Skid plate: steel vs aluminum

I agree with you regarding the properties and costs of both metals. However at the end of the day it all depends on your uses. If I was rock crawling or driving on rocky trails then yes I would get steel skids. But I go on the occasional trail where rocks or branches are not a concern. For this purpose aluminum serves me fine.

 

I’ve been looking for Real skids for my Tacoma TRD OR I just purchased Mobtown skids. 15% off.
The aluminum was about 60 lbs lighter between the 3 skids but $325 more expensive.
I bought the tougher steel skids and saved $$
My shipping was $50 more for the steel though

 

Anyone heard of or test doing steel for the ifs and aluminum everywhere else?

 

I feel like that would make sense.

 

I found a really good article discussing the benefits and downsides of both materials. He discusses how the lesser weight from aluminum doesn't really affect mpg enough to offset the higher cost of aluminum skids. He, however, does not discuss how weight differences affect off-the-line acceleration. For me, I'm leaning towards somewhat of a happy medium. I'm thinking aluminum skids, steel bumpers, steel rock sliders, and steel LCA skids. A bit of weight savings for better acceleration and decreased load on the truck while maintaining steel for the bits that take the hardest hits. Thoughts?

 

It'f you're going to be S rapping rocks, get steel skids. Aluminum will gouge, steel will scrape. I've already scraped up my steel skids few times and had to repaint the exposed metal. If I had aluminum skids, they'd be ruined. At least Thats my understanding

 

Thats the setup I use and it works for me

 

Your face when your aluminum skid plates start sliding across rocks...

 

Aluminum always. They bolt to the frame, the skid is crumple zone. If you buit a rock going 35 do you want your skid plate to buckle and absorb the impact or do you want your frame to take damage?

 

I'm a rockhound as well here in NM. I just bought my 1st toyota truck from a friend, an 03 tacoma. What kind of rocks do you hound, what areas? I go around NM and CO. I cut rocks, make jewelry, and got to mine turq. nearby for several years.

 

I'm just south in NM and venture into CO all the time, so I know what you mean. Did you put your IFS on yet? How does it seem relating to gas mpg overall? I'm about to put a ARB front bumper and buy some skids soon. Figured that's let me know about what kind of suspension i need- after some added weight. Not 100% this is the way to go, but...

 

some say to do the opposite, front IFS aluminum and steel in the bellypans for highcentering/coming down on rocks ater wheels go over them. I'm going w/steel IFS and bellypan(s), mostly for durability and cost. though I'm considering going 1/8" steel on them or part. IDK yet. What I just read was every 100lbs added weight means 2% reduction in mpg, so that doesn't seem that big of a deal, but I do know it all adds up.

 

Hey Bradley, We go out for all kinds of minerals and fossils. Mostly in the Mojave desert here in Southern California. We have been out to Eastern Oregon for thunder eggs and obsidian, sun stones and things like that. We like to look for geodes, opal, jasper, agate and other minerals out here, fossils like wood and trilobites, and I also like to prospect for gold. What are some of your favorite finds?

Oh yeah and to stay on topic here - screw the cost, why doesn’t anyone make titanium skids? We would all be putting our steel and aluminum skids in the recycling can if someone made a good set of titanium skids!

 

I still think you would be very hard to beat the performance of aluminum skids clad in UHMW slides (to minimize deflection under load with minimum weight, but maintain reasonable rock sliding capability), but its way too much effort for how I use skid plates (oh sh1t moments only).

 

Steel!!!!

here’s the expanded aluminum on my trailer ramp after one freaking week. I have steel trailers 10yrs old that look better. Alum sucks.

 

Hello, titanium skids sound bad-ass. I have to ask, because one of my favorite things to cut, is a blue tinted chalcedony from the Mojave (and apparently south into MX). One claim owner calls his 'Baxter Blue', and it's expensive but great material. I find some neat agates here, some with very tight banding and some with good color. Lots of minerals all around me, with CO to my north and NM stuff south. I'd love to get out by you guys sometime. I bought this truck from my buddy so I could get out onto BLM and FS roads more. I'm so happy because I was limited to where my low-clearance subaru would take me. I have an 03, but she's great, only 160K miles. I'm gonna go with budbuilt 3 pc. IFS front, bellypan, and rear cross-member (supprts the rear of the b.pan). They weigh 124 lbs. What are you runnin? And f'n happy to meet another hound.

 

Anyone have The RCI aluminum Engine skid and the rest steel? I like the look of raw aluminum in the front but from what I’ve read it’s not as strong as steel..

 

I've got full aluminum all around by RCI and I am happy with them for several reasons...
1. They are light and easy to remove with one person and without jack stands.
2. I live in Houston so I have to drive a bit to go wheel so a little less rolling weight. I know tacomas arent priuses but everything helps
3. My thoughts on steel vs aluminum.... skids are meant to get trashed and destroyed, yes its harder to fix ripped aluminum but if I really and truelly trash a skid enough I can buy another so I will settle for the low weight

So far they have worked for my purpose but can understand folks going all steel

 

My aluminum skids looks like this too. They've taken a good beating and I enjoy the lighter weight. It's worth noting that not all aluminum is created the same. Some types of aluminum are stronger than steel and bounce back better. I'm not sure which type RCI is using but I'm glad I went with them over steel.