Are Skid Plates Good?

[Cale75]

I've been thinking of getting skid plates for my Land Cruiser and I'm not sure if they're actually worth it or not.

I don't plan on doing heavy off-roading like rock crawling but I do drive on dirt roads a lot when I'm heading to my cottage and visiting friends.

Can someone weigh in on their expereinces with skid plates? If I were to get them does OEM plates make sense? Or are there better aftermarket options?

 

[Bajacruzzer]

Do you think you will take your LC to Moab or the Rubicon? Then no, you don’t really need them!

 

[basicxj]

Considering the Land Cruiser is lower than some of the typical off road capable options, a skid plate covering vulnerable bits is considered a good thing.

Can you imagine accidentally shearing off an oil filter or bashing an oil pan open off road? That could potentially result in being dead in the water far from pavement, could result in a very expensive vehicle recovery. You don’t have to be “rock crawling” to find an unfortunately placed rock.

Ours has the OEM steel and plastic two piece skids. Other forum members have posted up photos where these have become awfully bashed up. I can see the benefits of adding the optional OEM one piece skid, or a 3rd party skid if it was well made (as some certainly seem to be).

 

[Blue Bear]

I've been thinking of getting skid plates for my Land Cruiser and I'm not sure if they're actually worth it or not.

I don't plan on doing heavy off-roading like rock crawling but I do drive on dirt roads a lot when I'm heading to my cottage and visiting friends.

Can someone weigh in on their expereinces with skid plates? If I were to get them does OEM plates make sense? Or are there better aftermarket options?

You can check out my post about off-roading in Colorado...my short answer is yes, I'm glad I spent $ on underbody protection. But, I fully intended to take my LC on some moderately challenging off-road adventures. My skid plates and rock-sliders weren't used often, but they definitely scraped across some rocks and I'm happy that I had the protection.

 

[Bajacruzzer]

Again, if you’re not going to trash your LC on crazy Offroad adventures, if you’re just off-road having a good time, don’t waste your money…

 

[Blue Bear]

Again, if you’re not going to trash your LC on crazy Offroad adventures, if you’re just off-road having a good time, don’t waste your money…

I think we're saying the same thing? Whether you need skid plates depends 100% on how you are going to use your LC. I spent some time on 4/10 & 5/10 trails in Colorado where both my skid plates and rock sliders were put to good use. I would not describe anything I did as a crazy offroad adventure, but it did involve some careful tire placement to get over and around some obstacles. The last off-road adventure was Ophir Pass, which is pretty far from crazy. On the west side of the pass is a very loose, rocky shelf road that we took slowly in four low. And, our skid plate touched a lot of rocks on the way down. If you need them, you need them. If not, don't spend the money.

 

[Bajacruzzer]

I think we're saying the same thing? Whether you need skid plates depends 100% on how you are going to use your LC. I spent some time on 4/10 & 5/10 trails in Colorado where both my skid plates and rock sliders were put to good use. I would not describe anything I did as a crazy offroad adventure, but it did involve some careful tire placement to get over and around some obstacles. The last off-road adventure was Ophir Pass, which is pretty far from crazy. On the west side of the pass is a very loose, rocky shelf road that we took slowly in four low. And, our skid plate touched a lot of rocks on the way down. If you need them, you need them. If not, don't spend the money.

View attachment 45544

Isn’t that a Nissan on that trail in that picture? Never compare a Nissan to a Toyota… That’s like comparing Yugo to a Chevy.

 

[Blue Bear]

Isn’t that a Nissan on that trail in that picture? Never compare a Nissan to a Toyota… That’s like comparing Yugo to a Chevy.

Just found a photo to post showing the shelf road on Ophir - it's better than what I have

 

[Bajacruzzer]

As I have stated before, I’ve owned a bunch of Tacomas and a 4Runner. I’ve driven them up and down Baja California. Many times I’ve driven the dirt road the “Baja 1000” runs on. All of my Toyotas have always been box stock except for my 2009 Tacoma, I put Old Man Emu shocks on her. Toyota’s love dirt, bumpy, washboard roads. Nobody makes a better vehicle…

 

[Bajacruzzer]

Isn’t that a Nissan on that trail in that picture? Never compare a Nissan to a Toyota… That’s like comparing Yugo to a Chevy.

I would have blurred out the front of the Nissan!

 

[D-mac]

Isn’t that a Nissan on that trail in that picture? Never compare a Nissan to a Toyota… That’s like comparing Yugo to a Chevy.

The Patrol has just as much 4x4 history off road as LC. That's why the current one has "Since 1951" easter eggs .

 

[NoMe cruiser]

I bent the standard OEM metal plate and cracked the plastic one one day. Also lost a rear mudflap and cracked the other at the same time. But those air dams are still on. If I get different skids it’ll probably be the first edition oem’s.

 

[AlexGates]

I've been thinking of getting skid plates for my Land Cruiser and I'm not sure if they're actually worth it or not.

I don't plan on doing heavy off-roading like rock crawling but I do drive on dirt roads a lot when I'm heading to my cottage and visiting friends.

Can someone weigh in on their expereinces with skid plates? If I were to get them does OEM plates make sense? Or are there better aftermarket options?

Depending on the model you have (do 1958's have skid plates?) the pathetic plastic one is likely fine for your use. Things have been known to fly up on the Interstate, if the added weight and expense of a quality skid plate is worth it, that is up to you.

 

[Sugarloafer80]

Isn’t that a Nissan on that trail in that picture? Never compare a Nissan to a Toyota… That’s like comparing Yugo to a Chevy.

cuse....a Datsun

 

[Sugarloafer80]

I bent the standard OEM metal plate and cracked the plastic one one day. Also lost a rear mudflap and cracked the other at the same time. But those air dams are still on. If I get different skids it’ll probably be the first edition oem’s.

Of course you were on rte 1 hehe........playing on the logging roads...yup ya need'm... Those rogue boulders in the center will get ya

 

[COSmurf]

It’s probably one of the more useful First Edition differences is the more robust underbody protection given the ground clearance on these is not high. The non-First Editions have the better aluminum underbody protection as an option but otherwise come standard with the thinner, less protective black colored “plates” and or black plastic.

 

[Yoter]

My 2 cents... I decided to add skid plates and went with the OEM ones. I don't plan to need them and hope I never do; they buy peace of mind and margin for error on the trail.

I just installed them on my LC, look at my build thread if you want more information.

 

[APIOQM]

I'll probably try to get my hands on a set of the OEM skids someday, including the rear differential skid. The peace of mind would be nice when I eventually get out to Colorado to do some trail riding. I'm less concerned about breaking something, and more about scratching things up leading to rust.

 

[EOD Guy]

IMO, the reason anyone "needs" skid plates is to prevent damage under carriage component damage.

That being said, it's the way the vehicle is being used that determines what degree of under carriage protection is actually needed.

If you're an avid off-roader and your travels take you on loose, large, rocky trails, then the most robust full coverage skids should be considered.

If you're mainly highway with an occasional gravel road, then lighter less robust skids that cover the engine, transmission and transfer case should be considered. Not so much for the "running over something" factor but more for "something bouncing up" factor (gravel, road debris etc). OEM skids that come stock on the FE fit this bill (not to be confused with the OEM debris shields)

Finally the is the "mall queen" where it's never driven over the speed limit and always on paved surfaces............ Then it's a matter of "look what I got" with unlimited budget.......LOL

 

[Stage7]

Undercarriage protection is not just for rock crawling. My buddy had a small branch, common on a lot of trails, work it's way into an angle that was perfect for poking a hole in his oil pan. It happens...not saying often but I am always of the mind set to have and not need rather than need and not have. But like it was posted. If your truck is a mall queen then do what you think is right for your driving expectations. I honestly don't know why you wouldn't want them on an off road vehicle.