ARMIS vs DIY fenders

A homemade set of RV fenders can deflect some debris, but whether it protects the RV in a blowout depends on how it's engineered, mounted, and materials quality. ARMIS either bolts to the axle's leaf spring U-bolts, or to the independent suspension so it moves with the axle and stays aligned with the tire as the suspension travels.

	ARMIS	Typical DIY fender
Mounting	Directly to suspension; moves with the axle	Often the frame or body
Fit	Made for 16-17" tires on tandem and triple axles	Varies by build
Tire changes	Remove 7 bolts in 20 seconds and lift off the cover	Varies by build
Proof	Real highway blowout, no RV damage	Depends on the builder
Weight	39 lbs. per wheel	Varies by build

If you've built your own, compare it on those points.

Questions on this page

• Can I make my own blowout fender? Some owners do; mounting it so it moves with the axle and stays clear of the tire is most important and the hard part.

• Why mount to the U-bolts instead of the frame? Armis is mounted to the axle and travels with the tire movement. It is imperative they move together to prevent the tire from rubbing on the fender when the suspension moves. Impacting the fender creates heat and reduces tread life.

• Design Difference: Aftermarket pre-made fenders are frequently bolted or welded to RV frames. These can be effective protecting the subfloor but exterior panels, slides, trim, j-wrap, and more are left exposed to whipping steel belts and tire shrapnel.

• Is diamond plate strong enough? It depends on material quality and thickness. Some diamond plate is steel, aluminum, or an alloy.

  • Diamond plate stainless is resilient against water and debris, but is very expensive.

  • Chrome coated materials have limited finish durability and are not known for longevity. Once the finish cracks the underlying metal typically rust.

  • Steel diamond plate will need a proper finishing process to protect the materials from rusting and can be found in multiple thicknesses appropriate to protect an RV from whipping steel belts.

  • Diamond steel plate is cheaper than stainless but still typically cost prohibitive in thicker gauges.

Armis Difference:

• Armis is made from 100% American made cold-rolled steel.

• The baseplate is 1/4" laser cut, mechanical locked, and laser welded.

• The fender backplate is 1/4" plate to prevent flexing during the most intense road conditions.

• The mounting plate and fender are connected with grade 8 carriage bolts.

• The fender is assembled with automotive all steel machine rivets reinforced with 3/16" straps.

• The fender and faceplate are 16 gauge cold-rolled steel.

• Every piece is epoxy primed and powder coated prior to assembly and a second powder coat is applied after assembly.

• Armis comes with a limited lifetime warranty from any manufacturing defects. Read the full warranty here.