares up against the body. Using a grease pencil, the position is marked before removing the adhesive strips from the Super Bolt platforms located on the underside of the flares.

Removing the fender reveals the Super Bolt tabs that are now adhered to the fender. Longfellow uses a plastic tool to press down on the tabs to improve the bond before the fenders are re-attached with the bolts.

The factory front fender vents simply pry out with plastic body tools. The area is cleaned up from the factory adhesive for the new AirDesign vents. Leaving a small portion of the adhesive tape backing outside the new vent, allows it to be placed properly and removed to adhere to the fender area.

The tailgate spoiler was added similarly to the fender vents. It was first mocked into position, marked with a grease pencil, then the adhesive tape backing was removed.

The tailgate applique for the Ranger was also mocked into position before it was adhered to the tailgate. This panel gives the Ranger the look of the Ford F-150 Raptor tailgate.

Longfellow designed these bumper attachments that continue the new fender-line to the bumper for a better appearance. These adhere to the factory bumpers using high-grade tape.

Once completed, the Ford Ranger had a very aggressive appearance but also has more body protection with the wider fender flares. The addition of the black Super Bolt hardware on the fender flares also gives the flares a more subtle appearance.

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Dan Sanchez

Dan Sanchez is an off-road and automotive high-performance enthusiast with a 35-year history in the automotive industry as a journalist, editor, author, and is a SCORE International 4x Journalist Of The Year.
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