New Here - Searching for Perfect Bumper/Guard

Would you recommend installing some extra armor to protect the underside of the vehicle?

 

honestly I'm the last person to ask. iv e had my Tacoma for 2 weeks. but my thoughts are this. a full set of skids will cost you 700-1000 bucks to cover front, motor tranny and transfer case. if your only putting that on to protect the undercarriage IF you hit a deer, it's probably not worth it. if you off road hard and would want protection underneath anyways, then yes it's an added bonus that it could possibly prevent a deer antler from puncturing something.

 

keep in mind a full set of skids would cost about the same as 2 deductibles. so if you don't really need the skids, probably smarter to save that money, or better yet, invest (loosely worded) in other mods.

 

I do plan on doing quite a lot of off-roading after I've finished these upgrades, so it will probably be a good idea to get the skids added.
My deductible is $1000, so I'd be paying about the same amount either way, the only difference would be whether I had to wait for a tow for several hours while I'm stuck in the middle of no-where haha
The truck doesn't have any protection as is, aside from a couple basic plates protecting the front and the gas tank as shown below...



^^ facing rear



^^ facing forward.

It looks like adding some plates would help with corrosion and rust as well.

 

ya the factory stuff is real thin. absolutely plates are great if your gonna use the truck like that. get the front, motor transmission, transfer case, and gas tank one. you can also do lca skids and rear protectors. keep in mind the added weight of all those as well, especially if deciding on steel over aluminum

 

I've heard that aluminum is better for the purpose of removal if it gets severely damaged, and it has less chance of damaging the parts it is trying to protect if it gets extremely deformed. Not sure if that was just bull though. LCA skids are definitely going to be added if I do any skids at all, I believe those points are the most vulnerable.

 

I do not have experience with either, but I agree aluminum seems to be a better option in my opinion

 

Subd

 

Looking at an ARB myself since I had another close call with a deer this morning out in the boons, second close call in the last several months.

Anybody have experience installing an ARB front bumper? Does it just bolt on? I know it was mentioned that you have to do some cutting for the install.