Basically, mud guards protect your frame from trapped clay that causes rust. For your situation, I would suggest the flexible rubber ones I recently installed. They dont require drilling, which is safer for the bodywork!!

- Stick to thick rubber
- Use factory holes
- Check clearances often

Honestly, just be careful with the mounting clips in deep ruts, they can pop right off... gl!

Quick question—are you running a specific offset on those larger tires or a wider wheel setup?? Honestly, safety is the biggest concern here cuz if you go with cheap rigid flaps and they catch on a rock, they can literally rip your fender flares right off.

Since youre on a budget, I'd suggest checking out Sparco 03791NR Mud Flaps as a universal base. They're usually under $30 for a pair. Basically, the technical trick is to use a heat gun to slightly contour the rubber so it doesnt rub the tires at full lock. It's way cheaper than those $150 heavy-duty custom sets, but I wanna make sure your tire clearance is actually wide enough before I tell you how to mount 'em to the factory holes tho lol.

Respectfully, I'd consider another option before dropping a ton of cash on those expensive heavy-duty brands. I used to think I HAD to spend big to handle the clay, but honestly, I found it's way more cost-effective to just buy some heavy-duty bulk rubber sheets and DIY them using the stock holes.

I mean, if you're doing heavy off-roading, you're probably gonna tear one off eventually anyway, right?? I've been there and it sucks when a $100 guard snaps. Basically, I just cut my own set for like 1/4 of the price. Plus, you can make them as wide as you want to clear those bigger tires without rubbing!

Just a quick warning tho: whatever you do, avoid the stiff plastic types. They literally act like a lever against your fender when you back up into a pile of mud, and they'll probably rip your trim pieces right off. Stick to the flappy stuff, its so much better for your wallet in the long run! lol. hope that helps anyway, gl!

Just sharing my experience: I went through this exact same headache last year with my 2022 Hilux. I was constantly caking the wheel wells in heavy clay and basically snapped a stock plastic guard clean off on a trail. Honestly, the technical reason those stock ones fail is cuz they're high-density polyethylene (HDPE)—it's too rigid for high-flex situations, right?

I ended up switching to TeraFlex Transit Mud Flaps and the difference in material properties is wild. They use a proprietary UV-resistant flexible rubber that doesnt get brittle when it's cold or stressed. Plus, they're designed to utilize the existing factory mounting points so there's literally zero drilling involved. I found that the stay-flat design is key when you're running larger tires because it maintains a specific clearance profile even at highway speeds. Just gotta make sure you check the torque on those factory bolts after the first few muddy runs, you know? It's definitely been the toughest setup for my weekend off-roading so far.