Composite Skid Plates - WTF

How tough are the composite skid plates?

Every single comment I’ve seen by people that take their trucks offroad (like me) are basically the same: plastic skid plates are useless for offroading.

But how tough are they? Has anyone tested them? Has any seen test data?
If you have actual data rather than speculation, please let me know. Has anyone bounced these plates off rocks yet?

I stepped back and decided I want more information. After all, I said the same thing about the composite bed in my 2nd Gen, and it ends up I love and abuse my 2nd Gen bed and it has held up excellently.

I haven’t yet found good information to compare the strength of felt/composite/aluminum/steel skid plates.

So what are the skid plates made of? They are a:
Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic

This formulation has been designed to provide light and strong protective under surface on vehicles including protecting the underside of lithium batteries.

https://carbodygroup.com/continuous-fiber-reinforced-thermoplastic/
"This is close to the tensile strength of aluminum plates of the same thickness. In addition, due to the ultra-toughness of CFRT skins, their impact strength is 2 to 3 times that of Fiber Reinforced Plastic. The ability to rebound after impact is more than 7 times that of aluminum of the same thickness".

Comparing the thickness of CaliRaised skid plates to the Toyota CFRP ones:
CaliRaised steel: 3/16
CaliRaised aluminum: 4/16
Toyota CFRP: 1.5/16

I realize that thickness doesn’t actually equal strength, and different formulations of materials like aluminum have different strengths. But if the Toyota CFRP is 7 times more able to rebound than aluminum, then it might be of similar strength to aluminum.

Hmmmm

This post is all about strength and function and not about looks.

Other info:

https://gearshifters.org/toyota/what-is-the-toyota-tacoma-bed-made-of/
"The surface of Tacoma’s bed is made of an incredibly hard, fiber-reinforced Sheet-Molded Composite (SMC) material. This tough material will help keep the bed of your Tacoma looking nice for years to come and has a stronger impact strength than steel."

White paper on CFRP:
https://cloud.kapostcontent.net/pub...s-and-applications?kui=r5rhMrVrW3GIOfjh5fSTlA

Presentation on CFRP
https://speautomotive.com/wp-conten...e-Components_Johnston_Chris-Henning_Frank.pdf

 

I was with you until you said this...

Anyway Yeah I agree alot of people write off plastic parts way too fast. The composite beds are great(better than steel IMO). Some Ultra 4 cars have UHMW skids. I think using plastic in a good way depends on how it is supported on the backside more than the thickness of the part itself.

 

Maybe someone who has replaced theirs can do a hammer test video. I don't expect them to do a similar test on the steel or aluminum replacement part but it would still be entertaining to watch

 

Bulletproof vests aren’t made out of metal, just saying

 

No, but the ballistic plates are.....as well as ceramic.


Didn't GM roll out the new twins with composite oil pans and then have to go back to steel?

 

Probably sounds like GM , are the Pros and the Trail Hunters that way as well?

 

But will it stop a 7.62 ???

 

There's some gourmet 300BLK subsonic that's not supposed to be too penetrate-y.

 

I've always thought a sheet of UHMW plastic like they use to protect the bottoms of jet boats that travel shallow rivers would make a nice slidy skid plate.

 

Steel oil pans. Ford has plastic too, at least on the Ranger. Tacomas have plastic gas tank.

 

I like the approach to analysis rather than blind assumption. It's all in the details. "Plastic" is a very very broad category with lots of different materials which vary in strengths. In this case if I'm correct we'd be most interested in the yield strength to weight ratio. I didn't see that particular detail in your attachments.

Where did you find out what material the OEM skid plate is made of?

 

I'm not an off road hobbyist or enthusiast as some here are but MTB trail building and ski area crew probably have me off road more than a lot of Tacomas, and I see the plate on my '24 TRD OR long bed has certainly touches stuff. I've got my doubts Toyota would have put the stuff on the vehicle if it served no purpose.

 

Assumptions, opinions, and accusations of cheapness on Toyota’s part…Let’s see some comparison tests please. In the garage, and out on the rocks.

There’s a real opportunity here for a YouTube character to do a full technical skid plate review. And that’d be a refreshing break from the usual practice of filming themselves while loitering at their local Toyota dealer lots.

 

gm 2.7 still uses plastic lower oil pan with 1/2 turn plastic oil drain plug... gm 3.0 baby diesel uses pop can thin one time use aluminum oil pan .

 

FWIW: Many years ago, I installed a set of factory Kevlar skid plates on the bottom of my Mad River Canoe white water boat. It was when it became obvious after a couple of trips, that the vinyl bottom near the bow and stern below the water line was taking a beating and wouldn't last long if I didn't. The ABS substrate wouldn't last, especially if it was exposed to sunlight/UV.

They were made from strips of fuzzy yellow Kevlar material applied with an epoxy resin and smoothed out. All I can say is they are tough: I painted them to match the canoe with special paint from the manufacturer, and while they do show some scratches and small pock marks from direct hits, they do the job. No gouge marks, cracks or signs of de-lamination, and the canoe is heavy when loaded. This is even the case where they wrap up about 10 inches from the keel to protect the narrow front of the bow (and stern) above the water line. I didn't add them to the entire keel ("V" bottom) as that would have increased the drag considerably and it turned out it wasn't really necessary. Some the the direct impacts to rocks in a sluiceway, were quite a slam that went through the whole boat front to back, and no damage.

I believe that if they came up with a Kevlar/ABS composite skid-plate for a truck with some flexibility/give, it would work.

 

These days, lots of fords have plastic one time use oil pans....
the f150 2.7 & 3.5, the edge / explorer sport, etc....
just to name a few...

 

I have a HMW skid for the gas tank. Totally happy with it.

 

homebrew ? thats kinda neat!

 

So is the Toyota CFRT backed with anything?

Here's a video of someone bending a CFRT sheet with one hand.. try that with a similar thickness of aluminum alloy (6061 or 5052).

 

Really?? I didn't even know that plastic skid plates for a tacoma existed. Aluminum, Steel, sure but not plastic Where can I buy a set of skid plates that go under a Tacoma that are made of plastic?
I have heard of plastic guard thing for the gas tank but nothing else.