What Skids to get?

I destroyed my stock skid within a week of owning the truck.. everything appeared intact so i just kept it as is beat to hell.. my last trip to pismo i bottomed out a few times and I noticed a radiator leak.. seems my stock skid was pressed right up against it and the impacts caused a small leak.

i can pick up a used stock skid locally for about 40 bucks, but i think i would be better off with a stronger aftermarket skid..

i eventually want to get a full plate bumper and skid plates going all down my frame rails, but that is expensive... i want to peice this together here and there and have everything bolt up and work together..

i dont know what bumper or slider i will end up going with, so for now what is the most universal and bang for buck skids i can buy?

 

check out skidrow http://www.skidrowoffroad.com/Front_95_Tacoma.asp

 

Sounds like your driving sucks if you did that in the sand. Ive beat the shit out of my truck from Ocotillo to Glamis, and still rock my stock lower skid plate (not bashed up) in addition to my own tube bumper/skid. Keep in mind these trucks take alot of abuse, but being reckless will kill them.

 

I destroyed the skid a long time ago on some rocks.. bottoming out on the sand just just made me realize I cant keep using this one unless I want to crack another radiator..

and dont tell me you have never bottomed out on whoops or hitting an incline a little too fast.. cuz if u havent you need to try harder..

 

If you want to go cheap and have a welder, get the stock skid and start welding plate and reinforcement to it. I have a friend with a SAS 4runner on 37s that wheels the piss out of it who will only install stock skids (where they still fit) because they conform around what your protecting, which makes some sense but i don't have the balls to try that.

 

My vote is for RAT skids. That's what I have and they were a prefect fit. Whatever skid you get, make sure that they'll work with multiple brands of bumpers.