TRD Pro Skid or CBI Skid

Hey all, new to the Tacoma scene and looking to build my rig for light off-road and overlanding in the near future. Build will be slow since I'll be soon having a kid in college.

I'm looking to upgrade the stock TRD OR skid to an aluminum skid. I like both the TRD Pro Skid and CBI skid. I do want to keep the truck as light as possible and don't intend to do any rock crawling. Does one provide better protection than the other? Out of curiosity, does anyone know the weight difference between the two? Thanks in advance.

 

I went TRD Pro simply due to cost and availability.

I’ll grant that the CBI is probably more durable, but I’m also a realist in where I’m going to take a brand new truck. (FWIW, the TRD plate is 1/4 thick, and the CBI plate is 3/16, so the Toyota plate is actually slightly thicker.)

I agree with the choice of using aluminum. I had a powder coated steel plate on my last Tacoma and it started to rust after a few winters.

 

The OR doesn't have a skid plate. It has a sheet metal splash guard thingy that even Toyota does not call a skid plate (need fact check). You don't need a skid plate for "light off-roading". Wait until you are sliding over big rocks. That said, all aluminum skids are going to be close enough in weight that it doesn't really matter. What's more important is the aluminum alloy they use, manufacturing quality, order lead time, etc. Steel will be about 2x heavier. The aftermarket skids tend to have a stronger design because they bolt flush to the frame rather than having spacers to clear the frame braces. Aftermarket skids require you to remove those braces. I went with the TRD Pro skid mostly because it shipped in 1 week instead of 6 months and the price was about the same. The TRD Pro skid also looks cooler even though mine is all gouged and bent now.

 

I like the look of the CBI skid better but in terms of cost, lead time and shipping, I went with the TRD pro skid.

 

Thanks ya’ll! That’s good input. Lead times are between 5-8 weeks for CBI so that’s a factor as well.

 

Love my RCI aluminum.