Fender ( vehicle ) - wikipedia Fender ( vehicle ) For the part of an automobile designed to absorb minor impacts, see Bumper ( automobile ). Austin 10 with red fenders Fender is the American English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well ( the fender underside ). Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with the road surface. Instead, flexible mud flaps are used close to the ground where contact may be possible. Sticky materials such as mud may adhere to the smooth outer tire surface, while smooth loose objects such as stones can become temporarily embedded in the tread grooves as the tire rolls over the ground. These materials can be ejected from the surface of the tire at high velocity as the tire imparts kinetic energy to the attached objects. For a vehicle moving forward, the top of the tire is rotating upward and forward, and can throw objects into the air at other vehicles or pedestrians in front of the vehicle. In British English, the fender is called the wing ( this usually refers only to the panels over the front wheel arches, in modern cars, since the rear ' fenders ' are more an integral part of the car 's body shape ). 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. In modern Indian and Sri Lankan English usage, the wing is called a mudguard. However, the term mudguard appears to have been in use in the U.S. at one point. The American author E.B. White, in an October 1940 Harper 's essay `` Motor Cars '', refers to ``... mudguards, or ' fenders ' as the younger generation calls them. '' In German, it is known as a Kotflügel ( ' mud wing ' ). In the United States, a minor car accident is often called a `` fender bender ''. Contents 1 Trucks and automobiles 1.1 Cycle wing 2 Bicycles and motorcycles 2.1 Bicycles 2.2 Motorcycles 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References Trucks and automobiles Bolt - on front and rear fenders on a Volkswagen Beetle Fender enclosing the front wheels on a Nash Ambassador Early automobile fenders set over the wheels to prevent mud, sand and dust being thrown on to the body and the occupants. Fenders typically became a more integral part of overall auto bodies by the mid-1930s. In contrast to the slab - sided cars, the Volkswagen Beetle had real bolt - on fenders over both its front and rear wheels. In current US auto industry nomenclature, usually only the panels over the front wheels are called fenders. The auto industry changed from rear fenders bolted onto a quarter panel to an enlarged welded - on quarter panel that fulfilled both functions. This resulted in one piece where there had previously been two, and name of the larger welded piece, the quarter panel, survived the consolidation. Quarter panels are at the rear, with an exception made for dual rear wheel trucks, where the panel at the rear is called a fender. For vehicles with a narrow car body that exposes the tire, the fender is an exposed curve over the top of the tire. For wide body vehicles that cover the tire, the fender forms the wheel well surrounding the tire, and is not directly visible from above the car body. The fender 's openings for the wheel wells tend to be much larger than the diameter of the tire, because they do not move with the tire suspension and consequently must be large enough to allow the full range of tire motion on the suspension without touching the interior of the wheel well. The streamlined 1949 Nash 600 and Ambassador design was first to feature fenders that enclosed the front wheels. More elaborate designs include fender skirts for enclosing the outside edge of the wheel well, and stylized pontoon fenders for exposed fenders. The bolted panel which covers the wheel on dual rear wheel pickup trucks is called a fender. A pickup truck with a separate bed but without bolt on fenders has a bedside, which performs the function of a fender. 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. While the standard of bolted versus welded normally applies, there are some exceptions. Although attached by welding, the panels over the front wheels on cars such as the early 60s Lincoln Continental, the Corvair, and the early - 1960s Chrysler Imperial are called fenders. Similarly, even though bolted on, the panels covering the rear wheels on the Saturn S series are called quarter panels. An after - market accessory on pick up trucks are fender flares, which blocks mud and stones and / or covers rust. They are sometimes used by manufacturers on models that have wider tires than basic models. Using this method, the manufacturer can provide the needed tire coverage without producing a different fender, bed side, or quarter panel for what may be a low - production model. Fender flares are used on SUVs, pickup trucks, off - road vehicles, and sport cars. They either come with a vehicle as a standard equipment or added afterwards as an aftermarket accessory. Fender flares are often made of fiberglass or ABS plastic to ensure flexibility and light weight, however some trucks and SUVs come with metal fender flares to ensure better durability. There are 3 common styles of fender flares : OE style ( Narrow flares with smooth surface ), bolt - on ( wider fender flares with exposed bolts ) and Cut - Out ( oversized flares that require a fender trim ). The most important characteristic of a fender flare is the width as it shows the tire coverage. Common fender flares are 1 `` - 8 '' wide. Cycle wing Cycle wings on a Lotus 7 Series 1, 1957 to 1960 Certain types of cars with narrow bodies, such as the Lotus and later Caterham Seven or the Allard J2, use what are called cycle fenders in the US or cycle wings in Britain, for their resemblance to those used on bicycles. They are attached to the wheel suspension and remain at a fixed distance from the tire regardless of wheel motion, and can therefore be much closer to the tire than fixed wheel wells. This was popular on early Classic Trials cars because the fenders were lightweight and allowed for a thin streamlined body. They persist on cars wanting a `` vintage '' look. Bicycles and motorcycles Bicycles A bicycle fender There are original manufacturers designed and generic fenders, ( universally known in British English as mudguards ) for bicycles that can be fitted to most bicycle frames. These catch and redirect road spray thrown up by the tires, allowing the rider to remain clean. They are increasingly common on bicycles in the more car dependent English - speaking countries, since bikes in these countries tend to be sports - oriented, with minimal clearance between tires and frame tubes for fenders, or were ridden only in mild conditions, although there are a few fenders that are designed to be attached to the seat post. The trend towards urban biking, which has doubled in the past decade, led to a production, import, and use boom in utility bikes. European utility bicycles, traditional roadsters, serious touring bicycles, and beach cruisers are nearly always fitted with fenders. Motorcycles `` Hugger '' redirects here. For the professional wrestler, see Jon Hugger. In the UK it is a legal requirement that a motorcycle should be fitted with mudguards. While motorcycles are invariably fitted with mudguards, only touring cycles generally have fully functional mudguards. Some machines can be seen with a stub of a mudguard only a few inches long, which satisfies the legal requirements but does not actually provide any protection from thrown mud and spray. Sporty - styled or racing motorcycles sometimes come with, or have added as an aftermarket accessory, a `` hugger '' rear fender, attached to the rear swingarm and very close to the tire, rather than attached to the rear subframe and away from the tire. Conversely, the practice of removing the front fender and reducing the size of the rear fender produced the bobber customization style of the 1950s onwards. See also Curb feeler Fender skirts Mud flap Quarter panel Wing mirror Notes Motor 's Crash Estimating Guide October 1972 Vol. 4, No. 10 Motor 's Crash Estimating Guide June 1971 Vol. 3, No 6 References Jump up ^ White, E.B. ( 1997 ), One Man 's Meat, p. 151, ISBN 0 - 88448 - 192 - 1 Jump up ^ Forbes, Kingston ( 1921 ). `` The Evolution and Design of Automobile Fenders ''. The Vehicle Year Book. Ware Bros. pp. 6 -- 12. Retrieved 2 June 2017. Jump up ^ Breitenstein, Jeff ( 2004 ). Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary : A-Bombs to Zoomies. Motorbooks. p. 76. ISBN 9780760318232. Retrieved 2 June 2017. Jump up ^ Hardford, Bill ( October 1973 ). `` ' 74 cars - Something ole, something new from AMC ''. Popular Mechanics. 140 ( 4 ) : 114. Retrieved 2 June 2017. Jump up ^ Whittaker, Wayne ( November 1948 ). `` Debut for the ' 49 Nash ''. Popular Mechanics. 90 ( 5 ) : 115 -- 118, 264, 266. Retrieved 2 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Road Vehicles ( Construction and Use ) Regulations 1986 ''. HMSO. Retrieved 6 April 2013. Jump up ^ Seeley, Alan ( 2004 ), The Motorcycle Book : Everything You Need to Know about Owning, Enjoying, and..., p. 116, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7603 - 1745 - 7, Most monoshock bikes have very little protection from road dirt the elements for the rear shock and linkages. A hugger mounted to the swingarm will reduce the amount of water and muck being thrown at the shock, swingarm, and back of the engine. Most replace the standard chainguard too. Jump up ^ The word `` Hugger '' was also used in the name of a Harley - Davidson Sportster model of 2001 Automotive design Part of a series of articles on cars Body Framework Car platform Backbone chassis Beltline Body - on - frame Bumper Cabrio coach Chassis Continental tire Crumple zone Dagmar bumpers Fender Fender skirts Grille Hood Hood scoop Monocoque Overhang Pillar Pontoon fenders Quarter panel Roof rack Shaker scoop Spoiler Stressed member engine Subframe Tonneau Trunk lid Compartments Trunk / boot / dickie Hood / bonnet Doors Butterfly doors Gull - wing door Scissor doors Sliding door Suicide door Vehicle canopy Glass Greenhouse Power window Quarter glass Opera window Sunroof Windshield / windscreen Windshield / windscreen wiper Other elements Bumper sticker Curb feeler Front - end bra Hood ornament Japan black Nerf bar Omniview technology Run - flat tire Spare tire Tire / tyre Tow hitch Truck accessory Window deflector Geometry Approach and departure angles Breakover angle Overhang Ride height Roll center Turning radius Weight distribution Exterior equipment Lighting Daytime running lamp Headlamp sealed beam high - intensity discharge lamp Hidden headlamps Turn signals trafficators Rear position lamps Stop lamps Reversing lamps Safety reflector retroreflector Other elements Vehicle horn Vehicle registration plate vanity plate Windshield / windscreen washer fluid Wing mirror power side - view mirror Legal Motor vehicle theft Vehicle identification number Commons Portal Bicycle parts Frame Handlebars Stem Head tube Headset Fork Seatpost Saddle Bottom bracket Fork end Suspension Wheels Tire Spoke Spoke nipple Valve stem Dustcap Quick release skewer Drivetrain Pedal Crankset Chain Cogset Derailleur gears / Hub gears Gear case Sprocket Cabling Shifter Bowden cable Cable guide Brake Ferrule Peripherals Basket Bell Bottle cage Fairing Cyclocomputer Kickstand Lighting Luggage carrier Mudguards Panniers Saddlebag Spoke card Reflectors Skirt guard Training wheels Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fender_(vehicle)&oldid=796225143 '' Categories : Automotive body parts Bicycle parts Motorcycle technology Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Íslenska Italiano 日本 語 Português Русский Simple English Slovenščina Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 19 August 2017, at 10 : 41. 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Question: where is the fender located on a car
Answer: frames a wheel well