Some people may view the use of aftermarket wheels when the H3 has nice aluminum wheels already as an even more waste of money. Puts more stress on the front suspension components with more offset. With OEM wheels and 285's or 315's or even with the Hutchinson Beadlock rims made for the H3 the flairs do help. I'm not sure they had in mind anybody adding wheels that stick out 3 more inches when they made the flairs.
So it goes, each to their own style but when you deviate too much from the norm don't expect OEM or aftermarket vendors parts made for stock vehicles to fit your mods.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunner

Some people may view the use of aftermarket wheels when the H3 has nice aluminum wheels already as an even more waste of money.

Look at the Jeep aftermarket. Every manufacture makes 4" and 6" mud flares and tube fenders to accommodate wider tires and aftermarket wheels. The first thing most serious and for that matter weekend warriors who tackle a trail every now and again put on is: Lift, wheels & tires. The aftermarket for the H3 is non existent because very few actually use the vehicles off road. Most of the Hummers I see are wearing 20" to 22" rims and low profile tires with flashy chrome add-ons. Wish it wasn't this way, I like my H3 and wish the off-road aftermarket would embraced this vehicle, but they just haven't.

 

I was stating an opinion as were you. Obviously a difference of opinion and facts.
The H3 is a different design vehicle than a Jeep, comparing them does not make them the same. Less H3 units make for a weak aftermarket. Searching forums you will find several members have made add on's that are very useful and are available as well as a few major components offered by vendors.

The Hutchinson beadlocks are DOT approved and engraved stating that and are designed for the H3.

I tackle a trail or two from time to time.

 

Not sure where you see all the H3 that are blinged out but almost everyone I run with has their H3's and H2s well equipped for offroading. ( UCP, Rocky Roads, diff protection, skid guards, brushguards, winches, offroad lights, some roof racks, 35" tires, etc ) Sure there are some blinged out Hummers but I guess what you see depends on who you hang out with.

 

Who I hang out with has nothing to do with what I see. I would have to guess 95% of all the H2 and H3's I see on the roads are stock or have some kind of over the top chrome pieces added. I find it funny how defensive people are over a simple observation. The aftermarket has not embraced the H3 with regards to off-road performance items because the volume does not make it profitable. If more people wanted these items companies would respond.

This thread was started to discuss the options for mud fenders. The only two options I have found are the Bushwaker Fender Flares and the EGR Fender Flares. Both provide limited coverage and do not solve the problem when you add aftermarket wheels and larger tires. In my option they don't look right either. I have been working on fabricating my own tube fenders since the aftermarket does not have what I want. The only aftermarket product I found that I would buy is no longer making them (Stage Four - SFC Over Fenders) Now these are a cool looking fender flare that I would buy if available.

I like my H3, but that doesn't blind me from the ability to talk critically about the vehicle.

 

If you wheel in sloppy stuff the H3 will sling mud everywhere. With 285's or 315 tires on stock rims or Hutchinsons, standard spacing, flares will help. MY opinion is they give it the finished look without the tires sticking out past the fenders. It keeps some of the spray and chunks off but it will not stop all of it.
There has been a lot of discussion about those larger flares in other places and so far it seems to be a dead end.

 

I would agree that about 90-95% are either stock or blinged out. But, I see the same amount of Jeeps from model years 2005-2010 that are blinged out or stock. Heck, some of the "stock/OEM" jeeps come with 18s and 20s factory installed!

When comparing Jeep to HUMMER you have to realize that the Jeep has been around for many many years and as the cost of ownersip decreased the amount of aftermarket support/parts became larger and larger. I believe when the H2 and H3 become afordable to have as a dedicated "trail rig" aftermarket support will get better. However, with the end of production there will not be as much support as for the Jeep. Look at the Yota and Land Rover guys. They are clammering for parts just like we are. There are a lot of HUMMER people out there right now making parts and selling them. That is how it starts, build a few of something sell them (quality parts) to enthusiasts on forums and soon enough you will make a name for yourself and you can start to R&D something else. Examples: HUNNER Xtreme Skidz, Air Doc Intakes and Roc Doc Diff Protectors, Thor Parts bumpers, Ridge Demon Rock Basherz,etc..

As you may have already noticed even the Stage Four fender add-ons won't do what you are asking for. They taper at the rear of the front fender just like the OEM fender does. In order to limit the amount of dirt/mud/etc the fender or add-on would have to stick out at the bottom of the fender and you would have to have a huge mud flap.

Personally, since We DO wheel our HUMMERS I would have to say that the tires sidewall (315/75R16s) sticking out about 1" from the OEM fenders has saved our HUMMERS from some pretty serious OEM fender damage since the bulging sidewall acts like a slider keeping the vehicle away from the trees/rocks/dirt trail walls/etc.