Skids for a Stock Libby ?

MacAttack · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:07 pm

Are skid plates a good idea for a stock Liberty?

I know they offer protection, but they also decrease the clearance.

I can't afford to modify anything, so it's either skid plates or no skid plates.

What u think?

Kugellager · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:14 pm

MacAttack wrote:

Are skid plates a good idea for a stock Liberty?

I know they offer protection, but they also decrease the clearance.

I can't afford to modify anything, so it's either skid plates or no skid plates.

What u think?

It all depends on what you plan to do with your Jeep. Do you pretty much drive on dirt roads with few large avoidable rocks or do you do stuff like this: http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=13352 If the second option is true the you will definitely want full skids along with a good set of rock rails/Boulder Bars.

John
];')

Jeger · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:21 pm

I would suggest to get the skids, they are more important than any clearance you may lose. Heck I think they would be worth it just for the peace of mind.

MacAttack · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:25 pm

[/quote]It all depends on what you plan to do with your Jeep. Do you pretty much drive on dirt roads with few large avoidable rocks or do you do stuff like this: http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=13352 If the second option is true the you will definitely want full skids along with a good set of rock rails/Boulder Bars.

John
];')[/quote]

I won't be intentionally rock crawling like some of you hardcore offroaders, but I'll be going over some rutted, potholed forest roads, and some very rough and rocky and steep roads in Central and Eastern Oregon.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:47 pm

MacAttack wrote:

It all depends on what you plan to do with your Jeep. Do you pretty much drive on dirt roads with few large avoidable rocks or do you do stuff like this: http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=13352 If the second option is true the you will definitely want full skids along with a good set of rock rails/Boulder Bars.

John
];')[/quote]

I won't be intentionally rock crawling like some of you hardcore offroaders, but I'll be going over some rutted, potholed forest roads, and some very rough and rocky and steep roads in Central and Eastern Oregon.[/quote]

I just got the tranny skid and transfer case skid. I was you once. I did throw up some volleyball size rocks underneath and was probably lucky I didn't damage anything. Now, I bottom out on snow rutted trails out here, but at least I can rest easy now.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:50 pm

Skids are right at the top of the list no matter what. I have posted on here before about this but years (and years) ago I had been four wheeling all day down in WV in my 69 Bronco, coming home a 4 speed munice tranny fell off of a flat bed truck in front of me on the Interstate, no way to avoid, skids saved me big time. LOTS of noise but saved me!So you never know! :wink:

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:13 pm

Think of it this way, which is cheaper, skids or new transmission, new transfer case, new fuel tank, new front whatever....say, what does the front skid actually protect? I never paid attention, just know it gets hit more than anything other skid.

MacAttack · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:19 pm

Ok. I'm getting skids.
I guess even if I do hit the bottom a little because of decreased clearance it'll just be hitting the skids.

Video Guy · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:34 pm

Tokyojoe wrote:

....say, what does the front skid actually protect? I never paid attention, just know it gets hit more than any other skid.

This is why I chose this as my first skid plate. All that banging makes sense given that the front of your vehicle meets obstacle before the rest of the vehicle. One exception, I guess, is if you're crawling over rocks or logs, and a tire slips, causing the vehicle to come down on top of an obstacle the front has already cleared. (That's when you want to protect the transmission and transfer case.)

The engine skid can serve as a plow or undercarriage cowcatcher and move smaller obstacles out of the way. I guess it offers some shielding for the front differential, inner CV boots, and bottom of the enging.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:01 pm

Video Guy wrote:

Tokyojoe wrote:

....say, what does the front skid actually protect? I never paid attention, just know it gets hit more than any other skid.

This is why I chose this as my first skid plate. All that banging makes sense given that the front of your vehicle meets obstacle before the rest of the vehicle. One exception, I guess, is if you're crawling over rocks or logs, and a tire slips, causing the vehicle to come down on top of an obstacle the front has already cleared. (That's when you want to protect the transmission and transfer case.)

The engine skid can serve as a plow or undercarriage cowcatcher and move smaller obstacles out of the way. I guess it offers some shielding for the front differential, inner CV boots, and bottom of the enging.

It saved my butt pre tranny skid days. Rolled a rock off center and it made contact with the cross member. It would have cracked the tranny like an egg.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:24 pm

Now that I have the Rustys front springs, I find that the tranny skid gets hit most. Prior to this past trip to Livingston with the Midwest guys, I painted my engine skid and it didnt get a scratch. The tranny and gas tank skid took some good hits though. The tcase skid didnt really get hit.

If you didnt have a skid on the tcase, you would really need to work hard to hurt it. Its kind protected by the tranny cross member. Maybe if you were backing up a rock could catch it.

I would not go offroad without a tranny skid. :shock:

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:29 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

Now that I have the Rustys front springs, I find that the tranny skid gets hit most. Prior to this past trip to Livingston with the Midwest guys, I painted my engine skid and it didnt get a scratch. The tranny and gas tank skid took some good hits though. The tcase skid didnt really get hit.

If you didnt have a skid on the tcase, you would really need to work hard to hurt it. Its kind protected by the tranny cross member. Maybe if you were backing up a rock could catch it.

I would not go offroad without a tranny skid. :shock:

I'm stock height, but last summer, I was going up the Tin Cup side of the pass, and there was a stream running right down the middle from spring runoff. Those rocks were slippery and I was throwing and rolling them big time. Hard enough to climb when dry, but when in white water state, darn near stupid. Got up another 1000' or so, and the trail was blocked by an avalanche. I got home and had several nice gouges in the engine skid plate. That was the last trail for the stock badyear tires, but at least they didn't pop.

KJ Taz · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:53 pm

When I bought my Libby I went ahead and got the offroad package. Skid plates and tow hooks should be a minimum on any 4x4. Tow hooks, tow hooks, tow hooks................Whenever someone is stuck, it seems like a high percentage of the time they don't even have tow points (unless they are a true part of the 4x4 community). If you have a 4x4, you will probably get it stuck at some point, so first make sure it is protected, second make sure someone can get you out with out tearing your vehicle up. I also got the towing package so I would have a receiver hitch on the back. This makes a great tow point for the back.

FastTRX · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:38 pm

I've wheeled my KJ without full skids (have front skid) and while I haven't busted anything yet...it's ALWAYS worth the peace of mind of having them there rather than breaking something major. If you trust you wont see anything too big and can get over or around the obstacles easy I wouldn't worry about it...but for the price of the mopar skids..you can't go wrong. Just my .02

BTW...full skids and tow hooks will be on my rig soon enough.

65thKJ · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:50 pm

I am also considering the mopar skids. I'm curios how much the skids weigh. I'm wondering if they will affect acceleration, gas mileage, etc..

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:31 pm

Stock skids weigh some but not that much to really affect your mileage that much. Now if you go with some of the aftermarket then yes, for example my Kilby gas tank skid must be 40/50 lbs or at least laying on my back with it on top of me seemed like it. The benefit outweighs any loss in mileage I think.

KJ_Dave · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:50 pm

I am going to get the All J Super skids. They engineerded stronger.

2006KJSPORT4x4 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:35 pm

you'll need the transfer and engine skids as well from Mopar with that skid....at least that is what I plan on doing once summer comes or earlier depending on the lottery and the tax man...

rkeegstra · **Posted:** Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:11 pm

65thKJ wrote:

I am also considering the mopar skids. I'm curios how much the skids weigh. I'm wondering if they will affect acceleration, gas mileage, etc..

Not as much as I would have thought - I just got all four Mopar skid plates, as well as front tow hooks and the 7-pin trailer wiring harness, and the entire shipped package was only 90 pounds.

Russ

65thKJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 9:32 am

Not bad, I think ill get the skids and tow hooks maybe this summer.

Skids for a Stock Libby ?

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