Which Skids are most important??

looking to add some skid plated what does everyone recommend??

 

What are you planning on bashing?

I do light trail. The aluminum oil skid is overkill, but peace of mind against unexpected rocks.

Some people want sliders and full trans skids for heavy bashing, though the vast majority do it just for looks. The same vast majority are also unwilling to admit that their heavy mpg-sucking armor doesn't have a single scratch on it.

 

My truck came with the basic SR5 engine skid plate

 

TRD aluminum skid plate is very nice and looks good, but the biggest bonus is you don't have to remove it to change the oil. Provides clearance if you want to add a fumoto type valve to make oil changes easier too. Pretty much all wins for this skid plate!


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Yes the mpg decreases, what are the needs for it? Rocks, IFS, TRANS, Transfer case skids.

Light wheeling or mud, you will be fine with factory.

Sliders are only needed If you plan to smack it on rocks, they do not serve the purpose of acting as steps despite what some say. Mine are welded to to frame and are useless as a point of entry. If you like it for looks then get bolt on

 

Consensus seems to be "start in the front".

If you do not want to do just the aluminum TRD Pro, here is a thread of what people mean when they talk about weight ... https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/list-of-armor-weights.701692/

 

I understand the sliders are v. effective parking lot door-bang protection.

 

My wife still believes my Mobtown sliders are steps.

 

I recommend steel aftermarket skids if you're going to be doing stuff where you really need skids. If it's for just in case, some of the OEM skids will work at least once.

While adding weight can certainly reduce fuel economy, the loss from skids will barely be noticeable, especially compared to other mods.

RCI is a popular brand, and they seem to always be having a sale. I have SOS, and would never buy anything from them again.

FWIW, my RSG sliders work fine as steps. They don't hang as low as dedicated steps, but they're lower than the door sill. Plus, they're great to stand on for loading stuff on the roof.

 

That factory splash pan isn't going to do a whole heck of alot.
I swapped mine for a trd aluminum skid it got used a few times but I found myself wanting the piece of mind for the trans.
It's now running aluminum okx engine/trans skids. They have been smacked a couple times without issue.
But mine is soft to light trail use it's all for piece of mind and protecting the expensive
bits.
Really any aluminum engine skid is going to be perfect for 90% of trucks on the road. Not alot of weight and more than enough protection for that oops once in awhile

 

I suggest at least the engine skid if you’re going off road at all. This is my @RCI-Offroad engine skid after a rock flipped out of its hole on a wet forest service road. The rock flipped up, my wheel went in the hole it left, and we landed full on the rock. I don’t think the stock splash guard would have saved me there. Instead, we were able to drive out.

 

Couldn't use the factory skid with the aftermarket bumper so I ended up with 4piece full set of skids.

 

Is that steel so at least you can weld it?

 

Another one here running TRD skid. Also run SDHQ sliders and have dings, and gouges to the skid and need to paint the rust spots on the sliders. Not a rock crawler, but hunt and explore with the truck and both have worked well for me. I have dinged a cross member, extended under armor may have prevented that. If I did not wheel the truck much, I would have mounted the TRD skid anyway just for the access door.

 

The TRD skid is a good option if you don’t do very harsh trails

 

It’s the aluminum skid. I’ve been back and forth about whether to repair it, or replace it with their steel plate. I was originally worried about weight, but I’ve since upgraded the suspension, so not as much of a concern now.

 

Well, if you replace it, the truck was saved by it so it served its purpose.

 

I have steel sliders and the TRD aluminum skid plate. Both have saved me numerous times and have the scars to prove it. I haven’t managed to damage anything behind the skid, because it’s tucked up high enough I guess.

If I decided to get into any crazier rock garden crawling, I would consider more protection for the tranny and tcase, but I doubt I would ever install LCA or rear diff skids.

Don’t install armor if you don’t use it.

 

We recommend determining what your intended uses are, and buying accordingly. As for buying accordingly, we can determine that after we find out what your intentions are. As much as we'd love to sell you on a skid trio (3 pieces including IFS/mid/transfer case skids), others have made great points about it being overkill for 9/10 people. Obviously do what your heart desires, but my observations are people tend to fall into these categories:

Hardcore rock crawling/offroad parks - skid trio (steel for sure)
Light offroading/overlanding/daily driver - front skid/mid skid (steel or aluminum - depends on your use)
Forest roads/weekend trips/daily driver - front skid (maybe even completely stock - depends on trails/roads)

No doubt some people fall into categories that encompass multiple of these use cases, or even all 3, but its probably safe to say most everybody (excluding the hardcore rock crawlers) could get away with just an aftermarket (or aluminum trd skid) front skid and be just fine. Its all about insurance though, and some sacrifice overbuilding their trucks in many many aspects, for the sake of "what ifs". Just don't be surprised how much modifications tank your mpg, and if that doesn't bother you, overbuilding your truck is much more enjoyable. At the same time, building your truck to a realistic use case is equally as enjoyable.

 

I have RCI steel engine/transmission skid. Absolutely defendably necessary ... probably not. But it is there if I hit some questionable roads. And I get cat covers (lost-cost is well north of $1000) because the transmission skid is in place.

But my next most expensive mod was reroute exhaust so it does not hang down ($90) and then Fumoto oil-drain valve ($50). That should tell you I choose mods with greatest bang-for-the-buck.