I also have this same question. I have an Icon Diff drop in the front. It's small but it's there and want to know before I buy something that won't work lol
The Skid Plate List
- Thread starter gregh
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Nice, haven’t seen this one yet. It mounts to the recovery points, not the radiator bracket, which is critical.
Factory skids kit fine with the ICON Diff drop with plenty of room to spare. At least the real skids, I can't answer if anyone has the thin metal belly pan and plastic whether or not that works?
It should fit, as the factory skid is standard on the First Edition. Otherwise Icon would need to list the exception.
I'm mystified why many people don't buy the factory skid, which is stamped for the vehicle. Toyota paid for the proper design and tooling to make the factory skis. The aftermarket skids sellers did not go to that expense.
Another question regarding the slee radiator support. I have the rago fabrication front bumper with winch installed. I also have the front skid from rago that comes back to the front of the front axle. Do you think the slee support will work as is? I don't have any tools to be able to modify it as you did.
Sorry that I have no Yes / No answer since I don’t have Rago stuffs !
General idea : if the lower portion of front bumper is very close to the side of radiator cross member (like 1/4” or less than 1/2”), so the portion of front side of Slee Reinforcement must be cut to fit in (refer to my previous post / photos)
By this chance, I would add a bit more detail to help other gang members…
In my application, the Slee reinforcement is even stronger because it almost against the DV8 bumper (I left 1/4” gap between and add the cut-rubber tube at Slee lip)
In order rocks damage my radiator cross member, they must go through FE OEM skid plate + Slee reinforcement + DV8 bumper (bottom)
This is all you need if you go OEM. Has it all. I am a BIG OEM guy. that's just me...
Plus the Slee Heavy Duty Radiator Crossmember Reinforcement if you don't want to bend the radiator crossmember the first time anything hits your upgraded front skid plate.
for me, if I am bending that, I got problems - so not something i personally need. I am also not doing any serious shit. Mostly dune/beach driving with the occasional trails but no rock crawling for me.
Taking my LC rock crawling Is like buying a brand new tuxedo… and wearing it to a paintball fight.
Yeah, technically you can do it—but the second it gets hit, you’re questioning every life decision that got you there
Trust me, the support is so flimsy that adding the upgraded skid plate only increases the chances you'll bend it. The metal that's welded to the frame looks 1/16" thick at most -- I'll measure it next time I'm under there. I don't do any crazy off-roading either, and yet I bent mine. I'm not even sure how or when. The skid plate itself is fine -- it wasn't a rock, maybe dirt or sand?. Especially if you're driving on sand you do not want any strong plate bolted to that cross member. Either stick with the thin factory engine shield or get the Slee reinforcement or a different skid plate that bolts to the frame and protects the cross member.for me, if I am bending that, I got problems - so not something i personally need. I am also not doing any serious shit. Mostly dune/beach driving with the occasional trails but no rock crawling for me.
Taking my LC rock crawling Is like buying a brand new tuxedo… and wearing it to a paintball fight.
Yeah, technically you can do it—but the second it gets hit, you’re questioning every life decision that got you there
Wait for a better sale. I got all of the above for a little over $700. All hardware was included.
Sorry to say the OEM skids is the worst produxt in terms of underbody protection. The metal guage is less then 3mm. The aftermarkets are any day better.
For desert trail and dune driving, the 6mm or 8mm aluminum options are often preferred. They provide high rigidity and "glide" over sand while keeping the front-end weight lower than thick steel plates, which helps maintain suspension geometry and cooling efficiency. I had customised for 10mm. My take is anything 8mm and above is the sweet spot. I did see the underbody 4x4 actuator is never protected and ensured even that skid plate extension is done. Few known Brands are DV8, SLEE , RCI, Victory 4x4, FK Off-Road ( only ones who use Mag- Alloy). Best to buy if a sale. happens.
For desert trail and dune driving, the 6mm or 8mm aluminum options are often preferred. They provide high rigidity and "glide" over sand while keeping the front-end weight lower than thick steel plates, which helps maintain suspension geometry and cooling efficiency. I had customised for 10mm. My take is anything 8mm and above is the sweet spot. I did see the underbody 4x4 actuator is never protected and ensured even that skid plate extension is done. Few known Brands are DV8, SLEE , RCI, Victory 4x4, FK Off-Road ( only ones who use Mag- Alloy). Best to buy if a sale. happens.
Sheeeet you may have sold me then. Only thing I don’t like is that it requires cutting.
No cutting. It bolts to the recovery point bolts and protects the weak crossmember. It basically replaces the plastic trim piece for the factory upgrade plate.
Edit: ah now I see it says trimming is required for the thin OEM shield, but it's not required for the OEM upgraded skid plate we were discussing.
SLEE- Heavy Duty Radiator Crossmember Reinforcement - High Strength STEEL - Land Cruiser LC250 / 4th Gen Tacoma / 6th Gen 4Runner - Slee Off Road
Features Compatible with OE Skid Plate (Some trimming required) Compatible with Toyota Updated Skid Plate (except for front plastic trim piece, as seen on LC 250 First Edition and Trail Hunter 4Runner) Compatible with Slee LC250 Skid Plate System [SOK2116 & SOK2117] Compatible with Slee LC250...
sleeoffroad.com
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Has anyone installed the Rival engine skid plate? It's 1/4 inch aluminum and has a stamped pattern for strength. It looks like it probably attaches to the radiator cross member through, I'm trying to figure out if it would be compatible with the Slee radiator cross member reinforcement.
I confirmed with Rival that their skid plate mounts to the radiator crossmember. It looks like they recently redesigned it based on the photos. I'm guessing there's a good chance it's compatible with the Slee crossmember reinforcement. It would be better of course if skid plate designers just started building a Slee style crossmember protector into their skid plate designs.Rival
- ????? support mount
- clears diff drop - ??????
<rant> The first couple of years of FJ Cruisers had an issue with the sheet metal on the inside of the fenders being too thin, leading to bending and cracking. I think they fixed it in year 3? I'm wondering how long it will take Toyota to fix this design flaw. You shouldn't mount a skid plate to something that can't support the weight of the vehicle, let alone something considerably thinner and weaker than the skid plate!
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