Skid Plates/Lift- Which is most important for exploring rocky trails?

I hit the trails in Ouray, Co every summer, usually in a Jeep I used to trailer up there. This year the wife and I are wanting to drive the Taco to Ouray and hit the trails in it. It's stock right now and it's pretty common to hit bottom several times a day on the Alpine Loop trails in a stock vehicle...I even hit bottom in my '97 TJ with a little 2" lift. I'm on a really tight budget this year and have to decide on either skids or a lift. Can't swing both, so what would y'all do? Thanks for the help, Guys.

 

armor is more important. I've seen someone wheel the piss out of a stock Tacoma with just armor. It went all the places we went, with no issues.

 

I vote skids as a lift won't raise your axles any higher so your clearance is the same with or without a lift. If I had to use only one skid plate, it would be the one that protects the bottom of the radiator/ front diff

 

Do you have sliders yet? If not, I would go with those first. The panels below the doors are very easy to damage and expensive to repair.

Quality skids do offer better protection for the oil pan, trans pan and t-case but skids are heavy and will actually reduce ground clearance on a stock suspension. I'd go with a lift next, then larger tires.

 

This is on target, a little armor goes a long way as in sliders and a couple of simple plates that probably should have been there stock. But you can't rely on armor all the time as a substitute to drag your junk through stuff it's just not made to do. I think armor for most of us should be viewed as saving our butt when you take a bad line and not like you're driving a road grader that's going to plow through stuff.

 

I'm leaning toward the All-Pro plates for this year and just being careful, as usual, on the trails when we get there. From what I've read, All-Pro seems to provide good value for the dollar. Maybe next year I can afford the OME lift. Thanks for the input, fellas.

 

Skids, sliders, winch locker, lift, tires in that order.

 

I've had my 1998 TRD up and down Imogene Pass both ways twice, each time without a single scratch.

The very best thing you can do is drive slower through the rough stuff. A lot slower. Like, CRAWL! And it's FREE!

At the first indication of contact, especially between rocks and rocker panels, stop, back up, get out and look. And if you have somebody with you, make them get out and check the clearance between the rocker panels and the rocks. Take it from me, I learned my lesson.

To repair an 8-inch shallow dent in driver's rocker panel I was quoted $600 to pound it out and prep it for prime and paint (for another $600).

 

Thanks for the advice, Guys. Skeezix, I'm glad to hear you did Imogene without any damage. The upper part of Imogene and the lower part of Engineer (Ouray side) are the trail parts I was mostly concerned about. I will definitely plan on moving slow since I need the Taco to get back home.T