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Has your factory front skid ever done more bad than good?

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NAXJA Forum User
Location
Lehi, Utah
First off, since it's an OEM part I figured I should put this question here, correct?

So.. I have 2000 and I'm looking for some more protection now that I have my Dad doing harder trails in his JK. It's WAY better equipped than my XJ.

I had a stock 87 for a bit that was equipped with a factory front skid and it seemed like it could get in the way and hang you up off-road. Am I totally wrong ?

I think it looks like it could protect my steering and front axle a bit, I'm sagged to 3-4" of lift and I'm running 32" BFG A/Ts, do you think the front skid will hang too low?

Thanks in advance!! :thumbup:
 
Yes! If you are running more than 3" of lift there is a good chance your drag-link will get caught on it when you droop out the pass side front and bend it at the turn buckle. I have bent 2 drag-links like this, my factory engine skid is sitting in the barn now

Really the only thing it is good for is to keep sticks out of the engine bay and mud off of the alternator.
 
I just replaced my alternator (well, upgraded to a 136A) due to mud... and my engine is always dirty, which makes it annoying to work on.

Does it help aerodynamics / improve gas mileage? My Jeep sees a lot of road time, it's my weekend warrior / DD.

Then again, a bent drag link doesn't sound fun. If it's more trouble than it's worth then I'll steer clear.

Here are some pics of my Jeep, maybe it can help determine if a front skid would help.

img0056tr.jpg


dsc00161ps.jpg


dsc09605h.jpg


dsc09947ld.jpg


Plus, my Jeep is a pit of pic-whore.. :photo:
 
bert01xj said:
is your front tracbar still hooked? hope you pulled the rear and tossed it.
Click to expand...


I think you mean "swaybar," and yes, if you look closely you can see on the pax side where it is still attached.



I'm at 3 1/2" on 31s with my '01 XJ. I have a factory skid plate on the front, and never had any issue with it. The only thing that I've heard it is bad for is if you get into deep mud and have to back up it acts as a shovel....but I avoid the mud as best I can, so it is pretty much a non-issue for me.

Over 3.5" I can't speak to, but XJtrailrider has never really steered anyone wrong as far as I can tell in his posts on NAXJA and in the SEC forum.

EDIT...Dang xjtrailrider, you mentioned the swaybar as I was typing this....
 
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Yeah, in that pic I still had the swaybar on, I have JKS discos though.. One reason I'm looking at getting a front skid is that it'll give me a place to weld on a bolt or something to disconnect them offroad.

Currently, I pulled off my whole swaybar and it's chilling in my garage. If I can fab mounts for my discos on the skid then I'll throw it back on. I took it off to make my alternator install easier.
 
Cottontail said:
Over 3.5" I can't speak to, but XJtrailrider has never really steered anyone wrong as far as I can tell in his posts on NAXJA and in the SEC forum.
Click to expand...

I bent two before I figured it out. When you lift a XJ you also lengthen the arms to keep the axle centered in the wheel wells. As the either side compresses it moves forward. In my case the axle moved far enough forward with the pass side compressed to cause interference between the factory skid and the drag link. As the drivers side started to drop out further on the obstacle, the drag link caught the skid and bent upward(that was the part that had me puzzled)

Thus, no more skid and no more bent drag links
 
The factory skid is to protect the steering components. As you lift, the steering gets more exposed. The skid does however make an excellent mud plow and keeps the mud out of the fan and alternator.

My skid has never come near any of the steering, at 2", 3.5", or 5.5" of lift. I have hit the front bumper 100x more than the front skid. The sway bar bracket on the pass side of the axle is a different story and needed to be relocated.

Sway bars should be used for any DD on pavement driving, and disconnected for trail use (and you need to air down more also).
 
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I've not had a problem with the OEM skid plate and a lift.

The drag link is pretty massive, and I've never bent one of those either.

Alternators are a PITA with or without a skid plate. I've done one with a factory skid and didn't find it anymore annoying than the fact that I was changing it in a gravel parking lot, in a down pour.

-Ron
 
Switching to the ZJ alternator was slightly tedious.. I had to crack it open, change connectors, modify the back of the case, all kinds of fun stuff... And then trying to get it up in there was even worse, it took me 10 minutes to wrestle the damn thing past the "frame rail".

Also, I plan on putting my swaybar back on once my Jeep is roadworthy again.. I forgot to mention that it's a garage potato until I build my front bumper.
 
I removed my front skid when I was replacing my steering and haven't put it back on yet. I swear my MPG has taken a hit without the skid plate there.
 
My DD is lifted like 2.5" with 31's. I've wheeled it harder then I should have. So hard that I bent the stock front skid in half and bent the mounts for it. Without it, my steering would have surely been trashed. Any more lift though, they become pretty much worthless.
 
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