I'd like to put a set of mud guards on my new TCH, but thinking about it, I'm beginning to wonder if they would impair the airflow around the car enough to reduce the miles per gallon. I know that a lot of attention was paid to this issue when they decided to 'hybrid' the Camry. Any opinions?

 

I added an entire ground effects kit to my TCH and worried that it would hurt thr MPG. It didn't at all. I doubt that OEM mudguards would hurt MPG at all.

 

I wondered the same thing. However, the wife got a consistant 37 to 40+MPG on her TCH wiht the mudguards. No way to tell what she would have without them.

 

I've had mudguards for most of the car's life. I did not notice a change.

 

Sorry to question your logic, but if you've had the guards for most of the life of the car, how would you be able to notice if there was a change?

 

I had my car about 2 months before putting on the mudguards, as I was also concerned about whether they would affect the mileage or not. I track my mileage pretty carefully, and there was no noticeable decline.

I used the OEM mudguards, purchased online and pre-painted black to match the car. They look outstanding and really help keep the car much cleaner.

 

Because most is not all

I have had the car for about 1.5 years. About a year has been with mudguards.

 

I second that.

 

Gotcha, just wanted to bust your chops (as I know you would were the opportunity to present itself). "Most" could be either seen as the majority (anything over 50%0 of the time...or 'almost all' of the time, as I had interpreted it.

 

It isn't just about the aerodynamic effects of the mud flaps themselves. Consider also the aerodynamic effects of the mud and dirt on the paint, behind the wheel wells. Mud flaps may add some drag, but they also reduce drag in other places. So from that perspective, I think it's about a wash.

I have mud flaps on mine. I like them. The keep a lot of scratches and dirt off the paint. And, I don't have to wash the car quite as often.