Apparatus and associated methods relate to a tire containment device securely mounted to an axle of a vehicle to contain shrapnel caused by a tire blowout. In an illustrative example, the tire containment device may include an axle bracket and a tire fender. The axle bracket, for example, may be mounted to an axle of the vehicle. The tire fender may, for example, have a substantially continuous containment cavity. In some examples, when the tire fender is coupled to a vehicle axle by the axle bracket, the containment cavity may extend over at least a top and an exterior face of an upper third of a diameter of a tire. For example, the containment cavity may substantially intercept shrapnel from failure of the tire before it reaches a body of the vehicle. Various embodiments may advantageously reduce damage to a body of the vehicle during a tire blowout.

A vehicle assembly system and related method are provided. The vehicle assembly system includes a first fender for a first vehicle model having a first shape, a second fender for a second vehicle model having a second, different shape, a front end structure common to the first vehicle model and the second vehicle model, and a support common to the first vehicle model and the second vehicle model. The support has a first member attached to a downstanding flange of the first fender or a downstanding flange of the second fender and a second member extending from a lower portion of the first member is attached to the front end structure. The system and method provide a simple and inexpensive way to attach fenders having different shapes to a common front end of a vehicle.

A fender for a wheeled vehicle has an arcuate fender body and a brace. The fender body has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface is adapted to face a wheel of the vehicle. The brace has a first end and a second end. The first end is disposed on and connected to the outer surface of the fender body. The second end is adapted to connect to the vehicle. The second end is spaced from the fender body and is disposed radially inward of the first end. A wheeled vehicle having the fender disposed on a wheel thereof is also described.

A vehicle assembly system and related method are provided. The vehicle assembly system includes a first fender for a first vehicle model having a first shape, a second fender for a second vehicle model having a second, different shape, a front end structure common to the first vehicle model and the second vehicle model, and a support common to the first vehicle model and the second vehicle model. The support has a first member attached to a downstanding flange of the first fender or a downstanding flange of the second fender and a second member extending from a lower portion of the first member is attached to the front end structure. The system and method provide a simple and inexpensive way to attach fenders having different shapes to a common front end of a vehicle.

A plastic fender is provided for coping with thermal deformation. Additionally, an apparatus is provided which makes an effect of allowing the plastic fender to move to cope with thermal deformation, by integrally forming a bellows shape with a mounting portion of the plastic fender. The plastic fender includes a hood line portion, a bumper line portion, and a door line portion. Additionally, mounting portions are formed along an edge of each of the hood line portion, the bumper line portion, and the door line portion, respectively. The plastic fender includes a bellows-shaped portion that is formed on the mounting portions and is moveable to cope with the thermal deformation.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to a vehicle tire guard that retracts in response to a force. In one embodiment, the vehicle tire guard device includes a tire guard extending downward from a vehicle frame and a retraction system attached to the vehicle frame. The retraction system includes a spring-loaded wheel with circumferential interface elements to engage with and retract the tire guard responsive to a vertical force applied to the tire guard, a curved cam affixed to a planar surface of the spring-loaded wheel, and a spring-loaded rod biased against the planar surface. The spring-loaded rod and cam interact to prevent rotation of the spring-loaded wheel to retract the tire guard until the vertical force exceeds a threshold.

A mudguard fastening support is intended to connect the mudguard to a hub of a turning wheel. In a normal turning position, the mudguard turns with the wheel. The mudguard fastening support has a flexible structure in such a manner that a stop element prevents the mudguard from turning along with the wheel at an angle that is larger than a specific turning angle. With the flexible structure the mudguard is returned to turn with the wheel at an angle that is smaller than said specific turning angle. The mudguard fastening support has a turning sleeve to be fixed to the mudguard and a support element to be fixed to the hub of the wheel. The turning sleeve and support element have form surfaces facing each other, one of which forms a support surface and the other forms a mating surface. The support surface has a tip part with a rounded peak toward the mating surface. The mating surface has an operating position recess which is furthest away from the support surface and to which in a normal operating situation the tip part is to be arranged, and adjacent to the operating position recess, a bevelled surface.

A tire skirt system configured for attachment to a vehicle is disclosed. The system may include a first skirt bracket adapted for attachment to the vehicle, a skirt panel having a first edge adapted for attachment to the first skirt bracket, and a transparent window in the first skirt bracket, the window having an outside face and an inside face. The window may be aligned with at least a portion of a tire when the tire skirt system is attached to the vehicle.

An energy absorption member coupled between a vehicle front fender and a vehicle side structural member providing peak impact force resistance and energy absorption during an impact force imposed on the front fender. The energy absorption member extends continuously along the length of the front fender opposed from the side structural member to provide constant load along the entire length of the front fender. The energy absorption member may be a foamed block, a vertical, or horizontal oriented honeycomb structure or spaced hollow crush lobes.

The present disclosure relates to a rear fender module for arrangement on a side panel of a motor vehicle body. The rear fender module includes a fender shell and at least one add-on part arranged thereon. The fender shell has at least two fastening sites for detachable fastening on the side panel.