Mud flaps - remove or keep?

[greentouring]

I like the look of them, but now the second front one is hanging off due to my car's ride height (when the first one came off I noted part of the inner wing, where it was attatched, had rotted away completely and it now needs a new wing!). Under the flap that's now hanging loose the paintwork's a little untidy where dirts gathered over years.

Question: Would I be better off removing all four and keeping it clean, or sanding down the rust, respraying and replacing flaps?

I live the sticks and its muddy as hell this time of year. I wash it near enough very time it's used. As far as I can tell that rotten wing was caused by my mudflap.......

[Morat]

I had mudflaps on my last touring and thought they were great. I don't have them on my new one and I prefer it. I live in the sticks and frankly you'll get mud all over your car either way - but the flaps just keep a lot of it in a really vulnerable area. I don't think there's a right answer to this one, but if you're going to knock them off due to lowering I'd say get rid of them before they get pulled off and cause some damage.

[greentouring]

Thanks Morat, they'll be coming off this weekend. I can always put them back on later if I wanted I suppose.....

[Scruffymurphy]

Tourings look much better without mudflaps and I think they cause rust.