Highest Clearance Belly Skids? Pics?

[GavinH]

I have the Rustys, I choose these because the ground clearance is better than Metal Cloak. They are solid, and I have no regrets. Rusty is great to work with.

The only thing I dont like about these is that they leave the exhaust down pipe somewhat exposed.

They are going to get torn up anyway, I'd just assume leave them unpainted... I coat mine every year with Surface Shield. Works great for other areas as well. Good practice if you use your jeep on trails like it was made for!
https://blasterproducts.com/product/surface-shield/

I have a friend running the Metal Cloak and his are bent into the exhaust pipe resting on it. I'd rather not have that to be honest. Plus Rusty's are cheaper, get the whole kit with the gas tank skid, the factory one is not strong enough for wheeling.

If your focus is on clearance, I would assume you are going to do some wheeling. I ran aluminum for a while, but they dont hold up well. Mine bent in all kinds of undesirable ways. it got the point where I had to take them off the jeep and hammer them out with a sledge every other time I went wheeling....

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I currently have the Rusty’s engine skid and I’ve definitely utilized it would have punctured the pan by now if I didn’t have it, I wheel it how it should be. I have the 2.0 so my exhaust is shaped a little different than yours. I also have the etorque but the reason I was second guessing completing my Rusty’s skids is due to weight really. But the Rusty’s is the only brand to offer a connecting etorque skid that’s also not for the 4xE and forms a fully connected belly all the way down which I like.

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[GavinH]

If you still live in Florida, do not due cover the entire underside..... it's not needed....and will trap heat.

Do install a oil pan and transfer skid.

I have a 2021 JLU 3.6L man and utilize Westin oil pan skid and an aluminum Mountain Offroad transfer case skid plate.

Still I’ve in Florida but wheel it on everything east of the Mississippi. My exhaust travels down next to my etorque battery so that’s got me thinking about the trapped heat of I go with the Rusty’s. Motobuilt and Artec have similar etorque skids that don’t fully cover the belly allowing heat to escape from exhaust but creating a huge hang up section. I do like the idea of having the entire belly smooth but I also like the idea of running aluminum over the fully steel Rusty’s

Artec

Rusty’s

 

[Terrymo]

If you still live in Florida, do not due cover the entire underside..... it's not needed....and will trap heat.

Do install a oil pan and transfer skid.

I have a 2021 JLU 3.6L man and utilize Westin oil pan skid and an aluminum Mountain Offroad transfer case skid plate.

What does the OP do if he wants to wheel outside of Florida? i live in a near desert climate in SoCal and have skids on my skids. I have never been worried about trapping heat. Maybe I should.

 

[GavinH]

What does the OP do if he wants to wheel outside of Florida? i live in a near desert climate in SoCal and have skids on my skids. I have never been worried about trapping heat. Maybe I should.

Responded about that right above your comment lol. I definitely take it out of state nothing like in my profile pic down here.

 

[JP52]

The Rusty’s is the only brand to offer a connecting etorque skid that’s also not for the 4xE and forms a fully connected belly all the way down.

Metalcloak etorque skid is also connected. Very smooth all the way down. Don't know if it's also for the 4XE but I don't see why that should matter. It's not oversize or anything.

 

[GavinH]

Metalcloak etorque skid is also connected. Very smooth all the way down. Don't know if it's also for the 4XE but I don't see why that should matter. It's not oversize or anything.

That’s true the reason I differentiate is because some etorque skids are just small plates. Decided I want some skids that replace factory ones so MC is out for me.

 

[zouch]

sorry, can’t agree.
the temps and speeds we see in the Southwest routinely exceed anything we dealt with at our home in Floriduh.

another advantage to Aluminum is that it won’t trap heat the way Steel would.

If you still live in Florida, do not due cover the entire underside..... it's not needed....and will trap heat.

Do install a oil pan and transfer skid.

I have a 2021 JLU 3.6L man and utilize Westin oil pan skid and an aluminum Mountain Offroad transfer case skid plate.

 

[3TV]

For the highest ground clearance skids, just leave the stock ones on there. You will gain ground clearance with each hit.

I use Metalcloak skids on my Jeep. I prefer the greater strength of steel over aluminum. I do a lot of rock crawling, so they are scratched and gouged everywhere. After my last Moab trip i was checking the underside of my Jeep and I don't think there is 1 square inch that hasn't been hit. Belly skids, control arm skids, FAD skid, differential skids. rock sliders, frame rails, everything. And everything above the skid plates is still in pristine perfect condition.

 

[Artec]

Artec skids gain about 1" of clearnace for the 3.6L, 2.0T and Eco-diesel powered Jeeps the 4xe has a completely different frame and the battery hangs low so we were only able to gain 1/2" clearance with it. I see alot of talk about heat getting trapped we have never had any issues with increased temps for fluids or in the floor pans in the Southwest We do travel all over the country with the vehicles with no issues at all. The aluminum we use helps work as a heat sink pulling heat away as you drive.

 

[DonH63]

I went Artec after a bunch of research (polite for "overthinking"). Gained about an inch, about half the weight of steel, and Artec's 6061 Al is harder than NVM's and most (all I found) other manufacturers so slides a little easier over rocks. Customer service was awesome, including working with a guy on a Saturday to work out some spots (mine was one of the early 392 installs, and Jeep of course made some quiet changes to the undercarriage).

I was also worried about heat, but they've tested all over desert SW country with no problems, and of course Al conducts heat well so helps pull it away.

I added the muffler skid because the 392's muffler hangs low and is insanely expensive to replace, still half as insane to go aftermarket, and I wasn't willing to pull the exhaust off a brand new vehicle (silly of me, ok).

NVM will also gain about an inch, but you'll lose most of that if you add their plastic slider (UHMW) material. I went back and forth on that, but the UHMW adds significant cost and weight, so the harder Artec skids without UHMW was the choice for me.

 

[RhinoJLU]

Still I’ve in Florida but wheel it on everything east of the Mississippi. My exhaust travels down next to my etorque battery so that’s got me thinking about the trapped heat of I go with the Rusty’s. Motobuilt and Artec have similar etorque skids that don’t fully cover the belly allowing heat to escape from exhaust but creating a huge hang up section. I do like the idea of having the entire belly smooth but I also like the idea of running aluminum over the fully steel Rusty’s

Artec

Rusty’s

@Artec
Any plans on updating your skids to a one piece that covers the battery and exhaust like this

 

[bd100]

Quadatec aluminum skids seem to hang a little lower than necessary but they come with big steel braces for strength. But I was occasionally brushing the ground in the mild ruts of a 2-track trail with the JT on stock 32s with no lift.

 

[Artec]

@Artec
Any plans on updating your skids to a one piece that covers the battery and exhaust like this

No plans at this time due to the way the battery is mounted that skid hangs lower than the rest of our skid plates it would severely reduce break over angle .

 

[blackwater]

Looking for the highest clearance belly skids to maintain ground clearance and would love to compare what everyone’s running. Noticed some bolt on top the factory skids while others completely replace it and are you running steel or aluminum?

Edit: 2.0 w/ Etorque. 4 Door. Already have Rusty’s engine skid, wanting to complete rest of belly but worried about weight, heat, and clearance.

See attached pic

 

[engineXI]

This is a great thread. One of the things I have been wondering is why not just get the cheapest skids? They are meant to get trashed right?
The ASFIR skids are 1/2 the price of Artec and NVM.

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