Non-hardcore skid plates?

Sorry, I didn't know you couldn't take a joke (did I do that right?).

I've actually wheeled in Tellico before it was closed and you guys do have some good trails. My skid has been replaced only due to having my truck in shows like SEMA, and they were still in decent condition so we sold them as used take-offs.

Again, I have the benefit of having a great group of people that I work with who have been doing this a long time. They have taught me well, and I have soaked everything I can in, learning from their exceptional abilities. All-Pro's owner knows what it takes for the optimal off-road performance, you may not agree, but that's the beauty of our capitalist society.

 

This is absolutly true. Lets cool it off and walk away.

 

Dude, just come out and say it. I'm not going to deny it - me having no experience with All-Pro products on my truck isn't a personal attack, it's factual.

And you're right - I have no use for their products Nor will I. Plenty of use for ATO, Relentless, Demello, and Beefed though.

And let me tell you why: Your argument about lack of experience holds no water. People need personal experience to make good decisions, but do not need any to avoid bad decisions.

An example: Lets say there's a restaurant in your town. Five of your friends have gotten food poisoning eating there. You've never eaten there yourself. Are you going to recommend that people do so? Are you going to go have a rare steak there yourself?

I would submit that if you answer yes to either question, you are either:

a) evil

or

b) stupid


So once again, if you like your All-Pro stuff, by all means, keep it. Too many people I know have gotten food poisoning from them, so I'm not going to buy their stuff, and I'm not going to recommend them. Simple enough?

 

I'm not arguing whether or not you have experience with AP products, I'm arguing that you don't have first hand experience in the level of offroading in a Tacoma that requires AP and similar brand products to be able to make that judgement.

 

Offroading where the skid plate actually contacts the ground...

 

Which is irrelevant. Again, I have never owned a GM vehicle, and I don't need to to know they break. This is how knowledge works - it is shared amongst individuals to assist in decision making processes.

So, let's do a quick capsule review:

Credible Reports of All-Pro skid failures
+
Lack of similar reports for other brands
+
Not going to buy skids twice
+
Marketing from All-Pro Employees
=
Still not going to buy All-Pro Skids, Still not going to recommend them over the alternatives.

Actually the exhaust crossmember is way more dinged up than the factory skid, but that's what I get for going out playing at stock height...

 

You lost me, I'm not very good at math.

 

And after all the d**k measuring, that quote conveniently brings us back to the OP's original need.

I think we'd all agree that it's a pretty rare fire road that causes a skid plate to touch. So, with that in mind, what advice can we give the poor guy?

For myself, I wouldn't hesitate to take an un-armored stocker down most forest service fire-roads. I drive relatively slowly and with a modicum of caution. I slow down when approaching blind corners and hills. If you bomb at high speed through, I might give you different advice.

 

Yup, my AP skids have held up extremely well. I've even run into rocks dead on at 15mph and did little more than scratch it. I fully recommend them myself.

 

Sorry but the AP reps should really stop posting and rethink their entire strategy. To put it plainly you are doing yourself a disservice here. Be happy that no one even brought up the point that dollars to donuts what you have bolted onto your truck is far, far, higher quality then what you sell.(Oops ) My money would be that that is why yours do so well and others don't.



To the OP if you are on fire roads odds are the stock black plate will do ok for now, just drive with the fact that it is about as thick as a soup can in mind. If that is holding you back then don't play around and get the best product you can. Hell I bet you could make it yourself, that is my plan.

 

@OP

Get some Aluminum skid plates from BudBuilt and talk to him about adding some reinforcement if you think you'll need it. They wont be as strong as steel, but they'll also be lighter, which is what you're looking for.


@Everyone else.

It's funny how the only people backing up AllPro in here are the ones with their logo plastered over their entire truck.

I'll admit that I have no experience with AllPro stuff. That's by choice, though.

 

For the mallcrawler crew (which consists of 75% of users on here), AllPros stuff will do just fine.

You can find better quality work at cheaper prices from other vendors, though. AllPro spends a ton of money on advertising, which is why they're the most popular armor manufacturer among late model Toyota owners (mainly FJs and 2nd gen Tacomas.) They aren't necessarily the best though...

 

X3.

Which, you will note, if you go back and look at the first page in this thread, is what I said in the first place before the AP Acolytes got into it. Post #7.

 

You sir get the best post of the thread award!

 

Oh yeah, the voice of sweet reasonableness, you are.

 

Have you run them before? Do you know people off-line that actually use their products? If not, please kindly keep your opinion more civilized. I do run them myself, I know a lot of people running their products... they work. AP's strategy is to build quality, lighter weight skids and protection that protect the truck while not being excessively heavy. They live up 100% to what their designed function is in my personal experience. And no, I am not an All Pro rep. I am however, a satisfied customer. Their products fit my uses perfectly.

Not everyone is out to baja their truck and ram into rocks at 90mph. A lot of people like myself just want to run normal trails. I'm not going to do class 9 trails you'd need a dedicated crawler for with my 30k truck.

 

Understand...my Buds have gouges and dents in em. I chose to get Bud's skids after reading opinions from people who had AllPro, Bud, Skidrow, etc.

One thing I definitely do not like about AllPros stuff is if I want to run an AllPro bumper, I have to ditch my skids and are forced to buy theirs or get a custom set.