Skid Plate Discussion/ Opinions

Hey everyone, would have enjoyed making a poll but couldn't figure it out, so questions and discussion it is! Topic I'm interested in discussing is the main three skid plates we generally decide to throw on the trucks.

Do you run skids on your third gen Tacoma?

1. If so, is it just the front, the front and transmission, or all three with the front/transmission/ and transfer case?
2. If not, how's it been with just the factory skids (splash guards)?

The reason I'm asking is because I went with the RCI steel full skids, but think I went way overkill and might part with the transfer case skid and just run the front two. I figure the likelyhood of nailing the t case and low hanging exhaust would be slim unless you're crawling in a rock garden. Hoping to gather some opinions from people who have or haven't run skids and their experiences.

My type of off-roading: mild to medium dirt roads or light trails, no rock crawling or demolish the truck style wheeling.

Cheers!

 

If this is all you do then I agree, you probably don't need all that amor.

 

Agree that full steel RCI's are overkill, not necessarily wasted money as they are a quality piece of kit but do you need that for your style of off-roading? No.

I'd sell them complete as a kit and look at an Aluminum front and mid skid.

 

Skids IMO are based on your needs. What off-roading you do etc.

 

Definitely thought of that too. I came from a Jeep TJ I had built up that was locked front and rear with a 4:1... Quickly came to the conclusion there's no way this Tacoma's getting anywhere that went.

 

I think you are overestimating your need for armor and underestimating the ability of your taco to get places.

 

From my research, full steel is needed for rock crawling, but for nearly everything and everyone else aluminum skids on the front and possibly transfer case will cover most of what people will likely actually be doing. Aluminum isn't as strong or good at sliding, but it's much lighter than steel and won't rust from damaged parts.

Out of my skids on my truck, it's actually the skid under the hitch that gets hit the most often because the hitch assembly is the lowest point when departing or entering a slope.

 

If you already bought them might as well rock them. As they say, better to have them an not need them than to need them an not have them.

 

I chose an aftermarket knock-off TRD Pro style skid plate. I really hope it stands up to the Walmart speed bumps! Those things are unforgiving.

I thought about steel, but realistically will most like not do any serious rock crawling outside of a washout. I may get the trans skid extension at some point.

 

I'm thinking I'll work my way backwards. Listed the transfer case skid for sale, then I'll run the truck for the next while and if I don't hit the transmission skid it'll be next to go.

 

I ended up going with an aluminum front skid from a company I liked, they make mid and transfercase skids as well - so I can add as I go.
I've never hit anything in 25 years of offroading, I guess I'm not hardcore enough to break my stuff.

 

I also went with the questionable-brand aluminum skid. At 30-something pounds its still beefy as hell.

I got by for years with just the thin stock splash guard. Only reason why I upgraded was to protect the oil drain valve I had just bought (and also it might or might not help against a possible encounter with road debris. I don't know.)

 

I have the three RCI's in steel, definitely only needed for rock crawling IMO. For daily driver duty and mild trails, I'd sell them and get an aluminum engine skid or put the OEM engine skid back on and call it a day, should be enough protection for any accidental "oh shit" moments as the engine skid always seems to hit first.

If the steel skids weren't such a bear to take off/put on, I'd take mine off to save weight when not in use. I'm glad to have invested in them for the few wheeling trips I do a year as they have already paid for themselves, but they are kind of like wearing rubber boots everyday in Utah for the off-chance that it rains otherwise. Definitely overkill 99% of the time, but certainly useful for those that need them.

 

That's the thing with armor, a winch, etc. If you ever genuinely use it even just once I feel it's worth it. For instance I used my winch to get me out of situations where it would be miles to walk back to civilization. Just to get service to call for help. Then who knows what that help may cost me. My $1200 investment in winch and bumper has paid for it self many times. My stock thin skid plate is beat up, bent, etc. My plastic gas tank skid even has gouges and cuts in it. I need better skid plates when I have the budget for them. Until then I'm careful as possible. But one oops out in the middle of nowhere would very easily end up costing more than a set of skids.

 

Well said, I'm in the same boat since we're a minimum 100km walk back to any sort of service around here when off-road. I had a winch on my TJ for six years and never ended up using it so for this truck I'm definitely going with the more reserved approach.

 

I went RCI aluminum full skids for my daily driver. Scraped them up a bit on some rocks but the real benefit was when I struck a kneee high rock buried in a snow drift at about 10-15mph. Contact was right about the left front diff arm and it lifted the truck off the ground. The skid was bent good but it saved the truck. When we got home I removed it and used a block of wood and a sledge to get it sort of straight and put it back on. It is the older one without the support post the new one has. It is still on my truck and gets used every now and then.

That one instance sold me, a few hundred on a skid save me and my friends a lot of work and most likely me a lot of money.

 

That's what I like to hear! Glad it saved it.

I'm most likely going to keep the steel front skid as I'm keeping the truck stock suspension and tire size wise, and that means low. T-case skid will be sold and I'm unsure of if I should send the transmission skid plate packing too.

 

This exactly.

Last year, full skids would have saved me serious headache.

This boulder, that my friend is sitting atop of in the photo, was my downfall.

_MG_2635 by Brent Prater, on Flickr

Lockhart Basin Road, at the very end, near Moab. Even with 7 gallons of spare fuel, I could not make it back to the nearest town by turning around.

I had an RCI front steel skid, but nothing else. I was just a light offroader, an overlander, and I never wanted to crawl over rocks.

But life is not that way sometimes.

I ended up ripping off my t-case actuator, leaving my truck stuck in 4Lo. We manually pushed the rod into 2Hi, but my front ADD was still locked. Also, my truck had to sit out for Top of the World and Hell Revenge, which was a big bummer.

I now run full steel skids on my 2021. I don't care about the weight of steel over aluminum either. I want full protection just incase I need it.

 

That's a hell of a shot, beautiful rig! I can see something light turning into a pickle without having other options for going around or back. A lot of our trails are very tight and tree lined up here so the way forward is the only way.

What'd the repair to the t case end up costing if you don't mind me asking?

 

Love that trail, Great pic. Had a blast running it in our FJ, didn't get a chance to run it with the Tacoma during Easter Jeep Safari this year. Toooo many Jeeps, every day. Maybe next time. Definitely agree on the RCI skids, better to have them, steel or aluminum. More protection than stock beer can shit.