Are the 3rd gen skid plates any good?

[dudeyys]

Hey guys, so my 4runner has the front skid plate and gas skid plate (assuming it came from factory because previous owner bought it new and never modded). They are metal and seem pretty sturdy. Are they any good or would I be better off swapping with Budbuilts?

 

[JWaldz]

Depends what exactly you're going to be doing to them. Against rocks, they won't stand a chance. For gravel roads and trails they'll be just fine. They are flimsy though, one good knock to that front skid plate and you'll see a nice dent. The gas tank skid can take a few more hits.

 

[snivilous]

They're okay. The gas tank plate is a POS and will hardly hold any weight, let alone it's not angled to let you slide over a rock. The front one is decent enough that if you accidentally skim a rock it'll slide you over it. The rear part of the front skid is wimpy as well.

 

[bikerjosh]

Stock skids are really more for deflecting road debris kicked up, rather than dragging over stuff. Most new cars even suv have switched to flexible plastic. If you are going to drive on fireroads and such stock plates are fine if you are going to do any crawling or think you need sliders, then invest in real skid plates. :llama:
my .02

PS-ARKRWLR, you should change your sub line to read "locked, lifted, submerged ...." or submarine mod. JK, how is the truck rehab going?

 

[dudeyys]

Thanks guys. I think I'm just going to go ahead and invest in some budbuilt skids then rather than possibly regret it later. I'm doing more trails but I'd like to get in to some more rock crawling and advanced stuff eventually.