Destroyed my stock skid, vote on what you think I should replace it with!

Hey all,
Pretty much caved in the stock skid plate wheeling today. Got out and pretty much laughed at what had happened. I mean, that thing is pretty pathetic. That being said, I'll have to get a new one. And now that I've ruined the one on the truck I finally have the justification to do it!

What all do you recommend? I've gone through several of the older threads about this but I don't really see people saying why they prefer one brand over another. It's usually people just saying they like what they have.

Some background: I won't be doing anything crazy or racing across the desert.... I'll just be on some trails in the Sierras (tahoe area) and just kind of crushing it on some rocks.
That being said, I'm not made of money, but my attitude is if I protect $1000+ with $300 now, that's a smart investment.

So vote what you all think is best, and if it isn't up there specify.
Thanks for all your help!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacoma-marketplace/228625-fs-10g-steel-skid-plate.html


this.

 

^ that one is to replace the decrative aluminum skid. I am assuming, given the choices the OP listed, he is wanting to replace the actual skid that goes down underneath the truck (which is equally decrative but not as shiny).
I have the huge heavy duty ATO skid (70+ pounds). I love it but at the same time, it is most certainly overkill for my truck.... for now, who knows what I might be doing with it in the future.
I think all of those listed would do a good job protecting your truck. You might want to take shipping into consideration.

 

I voted ATO for being beefy and I have the set. If you are not planning to do anything intense I say go for Relentless being he builds good stuff and you can go pick it up from him in the Reno area.

 

ATO, I can't find the pic now but a guy had 3 wheels off the ground and most of his trucks weight on one of Kevin's skids..... It held up and had only minor scrape on it! ATO ftw and end thread/

 

All the ifs skids are pretty similar. Decide on 3/16 or 1/4 and what kind of coverage is the most important to you. Personally I don't mind the coverage of All Pros but some of the others are a little wider.

Then decide if you plan on getting a full set down the road, if you do, you might look at which full sets you like best.

Personally for a full set I'd spring Relentless. Eric makes 1/4 IFS (and 3/16 -- AFAIK ATO only makes 1/4) and the rest is 3/16 (as is ATOs AFAIK) but his mid and t-case are IMO the best out there. Less exposed bolts and with all the angles and bracing on the t-case skid theres no way you're crushing it.

If you're just wanting a 3/16 IFS ONLY I'd go whatever ends up being cheapest. If you're wanting 1/4 well then I'd go Relentless as I think his other mid and t-case are the best out there and that'd give you a good option for upgrading your set.

Might also weigh in which you can get soonest. All Pro probably has em ready to ship for example.



Oh and nothing against metal miller but that's not really what you're looking for.

Eric's skids:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/re...5-tacoma-skid-plates-gb-sale-3-15-4-15-a.html

Heres a pic of Erics mid and t-case skid and a 3/16 IFS I built personally, on my truck.



I've tried to be as unbias as possible and explain my reasoning so hope it helps.

 

You left out Pelfreybilt.

I got one from him and what a work of true craftsmanship. Bolted right up. A REAL skid plate.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/group-buys/234153-group-buy-pelfreybilt-skidplates.html

 

ATO gets my vote as I have put them through some rough travels and they held up well.

 

I would recommend Pelfreybilt.

I have the Skid plate and it's an awesome product. Great customer service, also.

 

ato hands down. if you plan to be around rocks it is a no brainer. it is simply the strongest an offers the most protection. and i actually put mine on my self!

 

don't believe Kevins is quite as wide as mine, mine protects the lca mounts a tad more and I offer 1/4" as well so just as beefy.
Its probably a toss up though and depends on shipping costs to whether mine or ato is a better buy, both quality Skids.

 

Why not famous fab ? I think theirs looks beef as hell and it is gusseted ? Also ATO has a 1/4" think one that will probably stand up to almost any abuse.

 

Ok, didn't know you guys had a 1/4" one as well. Coin toss ?

 

I hear this, often. How do you figure?

I think it's great that ATO is so well liked and with reason but when people make such absolute statements (about anything) - with nothing substantial to back it up, I have to roll my eyes.

 

I did forget about Pelfrey and Famous Fab. Two more good options to make it a tougher choice!

 

I was dead set on ATO skids but after seeing Eric's set IDK... I think it would be a coin toss.

 

Wow, I really appreciate everyones responses.. I think it will come down to cost mostly for me. However, a few of you have brought up a couple of good points.
One is weight. For the wheeling I am doing now, I can get away with a 3/16. However, I would like the MAX coverage- and it sounds like relentless is the one with the widest and most coverage. And I really like how his kind of protect the LCA bolts because yesterday, my buddy scraped both of his.
However, eventually if the funds present themselves, I would like to add on to the armor collection down there... This may sound like a dumb question but would the Relentless skid be "compatible" with future armor?

It does suck though.. because the rest of the day while I was driving I'm thinking, "ok I can do $300 bucks right now. I new I would get a better skid after destroying this one." So when I get back to my apartment my buddy Kevin and I are on the ground looking at it and I stand back up- and my iphone goes flying from my pocket and shatters on the ground. -awesome. So now I get glass shards in my hands and face whenever I use my phone, and I'll have to get a new one!

 

i think to make this thread good and proper we need a picture of the crushed skidplate

 

Eric's 3/16 IFS lines up with the rest of his skids. Can't speak for skids from others though.

I would say that most skids IFS of different manufacturers are going to be compatible with mid and t-case, if you bend plates to the proper angles to fit and drill the holes.

I gather that not all of the guys probably use the same bolt pattern or angle for the back "wing" off the ifs skid. I had to bend the one I made with a floor jack and a GIANT pipe wrench and drill holes to get eric's mid to bolt up to it.

I think that you could probably with light modification (bending and drilling) make any ifs skid bolt to whatever mid. I do think though with the differences in mid and t-case that you'll need to run the same manufacturer of those. No mixing and matching mid and t-case.

I'm not sure of the exact widths of all skids either. I know Eric looked at mine and wanted to make his wider to cover those LCA mounts. Looking at Kevin's his isn't as wide on the bottom. All Pro is similar width to ATO.