Do I need additional skid plates?

[Willys41]

Rough country full kit
It is as good as any kit I have seen put at half the price
Well made all bolts recessed so nothing hinging down

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[Philly_]

For full skids the difference can be a couple hundred pounds.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/summary-of-available-ecodiesel-skid-plates.90479/

Ah that makes more sense. I thought you were talking about the rear shock/LCA skids. When I go full belly pan, I am getting the Artec Aluminum.

 

[Old Jeeper]

I have stock under-protection on my 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. I plan on exploring some of the easier difficult trails in CO. Can I get away with the stock skid plates? Somebody told me I should get some additional protection for the oil pan and maybe the transmission. I'm on a budget. Would prefer not to spend over a $1000 since the other items on my list are adding up quickly. Recommendations?

Thanks in advance,

-Peter

ROCKS is your enemy and if Moab and other rock venues are your playground then I STRONGLY suggest you plate your undercarriage.


My early days at Moab had me struggling with even the 3 rated trails due to my lack of plating aka OEM. This led me to solving the issue(s). The following is how I mitigated the problem!

1) AEV had an almost 100% flat Transfer case skid plate and since it was AEV it covered the entire package of the underbelly AND there were NO exposed bolt heads.

2) The next problem was the outside the body rail body mounts and the one in the center was slowing me down. Cutoff wheel, and a welder raised it and problem solved.

3) Now the gas tank was an issue due to its being dragged at the bottom of high-angle slopes in Moab.. Again I reach for the cutoff wheel and a welder. I gut off the frame brace and moved my gas tank all the way back just short of the end of the frame. Then I braced it there on the inside and at the frame end I braced around the outside with a .25 plate between it and the bumper (bumper was 4 Inch ID Schedule 40 pipe).

BONUS, this allowed me to stretch my wheelbase and I did 2.5 inches and 2 in front.

4) While I had an Oil pan skid it still got banged often and that motivated me to redo my drive line: 2.5 in Body lift, and remove the Transmission and Transfer spacer and attach it directly to the frame brace and this tucked the drive line up into the tunnel. Then I installed a motor lift of 2 in.

BONUS this put my driveshafts in line with my Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 High Pinions. I also used Tom Woods OEM-length drive shafts. BONUS, I now had a 5.5 in lift as a result.

Results: There was no trail I could not spank and NO ONE SPANKED me. I did enjoy the questions: How do you do it with an but OEM Jeep on a 3 in lift? I never said a word...this is NOT how you build a Jeep but HOW you ENGINEER it! Anyone can build a jeep just by the parts and throw them on and that what most builds are.

That said I don't want to take full credit. One of the top Jeep guys in the US is a friend of mine and tap him for a source of improvements and in our conversations a lot of ideas get bounced around between us...he like me is an engineer.

NO I will give out his name or shop, he only works by referral, he does not advertise. He has been in business for about 30 years or more, his shop is at his home and you can find Jeeps from all over the US parked there waiting on driveline work, he does NOT put on mud flaps. His world is underneath your Jeep.

In case you think Jeeping doesn't pay, he makes about $1 M a year gross (I know because I helped him do his taxes). He does not repair Jeeps, he sits down with you, and in about a few hours he drills down and its either yes or no he will do the work. Figure on about $50k+ for what he does on most Jeeps.

He was the one who taught me that the dial-in is the most critical part, this is where he tunes the installation and he does it by taking it out and wheeling it on the back of his property. I learned a LOT from him and owe him for guiding me to doing it right!

 

[Hoppy Toad]

I have stock under-protection on my 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. I plan on exploring some of the easier difficult trails in CO. Can I get away with the stock skid plates? Somebody told me I should get some additional protection for the oil pan and maybe the transmission. I'm on a budget. Would prefer not to spend over a $1000 since the other items on my list are adding up quickly. Recommendations?

Thanks in advance,

-Peter

Maybe you shouldn't have bought a Jeep, LOL. Just kidding, but it really depends on what trails you plan on driving. Often, weather and erosion up the trail's rating without warning. This has occurred to me on several occasions. Last Oct on Little Devil Peak (Las Vegas) there severe trail erosion due to storms. Stock Bronco punctured his transmission oil pan and damaged his transmission (needed a new one). Body armor is to protect the Jeep from us drivers.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Your Rubicon is very capable as it is. Go explore. Take care when you think your undercarriage is in jeopardy and you'll be fine. Wheeling with a conservative approach is worth more than all the skid plates you can buy.

 

[PeterInCO]

Your Rubicon is very capable as it is. Go explore. Take care when you think your undercarriage is in jeopardy and you'll be fine. Wheeling with a conservative approach is worth more than all the skid plates you can buy.

I really like this advice. I am definitely (OK mostly) conservative when I'm out there, which is why my '93 Rodeo still rides w only some front end repairs (ball joints, axles, etc.). Pretty sure I'm just going to get an oil pan/tran plate, decent rock sliders (current ones are plastic), Smittybilt winch and air compressor. Holding off on a lift until I see how it rides stock. There are 3 THs I could not get my Rodeo to last year, so ended up hiking some 4wd roads for longer than I would have liked to. I'm stoked to know that the stock JLUR will have no problem getting me there.

 

[Pat’s Sahara Unlimited]

ROCKS is your enemy and if Moab and other rock venues are your playground then I STRONGLY suggest you plate your undercarriage.


My early days at Moab had me struggling with even the 3 rated trails due to my lack of plating aka OEM. This led me to solving the issue(s). The following is how I mitigated the problem!

1) AEV had an almost 100% flat Transfer case skid plate and since it was AEV it covered the entire package of the underbelly AND there were NO exposed bolt heads.

2) The next problem was the outside the body rail body mounts and the one in the center was slowing me down. Cutoff wheel, and a welder raised it and problem solved.

3) Now the gas tank was an issue due to its being dragged at the bottom of high-angle slopes in Moab.. Again I reach for the cutoff wheel and a welder. I gut off the frame brace and moved my gas tank all the way back just short of the end of the frame. Then I braced it there on the inside and at the frame end I braced around the outside with a .25 plate between it and the bumper (bumper was 4 Inch ID Schedule 40 pipe).

BONUS, this allowed me to stretch my wheelbase and I did 2.5 inches and 2 in front.

4) While I had an Oil pan skid it still got banged often and that motivated me to redo my drive line: 2.5 in Body lift, and remove the Transmission and Transfer spacer and attach it directly to the frame brace and this tucked the drive line up into the tunnel. Then I installed a motor lift of 2 in.

BONUS this put my driveshafts in line with my Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 High Pinions. I also used Tom Woods OEM-length drive shafts. BONUS, I now had a 5.5 in lift as a result.

Results: There was no trail I could not spank and NO ONE SPANKED me. I did enjoy the questions: How do you do it with an but OEM Jeep on a 3 in lift? I never said a word...this is NOT how you build a Jeep but HOW you ENGINEER it! Anyone can build a jeep just by the parts and throw them on and that what most builds are.

That said I don't want to take full credit. One of the top Jeep guys in the US is a friend of mine and tap him for a source of improvements and in our conversations a lot of ideas get bounced around between us...he like me is an engineer.

NO I will give out his name or shop, he only works by referral, he does not advertise. He has been in business for about 30 years or more, his shop is at his home and you can find Jeeps from all over the US parked there waiting on driveline work, he does NOT put on mud flaps. His world is underneath your Jeep.

In case you think Jeeping doesn't pay, he makes about $1 M a year gross (I know because I helped him do his taxes). He does not repair Jeeps, he sits down with you, and in about a few hours he drills down and its either yes or no he will do the work. Figure on about $50k+ for what he does on most Jeeps.

He was the one who taught me that the dial-in is the most critical part, this is where he tunes the installation and he does it by taking it out and wheeling it on the back of his property. I learned a LOT from him and owe him for guiding me to doing it right!

wow! But here, you're still bringing a lot of work vs a guy who clearly stated he has a limited budget to spend on basic protection!

 

[Heimkehr]

Has anyone tried Asfir skid plates?

Yes, "tried" being the key word. No Joy with their engine/tranny skid plate, despite multiple installation attempts. I've 30 years experience installing parts and accessories, too.

After providing prima facie evidence of incompatibility, the company went radio silent. They finally responded to my Return Request after I successfully contested the credit card charge. Funny how that works.

I can't in good conscience recommend the brand. I do know that other Jeep owners have had better luck than I.

 

[GATORB8]

Yes, "tried" being the key word. No Joy with their engine/tranny skid plate, despite multiple installation attempts. I've 30 years experience installing parts and accessories, too.

After providing prima facie evidence of incompatibility, the company went radio silent. They finally responded to my Return Request after I successfully contested the credit card charge. Funny how that works.

I can't in good conscience recommend the brand. I do know that other Jeep owners have had better luck than I.

Doesn't bode well for me that mine's been sitting in the box in the garage for five months... fingers crossed.

 

[sloowhand]

Similar situation with 23 Sahara, chose and am very happy with Asfir aluminum skids. Went with oil pan/trans cover, transfer case and steering rod protector. There's a forum 5% discount, even with shipping (really fast!) from Israel you'll still meet your budget. I also liked the lighter weight and less opportunity for more salt damage using aluminum.

No issue on the fit during installation, touched down on a couple rocks and have just some scrapes to show for it. Not for hard core, but that didn't seem like what you were looking for.

 

[Zandcwhite]

For full skids the difference can be a couple hundred pounds.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/summary-of-available-ecodiesel-skid-plates.90479/

I call bs. Metalcloaks skids are steel and some of the thickest on the market. According to them the full system weighs 149lbs. Unless your skids are made of helium you aren't saving "hundreds of pounds". The metalcloak system also replaces some of the stock skids and crossmember/bash bars. They likely add 120lbs total. Most of the aluminum skids are thicker (because they need to be) and therefore likely save 50-70lbs at most.

 

[Old Jeeper]

wow! But here, you're still bringing a lot of work vs a guy who clearly stated he has a limited budget to spend on basic protection!

Agreed, however, I did the question IF Moab is your playground and if is, the better to show prepared than to spend a lot of coin fixing things. Seen one guy bust open his oil pan when he hit a rock hard and it knocked out the drain plug. Sadly he was the last guy in to tackle the trail and time he found out that he was out of oil, it was too late. A lot can go wrong under that frame if you play hard in the rocks...

 

[Zandcwhite]

Yes, "tried" being the key word. No Joy with their engine/tranny skid plate, despite multiple installation attempts. I've 30 years experience installing parts and accessories, too.

After providing prima facie evidence of incompatibility, the company went radio silent. They finally responded to my Return Request after I successfully contested the credit card charge. Funny how that works.

I can't in good conscience recommend the brand. I do know that other Jeep owners have had better luck than I.

That's unfortunate to hear. Their skid for our 2019 2.0t bolted right up no problem and took a hell of a beating over the years. Ended up high centered on it on a 3' Boulder on the dusy ershim trail and drove off of it. It bent but protected the oil and transmission pans like a champ. I wanted more protection and went with the full metalcloak system on our 2022.

 

[PeterInCO]

wow! But here, you're still bringing a lot of work vs a guy who clearly stated he has a limited budget to spend on basic protection!

I appreciate what Old Jeeper Don is sharing - great info, but this reply from Pat gets the train back on the right tracks. I am not going to be getting after it hard core in the short term. Easier difficult trails for now. Looking for essentials on a budget. Leaning towards this for now:

Oil Pan / Transmission Skid Plate for Jeep Wrangler JL with 2.0L Turbo – M.O.R.E. (mountainoffroad.com)

Down the road (pun intended), if I decide to get wild, I will look to a beefier build. Cheers to all! Many thanks.

 

[Pat’s Sahara Unlimited]

Agreed, however, I did the question IF Moab is your playground and if is, the better to show prepared than to spend a lot of coin fixing things. Seen one guy bust open his oil pan when he hit a rock hard and it knocked out the drain plug. Sadly he was the last guy in to tackle the trail and time he found out that he was out of oil, it was too late. A lot can go wrong under that frame if you play hard in the rocks...

That was my biggest fear: the odd rock flipping up and piercing any of the oil pans... I do small to moderate trails in my area, and one of our trails - it's not really a trail but a rocky forestry road,.

And I'm actually following your road, but with the caveat that my Jeep needs to still be a good daily driver... Moab is in my bucket list, and I'm upgrading my Sahara bit by bit. Last year, RC skid plates (belly, front and rear diff), Xtrem Recon take-off suspension from Marketplace, . the year before, Rubicon sliders, Willys KM3... This year, steel front and rear bumpers, a winch and mod the suspension to compensate the extra weight. Maybe 35s if I have some money left, or I sell a kidney...

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