Another Skid Plate Discussion (C4 & Budbuilt)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

B

BlkGX2011

Joined
Dec 8, 2024
Threads
4
Messages
40
Location
Phoenix Area, Arizona
I know there is are plenty of threads about skids plate but this one is mainly for me to look at how much ground clearance is reduced by some skid plate systems and coverage amount.
Im debating between:
  • Budbuilt:
    • Pros: 96lbs for lite steel, good reviews on quality and build/engineering, factory front skid jack point retained
    • Cons: seems to reduce ground clearance by 0.5" to 1" (which reduces benefits of running larger tires)
  • C4:
    • Pros: 3/16" steel for durability, seems to retain as much ground clearance compare to others
    • Cons: doesn't seem to provide coverage for TC actutator
  • Mix of OEM (front) & Talons garage (transmission/TC skid):
    • Pros: most cost effective, somewhat compatible via grinding wheel, retains good amount of ground clearance, OEM skid retains factory front skid jack point
    • Cons: custom fitment with OEM skids required, heterogeneous skid system, no oil filter access w/o removing front OEM skid
If you have Budbuilt skids, can you post pictures. Im trying to see how much gap there is between the trans cross member and the bottom of the skid. The only one I found only is this one, but it's hard to see:
1777491564186.webp

I like C4's skid system, but it doesnt seem to cover the electronic actuator for the transfer case (I know the likely hood is low, but would hate to spend + $1k on skid system that doesnt protect a vital component):
1777490583403.webp
 
Budbuilt also has oil filter access panel designed for the 1UR-FE in 460... C4 is based on oil filter of V6 in 4R
 
I have the following combo: budbuilt steel front skid, oem engine skid, talon's garage aluminium transmission skid with cat 'wings' and 4runner oem full gas tank skid. I don't currently have a skid for the tansfer case but am thinking about getting the Talon's garage version at some point.
My rationale has been that most hits I take while offroading is to the front skid, so make that the toughest armor. Budbuilt has been rock solid and the direct access to the oil filter makes it a no brainer. The rest of the skids are lighter weight oem and aftermarket options which helps with weight saving while still providing some protection as well as ease of removal when changing fluids.
 
xychromosome said:
I have the following combo: budbuilt steel front skid, oem engine skid, talon's garage aluminium transmission skid with cat 'wings' and 4runner oem full gas tank skid. I don't currently have a skid for the tansfer case but am thinking about getting the Talon's garage version at some point.
My rationale has been that most hits I take while offroading is to the front skid, so make that the toughest armor. Budbuilt has been rock solid and the direct access to the oil filter makes it a no brainer. The rest of the skids are lighter weight oem and aftermarket options which helps with weight saving while still providing some protection as well as ease of removal when changing fluids.
Click to expand...
How do the ground clearances of the Budbuilt front skid and Talons Garage transmission skid compare to OEM engine skid (and OEM front skid)?
 
mtnco said:
How do the ground clearances of the Budbuilt front skid and Talons Garage transmission skid compare to OEM engine skid (and OEM front skid)?
Click to expand...
The talons skid fit flush againt the crossmembers, so no clearance lost there. The front skid sits a bit lower, but mainly due to its extra thickness compared to oem. I'll take a few picks next time I am under the truck
 
xychromosome said:
The talons skid fit flush againt the crossmembers, so no clearance lost there. The front skid sits a bit lower, but mainly due to its extra thickness compared to oem. I'll take a few picks next time I am under the truck
Click to expand...
i have RCI steel front, talon trans, rci transfer case. if you have rci transfer case skid, you need to have the diagonal braces between cross member and skid, so that the transfer case skid has enough clearance for the exhaust

1777553649440.webp
 
Looks like the budbuilt sits pretty flush against the braces under the engine so other than the increase in metal thickness compared to oem, you won't lose much clearance. The second pic shows all 3 skids lined up.


IMG_2488.webp

IMG_2489.webp
 
xychromosome said:
Looks like the budbuilt sits pretty flush against the braces under the engine so other than the increase in metal thickness compared to oem, you won't lose much clearance. The second pic shows all 3 skids lined up.


View attachment 4132222
View attachment 4132223
Click to expand...
How big is the gap between budbuilt front skid and OEM front mid skid? Has a rock got you hung up there before?
I think I'll end up doing something similar to yours with a mix of OEM & Talon skids.
 
BlkGX2011 said:
How big is the gap between budbuilt front skid and OEM front mid skid? Has a rock got you hung up there before?
I think I'll end up doing something similar to yours with a mix of OEM & Talon skids.
Click to expand...
There is a small gap in the middle of the interface between the 2 plates. I haven't been hang up by it but I don't typically slide over many obstacles.
 
Biggest clearance issue for skids on the GX compared to a 4R is for the KDSS sway bar movement, which is "disconnected" in low range crawling and free to move around on the drivers side.
 
Not sure if anyone has addressed yet, but what kind of off roading do you do? Are you banging around rock gardens and gate keepers? Or are you more of a trail/overland guy? For myself, I went with aluminum skids to keep weight down since my goal is mostly overlanding. But there's still plenty of protection with the aluminum skids, so long as I don't always go looking for something to bang them on. I've them a couple times and have held up great.
 
r2m said:
Not sure if anyone has addressed yet, but what kind of off roading do you do? Are you banging around rock gardens and gate keepers? Or are you more of a trail/overland guy? For myself, I went with aluminum skids to keep weight down since my goal is mostly overlanding. But there's still plenty of protection with the aluminum skids, so long as I don't always go looking for something to bang them on. I've them a couple times and have held up great.
Click to expand...
What brand did you go with?

Yes, I do occasionally run some more rock crawling type of trails. I don't do anything crazy and in fact, I've never contacted the Trans oil pan. Ive skidded a rock on my front skid maybe twice and have skidded the belly (mid exhaust pipe/transmission cross member) only a few times.

I am the type to be cautious of my line and if I do scrape, I continue my line so I wanted to avoid aluminum cause of that.

I think I may just go with Bud Built in 1/8" lite steel. There seems to be a lot of positives and I wouldn't want/need to modify as it comes with oil change access holes and factory jack lifting point.

Price is a bit hefty @ $1300 shipped and unpainted though.
 
i took all my skids off this weekend for maintenance and preparation of a few trips. rci steel skid has bashes a lot of rocks and was u surprisingly still in relatively good shape.

talon aluminum trans skid also helped up. i was concerned about the vents not being strong enough, but they held up to some hard hits. bent, yes, but provided the protection needed and the mounting holes still line up.

1778439577574.webp
 
not directly related to the topic of ground clearance but I found this video very helpful:

aroud 9:30 he starts showing a few charts comparing the weights of various brands of steel and aluminum skid systems. I was ready to go aluminum because I care a lot about weight, but learning that a full skid system including gas tank skid is only 70lbs heavier for steel vs aluminum as swayed me to steel. much stronger (he talks about weld weakness with aluminum, not just material strength), and 70lbs at the very bottom of the vehicle just isn't that big of a deal overall.

budbuilt seems to be the highest quality but i'm having a hard time justifying the 40% price jump over RCI.
 
FWIW I just ordered the C4 full skid set in steel and the RCI fuel tank skid in aluminum. will let everyone know how i like them in 6-8 weeks o_O
 
alhounos said:
FWIW I just ordered the C4 full skid set in steel and the RCI fuel tank skid in aluminum. will let everyone know how i like them in 6-8 weeks o_O
Click to expand...
I have AL RCI fuel skid- if you can change order, I would recommend steel if you plan to use it frequently. Mine completely bent on the leading edge when I got high centered.
 
Another consideration im thinking of is some skids have you remove the front KDSS swaybar guards and the subframe brackets, while some skids maintain them. Do they serve any specific functions? Like frame reinforcements or are they just guards for swaybar and Cats?
Im wondering if there's any downsides to removing them.

Screenshot_20260519_075512_Gallery.webp


Screenshot_20260519_075859_Gallery.webp
 
I have a set of arb powertrain skids with an rci fuel tank skid.

I roll boulders down my skids and will probably need to replace my arb skids this year from abuse. But if you dont wheel that hard they should last as long as you can manage the corrosion.
1000003819.webp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom