There's a lot to like in Bushwacker's Flat-Style fender flares for the Jeep XJ Cherokee. Made from rugged, pliable Dura-Flex TPO 2000 material in the USA, Flat-Style flares offer up to 4.5 inches of lateral tire coverage.
Installing Flat-Style flares also brings vertical tire clearance, opening up the fender wells to make room for larger tires and additional suspension travel at a lower lift height.
The Flat-Style fender flares bear strong resemblance to tubular steel fender flares, but the Dura-Flex material is very appropriate for the uni-body construction of the XJ. There's nothing stronger than a tubular steel fender flare, but hard hits to a steel flare will transfer the energy into the sheet metal. This equals dents. Dura-Flex, on the other hand, will flex (hence the name) when hit.
Flat-Style flares are molded in black, but you can paint them as desired. To successfully paint over Dura-Flex, you'll need to have a plastic adhesion promoter for TPO plastic added into your paint mixture.
Bushwacker Flat-Style fender flares fit both two- and four-door XJ Cherokees of all years from 1984 to 2001. Installation is a lengthy, yet straightforward process. We don't have the proper photography to document it here, but Bushwacker's website offers an excellent instruction sheet complete with detailed photos.
Adding Flat-Style flares to your XJ requires a full commitment, as you'll need to trim your sheet metal to install them. There's no going back, but we can't figure out why you'd want to anyway. A basic angle grinder fitted with a cutoff wheel is sufficient for cutting duties. It's noteworthy that Flat-Style flares cannot be installed on XJ's previously equipped with Bushwacker's Cut-Out flares.
If you'd like to add style, tire clearance, and lateral tire coverage to your XJ in one fell swoop, look no further than Bushwacker's Flat-Style fender flares.
Here's a stock XJ fender combined...
Here's a stock XJ fender combined with a 32-inch Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ radial. Thanks to a 3-inch Skyjacker suspension lift, tire rubbing was largely absent. Still, this XJ needed a little more wiggle room under the fenders.
Bump and droop photos sho...
Bump and droop photos show...
...there's now plenty of clearance...
...there's now plenty of clearance for the 32s.
There’s not much room to add...
There’s not much room to add vertical tire clearance here, but the Flat-Style flares still make the most of the situation and add a little vertical clearance. Out back, the biggest plus to the Flat-Style flares is the lateral tire coverage they provide. If you’re running a wider-than-stock axle (front or rear) the Flat-Style flares can help prevent getting pulled over for tires that stick out too far.
Flex shots reveal plenty of...
Flex shots reveal plenty of room to roam.
This XJ’s rear suspension...
This XJ’s rear suspension is comprised of a pair of Skyjacker 3-inch leaf packs, Skyjacker shocks, and Currie bumpstops. Tire rub? Not on this XJ.
In stock trim, the OEM fender...
In stock trim, the OEM fender flares offer plenty of lateral coverage, as long as your tire-and-wheel package has enough backspacing and your axles are stock width.
There’s plenty of room to...
There’s plenty of room to go wider with the Flat-Style flares added.
For optimal cornering, many...
For optimal cornering, many front axles are slightly wider than the rear axle on the same vehicle. The front Flat-Style flares follow suit, as the front flares cover a bit more width than the rears.
Installing the flares is time-consuming;...
Installing the flares is time-consuming; we’d recommend setting aside at least one evening to get it done. If you’re faster, more power to you! The flares use an inner structure that serves as a cutting template. Trace the cuts with a marker, set the inner flares aside, and carefully start slicing.
At the lower rear corner of...
At the lower rear corner of the front fenders, you’ll cut several notches into the stock sheet metal.
The notched section doesn’t...
The notched section doesn’t get cut off. Instead, it gets folded back. There’s also a factory pinch weld that gets pounded flat. Flat-Style flares come with all required hardware.