Removed skid plates

[DJ's Toy]

Well I just changed the fluid in all the gear boxes and doing so I removed the front skid plates. This has brought me to some questions:
1. The front cross member was filled with dirt. I mean packed. I ran a garden hose in several of the openings in order to clean it out. This took about 20 minutes. Has anyone plugged some of the holes on this in order to prevent dirt from collecting in it?
2. I am not sure I even want to put the skid plates back on. I don't do any rock crawling. Just trails and the sort in MI. The plates just seem like a place for dirt to collect and they aren't much tougher than soda can aluminum. Maybe I will upgrade someday, but I really don't see the need to yet. Any thoughts on risks I maybe over looking?:xnuts:

 

[Thai]

I would keep it on...you just don't know what you will encounter at the next corner (on street or off-road). You need all the protection that you can get.

A lot of the manufacturers chose these skidplates based on several criteria: manufacturing costs, fuel economy due to weight, aerodynamics (?not sure about this?), and clearances.