skid plate suggestions

[JAS]

DPG belly pan and RuffStuff diff covers.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

I know they're not technically "skid plates", but I'd recommend some nice rock sliders #1 if you don't have them already. After that, I'd say #2 belly skid, then #3 gas tank skid (I like DPG for both of those but I hear he's out of stock right now), followed by some diff covers #4. Factory front skid is OK for deflecting junk, but I wouldn't rely on it as a "skid" if you're playing in the rocks. It also won't fit as intended if you have sway bar drop brackets.

you can drive home with smashed rockers, but you cant drive home with a destroyed tcase or a hole in your gastank

 

[89xj]

And if ya hit it on a big enough of a rock it'll bend into the steering and then ya can't steer til ya rip it off on the trail.
Not that I've seen or experienced this or anything

doesnt that theory apply to all skid plates??? granted that its a stock skid and not a heavier aftermarket skid.

just like the stock gas tank skid, it can be modified to increase its strength.

i searched many many yards for the stock gas, TC, and gas tank skid and was able to find them on seperate vehicles. 40$ for the skids and then with some reinforcement and the stock skids are well worth it.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

you can drive home with smashed rockers, but you cant drive home with a destroyed tcase or a hole in your gastank

True, but if you manage to damage your transfer case or gas tank at least they can be replaced. Once your rockers and doors are smashed, there's no going back without extensive body work. Additionally, on easy to moderate trails I think you're much more likely to damage your rockers than anything else. Front tires coming down off of big rocks, pivoting around trees, thinking you could make that tight turn around a boulder that ended up being just a little too tight...

Obviously for more extreme trails you should have all the protection you can get, but for someone asking what to get first, I think rock sliders are a wise investment if they care about keeping their unibody in decent shape. If it's just going to be a beater trail rig, I guess you could save some money and skip the rock sliders altogether.

In 10 years of easy to moderate wheeling on CA trails, I have hammered my rock sliders, scraped my catalytic converter once, and have yet to scrape my gas tank on anything. I try to choose my lines carefully and I don't play in the rock piles just for the heck of it, but maybe I've also just been lucky. Now that I finally have belly and gas tank skids (and lockers) I feel my Jeep is finally ready to tackle some tougher trails, but I guess my point is that even on the easier stuff you're likely to get rocker damage.

 

[Rod Knee]

for someone asking what to get first, I think rock sliders are a wise investment if they care about keeping their unibody in decent shape.

I agree, and I run moderate trails too, using my AJs sliders much more than all other skids combined. They are really more than a skid, they're an implement for pivoting and sliding. They even saved me once from a teenage driver who didn't know what ice was (you should have seen her bumper, shattered like a xmas tree bulb).

With that said, on a trail on which sliders are essential to protecting your doors and rockers, you're going to want to have a tcase skid too. And if your tcase skid hangs down too low, just let the first rock push it up.

Gas tank, diff, and LCA mount protection is lower priority, but desirable.

 

[FlexdXJ]

I agree, and I run moderate trails too, using my AJs sliders much more than all other skids combined. They are really more than a skid, they're an implement for pivoting and sliding. They even saved me once from a teenage driver who didn't know what ice was (you should have seen her bumper, shattered like a xmas tree bulb).

With that said, on a trail on which sliders are essential to protecting your doors and rockers, you're going to want to have a tcase skid too. And if your tcase skid hangs down too low, just let the first rock push it up.

Gas tank, diff, and LCA mount protection is lower priority, but desirable.

Thse were also the first thing I got.

 

[1990JEEPXJ]

they were the last i got. my t-case skid has seen the most abuse by far. before i had rock sliders, i had only hit my rockers twice.