skids on a daily driver: leave on or take off?

kickit_in4wheel · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:05 pm

Does anyone with full skids take them off for street use and put them on for trail use? I am choosing skids and putting money away for them, and I started to think about this. They seem like they'd be pretty heavy, and unnecessary (in FL anyways) for use on a daily driver. I do want them for protection when I go offroad. Is the All J-products superskid something that can be removed and re-installed regularly? What about the Kilby fuel tank skid? What about rocker protection? I figure those 2 skids and the bars will probably add around 150 lbs to the vehicle, maybe more. opinions or advice?

Rick

grnd93 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:11 pm

Leave them on..........150 lbs is nothing.

Myke · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:14 pm

Leave them on.

PitViper · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:41 pm

I just leave them on... you never know when you may need them... even on the highway lol.

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Better to leave them on. You never know what sort of chunks of whatever might be lying on the highway just around the bend. Or rocks, etc. I had to swerve to miss a box of welding rods the other week, followed shortly by some boots and a hard hat. Stuff falls off trucks. Best to be protected.

Edwin · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:58 pm

Leave 'em on. That's what I do. :wink:

Calvin56 · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 1:59 am **Posts:** 345

Leave them on... once you've trailed your skids they are hard to put back on....

LostRenegade · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:12 pm

I leave mine on and my KJ is a daily driver. I drive about 30K miles per year. I only take them off when I go to the dealership for service. I have the full mopar set and the Skid Row tranny skid. My dealer said that they would charge me $78/hour to take off and put back on the tranny skid since it is not mopar. The only need to take it off is for a tranny flush.

SunDvl · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:09 am

Your time spent removing and re-installing the skids is not worth the "extra" gas savings you may receive. To much of a hassle.

kickit_in4wheel · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:32 am

The reason I ask is that the terrain around here is pretty much flat, paved roads. I don't get to go off-road as much as I like, and this is my daily driver to and from school, work, etc. I wouldn't mind spending the afternoon before a weekend trail ride getting everything back together, since I would be prepping my jeep anyways. I just didn't know how much they weigh, how difficult it is to take them off and put them back on, stuff like that. I guess I'll figure it out when they get here. Thanks guys. Anyone know how much the all j superskid and the kilby gas tank skid each weigh?

Rick

x3rdxStrikex · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:57 am

I say leave 'em on........You never know when a tire may shred, animal jump out in front, or go over a curb to avoid an accident.........it's better to have it and never use it then to not have it and wish you did after the fact.

ManicMechanicJoe · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:31 am

take em off...kidding of course...leave them on always, you never know when you are just driving around and the jeep urge hits you. I have 2 cameras waiting to be developed of the Lib on snowbanks, some as high as 15' (this thing would climb a tree if I asked it nice enough). I have also done urban rock crawling (driving down steps and retaining walls). I have had the cops called on me but my police scanner has saved me...Now I would never recommend doing anything illegal but you never know :twisted:

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:17 am

Leave them on. Skid plates work magic when you encounter highway road hazards as well. I've seen chunks of concrete get broken out of the road surface in front of me and start spinning like a top in the middle of the road before. Things that fall off peoples trucks, shredded tires, etc.... Skid plates are nice to have on and off road. The last thing you want is a hole in your oil pan or fuel tank while driving down the road.

GUTomek · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 1:58 pm

I agree...keep them on. Not too long ago I was driving home from work and the car in front of me dived into the right lane. It seemed a bit strange and I started slowing down but there were cars to my right should I need to veer that direction. Well, at 65mph there was a bucket on its side that got blown into the road from the daytime construction. I was able to get down to 50mph or so by the time it hit, but if that thing had gone under - I can't imagine the damage it would have done!

Well, the jeep was OK - not a single mark anywhere, it simply got wedged in front of the front skid and dragged on the ground till I could stop and remove it. Sure over a year it might cost you an additional petty $10 in gas, but consider it insurance - and for those moments you do jump off road, it will be of greater value.

CaKJFreedom · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:58 pm

The Kilby skid is 71lbs, including the weight of the box they ship it in. (of course the label was on the bottom of the box when I went to check)

Steakgoddess · **Posted:** Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:53 pm

Leave em on

matt2wheels · **Posted:** Sun Feb 05, 2006 1:30 am

I'm pretty sure you'll actually observe an increase in mileage, since you'll be making the underside of your vehicle more aerodynamic...kinda like NASCAR. In fact, feel free to use this reason to justify your purchase of said skidplates to your wife/girlfriend/whatever.

skids on a daily driver: leave on or take off?

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