Fender (vehicle)

Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire.

The equivalent component of a bicycle or motorcycle, or the "cycle wing" style of wing fitted to vintage cars, or over tires on lorries which is not integral with the bodywork, is called a mudguard in Britain, as it guards other road users – and in the case of a bicycle or motorcycle, the rider as well – from mud, and spray, thrown up by the wheels.

White, in his October 1940 Harper's essay "Motor Cars", refers to "...mudguards, or 'fenders' as the younger generation calls them.

Early automobile fenders were set over the wheels to prevent mud, sand, and dust from being thrown onto the body and the occupants.

[3] In contrast to the slab-sided cars, the Volkswagen Beetle had real bolt-on fenders over both its front and rear wheels.

When the side of the bed is welded to the cab, as with the Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche, it is called a quarter panel.

Although attached by welding, the panels over the front wheels on cars such as the early 1960s Lincoln Continental, the Corvair, and the early-1960s Chrysler Imperial are called fenders.

An aftermarket pickup truck accessory is fender flares, which block mud and stones or cover rust.

Using this method, the manufacturer can provide the needed tire coverage without producing a different fender, bedside, or quarter panel for what may be a low-production model.

This was popular on early Classic Trials cars because the fenders were lightweight and allowed for a thin, streamlined body.

Some machines can be seen with a stub of a mudguard only a few inches long, which satisfies the legal requirements but does not provide any protection from thrown mud and spray.