Ask The Expert- Most Important Skids

BigDogTrain

Jeep Owner
For the moderate off-roader, what are the most important skids one should buy when building a JK? Is there something that needs to be covered right off the bat for protection or to save money?
 

rhin0247

Jeep Owner
For the moderate off-roader, what are the most important skids one should buy when building a JK? Is there something that needs to be covered right off the bat for protection or to save money?
The first and most important would be the oil pan / transmission skid plate. I like the Rockhard 4x4, metalcloak, and JCR designs as the send the impact away from what is being protected.
 

Cloaked Willys

Jeep Fanatic
The first thing I normally address is the Evap canister in the back of the jeep. It is fairly easy to hit and expensive to replace. After that a full under skid system should be done.
 

El Sanchimoto

Jeep Owner
Everyone's terms can differ. What do you mean by 'Moderate Off-roader'?

It would also depend on the terrain types you wheel on I would think. If you play on the rocks a lot and are coming down on them/sliding them under your belly the answer will differ greatly than say if you were wheeling on the dunes/desert mostly, or out in a temperate forest/plains where the ground tends to be softer and more forgiving.

If you don't have a Rubicon it's less of a worry, but I replaced the plastic valance under the front bumper first thing with a proper skid since it helps to protect the swaybar disco on my Rubi. Beyond that my stock skids have held up wonderfully, though I'm not crawling rocks most of the time and dropping my mid section on them but I have certainly scraped the TCase skid a few times on rocks/obstacles on breakovers while on some trails.
 

LoneWolf

Jeep Newb
The first thing I normally address is the Evap canister in the back of the jeep. It is fairly easy to hit and expensive to replace. After that a full under skid system should be done.
Cloaked Willys is spot-on. The evap canister is completely exposed on early JKs, and has minimal protection from about '12 up. I could see going with an oil pan skid for those newer models, but most of the time I'd recommend going with an inexpensive evap skid first. For $100 or less, it's cheap insurance.
 

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
[emoji1318]great advice here. I have a '15 and the first thing I did was smash my evap. I glued it back together but my dash lights are still on.


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I have 3744 miles on my JKU, I added the ARB Skid system right after my first outing, I do some serious offroading, and have yet to come down on that new Skid Plate from the engine to the transmission crossmember.

As of last weekend, I have now a new HD trans crossmember coming, and a new transfer skid coming. I bent my transmission crossmember back and upwards, the ARB skid only shows wear at the crossmember itself. I will also need to harden the tin can of a fuel tank skid, as mine looks like its been through the Dakar Rally and back....

So Evap canister, thats important. So a better skid is ideal.
and the Transmission Crossmember is a joke on these JKU's so I would harden that or replace with a HD version.
As for the rest, It can come in time.

Although I will say, I would not have wheeled so hard last weekend, if my Oil pan and Trans where not covered...
 

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
i second the crossmember skid or replacement(I did both). Mine was so fuggled up I had to hold it in first gear. [emoji51]


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Cloaked Willys

Jeep Fanatic
Yeah, Full skids with a HD cross member are a great addition to the JK. Everything hangs under them so far so you will make use of them.
 
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