A Guide to Wheel Well Liners

Wheel well liners are often also called fender liners, wheel well guards, or inner fenders. The purpose of a wheel well liner is to prevent water, rocks, slush, and debris from getting up in the wheel well and causing damage from either rust or dings.

Without an inner wheel well liner, corrosive material could easily make it past your wheel wells and into other parts of your vehicle, including your engine bay, suspension or truck bed where it can cause hidden problems.

What is a Wheel Well Liner?

Wheel well liners often come stock on vehicles and are simple metal or plastic barriers that protect areas beyond the wheel well of your vehicle.

A wheel well liner, which may also be called a wheel well guard, is a piece of molded plastic that fits into the existing wheel well of your vehicle and provides an additional layer of protection by replacing the factory wheel well liner or in some cases adding one where a liner doesn’t exist.

For example, pickup trucks with basic trim packages do not have the wheel well protected when purchased from the dealer so these would be added to those trucks. This creates a buffer between the wheel well and the undercarriage of the vehicle.

Do You Need Wheel Well Liners or Wheel Well Guards?

Wheel well liners are definitely an important piece of equipment for protecting certain areas of your vehicle. Many vehicles come stock with wheel well liners from the factory, but if yours are damaged, you should invest in a wheel well liner replacement.

You may also want to upgrade your stock wheel well liners for improved looks and/or function. Wheel well guards and liners from the factory might be made of metal or a thin layer of plastic that doesn’t offer the same level of protection as many guards and liners from the aftermarket.

Aftermarket wheel well liners or inner fender guards are often made to be tougher for off-road vehicles and may have more specific functions like blocking more debris to certain areas or preventing tire rub. They are especially useful for protecting your suspension system from debris that would shorten the lifespan of those parts.

What are Wheel Well Liners and Guards Made Of?

Wheel well liners and guards are generally made from durable thermoplastic that resists corrosion and can stand up to all weather conditions.

This thermoplastic design is also great at lessening the impact of rocks, gravel, and other road junk. Another benefit of installing guards or liners is that the factory wheel wells tend to trap and retain debris, dirt, sand, and mud that you encounter while off-roading or just driving normally.

Once it's there, it tends to be very difficult to clean off. In many cases, you'll need a pressure washer or some heavy-duty cleaning tools to remove the caked-on grime.

However, thermoplastic liners or guards are slick and smooth, which makes it much harder for gunk to get attached and cake on. You can clean these easily simply by spraying the area with a regular hose.

Protecting Against Wheel Rub

One benefit of installing wheel liners is that they can help protect against wheel rub. Many owners of off-road vehicles use lift kits and aftermarket suspension upgrades to improve performance.

Combined with large off-road tires, this can lead to wheel rub at full articulation. This happens when the suspension compresses to the point that the tire comes in contact with the wheel well.

Needless to say, this can cause damage to both your tire and the wheel well. An upgraded wheel well guard can lower the damaging effects of wheel rub.

Jeep Inner Fenders

Yet another type of wheel well liner is something popular with Jeep owners called an inner fender or inner fender liner. Many Jeep owners remove stock fenders and stock fender liners as they equip their rigs with lift kits and larger tires.

Aftermarket fenders provide a big upgrade for clearance and articulation. However, removing the stock parts leaves your engine bay more open to dust and debris. You can regain that protection by installing inner fenders.

These aftermarket parts are usually made of black powder-coated steel and provide a rugged barrier between your engine bay and body panels and everything else. Rugged Ridge, Westin, and Rough Country are some popular brands for this aftermarket upgrade.

Top Brands for Wheel Well Liners

Rugged Liner

Rugged Liner wheel well liners are generally made from durable polyethylene and are available to fit a wide variety of different truck models. These liners cover exposed frame rails, give your vehicle a more finished look, and again, will be much easier to clean than the naked wheel well by itself. Rugged Liner wheel well liners also come with a limited lifetime warranty against defects.

Husky Liners

Husky Liners makes the previously mentioned wheel well guards and these are available for various truck models. Most newer truck models can benefit from installing a Husky Liner wheel well guard.

Older generations that are out of production are the only models that a Husky Liner is unlikely to fit. The guards are generally sold in pairs to protect the rear wheel wells. Husky Liners are easy to install and come with a lifetime warranty.

Rough Country

Rough Country is well known as one of the bigger off-road brands. They make a lot of popular Jeep aftermarket upgrades, including the inner fenders mentioned above. They do have some wheel well liners to choose from as well, but they don't quite have the variety of Rugged Liner and Husky Liner.

Rough Country wheel well liners come with a limited lifetime warranty, are easy to install and are constructed from High-Density Polyethylene Plastic.

Transform your truck's appearance and protect against damage with wheel well liners, wheel well guards, or inner fenders from H&H Truck Accessories. You can find a full selection of what we offer on our online shopping portal, or you can visit your local well-stocked H&H store for a large selection and options for professional installation.