How does one determine the need for armor and sliders? (1 Viewer)

[gx2lc]

Hello all,

I ran a search on this, but didn't see any relevant threads.

Did the Texas Hill Country overland trail this past weekend. Was ~150 miles of dirt roads with loose rock plus occasional rocky dry riverbeds. There were also 3-4 water crossings. Water crossing were 1-2 feet deep at the most, nothing too difficult. Had fun testing the Dobinsons MRA to fly down the trails at 40-50mph.

This got me wondering, if this is the typical off road use I'm anticipating (fire roads, country dirt trails, logging roads) for my planned trips...is there a need for armor?

I'm not sure how to think about it. One one hand, a stock LC200 did the Canning Stock Route in Australia with no modifications. However, prolonged use on dirt roads with loose rock at 30+ MPH will result in lots of debris flying into the undercarriage. I'm not sure if the stock setup was designed for that kind of abuse over time.

Would appreciate any inputs on how to think about the modification decision here.

 

[bhsdriller]

If you have money to spend why not

Did you get any damage? Depends if you're going to go harder or not.
If you're only going to be doing the same types of trails I wouldn't

 

[TheGrrrrr]

Hello all,

I ran a search on this, but didn't see any relevant threads.

Did the Texas Hill Country overland trail this past weekend. Was ~150 miles of dirt roads with loose rock plus occasional rocky dry riverbeds. There were also 3-4 water crossings. Water crossing were 1-2 feet deep at the most, nothing too difficult. Had fun testing the Dobinsons MRA to fly down the trails at 40-50mph.

This got me wondering, if this is the typical off road use I'm anticipating (fire roads, country dirt trails, logging roads) for my planned trips...is there a need for armor?

I'm not sure how to think about it. One one hand, a stock LC200 did the Canning Stock Route in Australia with no modifications. However, prolonged use on dirt roads with loose rock at 30+ MPH will result in lots of debris flying into the undercarriage. I'm not sure if the stock setup was designed for that kind of abuse over time.

Would appreciate any inputs on how to think about the modification decision here.

I would review the entire wheeling damage pics thread as there tends to be a lot of discussion about conditions encountered that resulted in damage. I have full armor because a lot of the trails I’m on have obstacles that could cause damage. The extra protection is the difference between turning around and carrying on. I’m a firm believer that sliders should be the first upgrade after tires and suspension for any off-road use that would be significant enough to warrant upgraded tires and suspension. It’s good insurance. Skids are more terrain/style dependent in that gravel and dirt roads aren’t going to be a problem for the factory skids. The next step would be something like the ARB skids. They are a nice middle ground before moving on to the full heavy protection of the BudBuilt stuff. I would probably have RLCA and rear shock armor before going all-out on the skids.

 

[TLC2013]

If it’s in the budget I’d say go for it. You won’t regret having the extra protection especially when an easy trail all of a sudden throws a rough obstacle your way.

In hindsight I should have put sliders and full skids as the first two mods on my 200. Being in northern CA, the majority of the Sierra mountain trails I run have the potential for serious rock damage to the undercarriage and power train. There are definitely a few battle scars to prove this.
Don’t skimp on sliders get the best. Skids you can save a few bucks with the ARBs or Total Chaos and still get superior protection over stock. I ultimately went with the full Budbuilt skids and sold the ARBs. Once you factor in a real transfer case skid and fuel skid that are separate purchases for the ARBs and Total Chaos coughing up the extra money for the Budbuilt made sense for me. There is a night and day difference in coverage and protection that Budbuilt, Dissent and Slee provide over ARB.

 

[DenverLX]

I put sliders and bumpers on mine because I have damaged my 100 and 80 bumpers. Mostly I end up coming off a rock drop and hitting hard on the back bumper. Front bumpers don't seem to be as important to me while off-roading, but I have hit and killed deer a few times. I also like rear swing arms for carrying fuel, propane and water, all of which I find annoying to carry in the truck. Also, this may be petty but I like the trash bag things that hang from the spare tire so I don't have to have trash in my truck either. And finally, I live near downtown Denver and I park on the street (with the idiots) and work in a hospital (old people are dangerous) and I have been rear ended and hit multiple times. Last time I was rear ended the car that hit me was pretty damaged, I pulled over and said I was fine and had no damage and then drove away.

 

[JetFuel]

I'm struggling with this as well, mostly due to the weight/aero implications. Trying to balance want vs need isn't easy because the additional variable of "might need" could quickly change into a "must have" after it's too late!

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Thanks to BudBuilt I have sliders and full aluminum skids. My needs are modest but have been in places where a washout has change the terrain enough that a wrong bounce could cause damage.

Part of getting sliders was as much daily function as off road function. The steps on the LC are good for getting ones pant leg dirty. But that is about it.

 

[gx2lc]

Thanks all! Sounds like sliders are definitely a good idea and armor would be if budget allows. That's the tricky part to think through.

 

[RET2]

IMHO you don't need them, well until you did need them. Seriously though view it as insurance, you know, only pay for what you need, they say.

 

[grinchy]

Driving fast on the way out last trip and toasted my front end in a cross road double set of narrow deepish washes. Nothing at 5-10 mph, but trouble at 30. Form fit the TC front skid, no other damage. It lives to fight more days, more aerodynamic now.
It’s not expensive, it’s not much heavier than stock, and you only need to use it once to be glad you got it.
I could see something like this happening on most any mostly maintained dirt road. Especially if you tend to drive fast and brake later.

 

[Madtiger]

For me, the stock skids are plenty stout enough. Now, your rocker panels are not stout and expensive as hell to repair. So, SLIDERS are a must if you do any off-roading IMHO. Bumpers and skids are not needed for most (if not all) mild-mod off-roading as long as you take it slow and have spotter(s).

You put too much and your fuel mileage and on-road performance will suffer significantly. And LC’s cruising range is already pathetic…anything heavier will really tank your long-distance bladder.

 

[mcgaskins]

If you have to ask, you most likely don't need skids beyond what's already there from the factory, but I always recommend tires and sliders regardless of you think you might get into. Sliders are super cheap for the protection they provide and act as running boards, so there is no trade off other than a slight weight penalty which is basically imperceivable. I do not daily my 200 and quite literally only take it to Costco (gas, steaks, flowers) or on wheeling trips on trails that are usually rated 3-7 out of 10, and the only skid plate I run is the ARB front diff skid. I have the rest of the ARB skids in the box in the garage, but I simply don't see the need for the wheeling I do and didn't ding them on the last 200 I had with skids other than the front diff skid. I'm a firm believer in only adding the mods you need and use, and the extra weight of the skids will be a penalty 100% of the time when you may never need them in reality. Lightness is key unless you truly envision wheeling aggressively and running over stuff that will mess up the underside. The 200 was literally built for the harshest conditions on the planet out of the box, so don't overthink or overbuild it. As with every high performance vehicle out there, the most important variable is the person behind the wheel (or handlebars)!

 

[TeCKis300]

@mcgaskins covered it well.

It depends on the type of wheeling that you do. IMO, they are not as high priority and I prefer to avoid them because there are trades. For general overlanding, it's not required. There may be other ways to achieve or sidestep the need for skids for medium to difficult level trails.

IMO, bigger tires should be the priority. Running 32-33" tires with skids seems counterproductive, when there is the option to do 34-35" tires sans skids. It's better to avoid contact sports to begin with, by adding more outright clearance. If you're already into a big tire and then still need skids, you'll know it for the type of wheeling that your doing. I say counterproductive because armor itself has the potential to reduce clearance, performance, and magnify damage as weight is a slippery slope.

 

[Gazziza]

Another thing to consider is protection from animal strikes. Where I live I can get to the mountains in like 10 mins where there's tons of deer on mountain and canyon roads. It would suck to have the car severely damaged from an animal strike if we're somewhere remote. While I like the idea of either running no bumper or a low profile bumper like Dissents for weight savings, I wonder if it's worth sacrificing the protection when the costs are about the same. I don't know how often deer strikes happen but I also don't want to find out either.

 

[borfoo3]

A Land cruiser was built for long distance off tarmac cruising, so everything like fire roads, country dirt trails, logging roads, minor water crossings are part of its daily diet. As long as the fiber skids are in place, they should be enough.

To me the evolution for off-roading starts with good recovery gear with tires followed by a lift. This covers >95% of the average 200 owner's needs.
Armor (sliders, skids) then bumpers + winch are the next big steps after that.

Learning from previously modded Toyota vehicles, every step away from stock comes with a small penalty in reliability or efficiency plus the occasional complimentary rust, squeak or gremlin. Wouldn't rush to mod if you don't need to.

 

[Madtiger]

The other thing to think about is family safety of aftermarket parts (protection, suspension, etc). For example, although we all would like to think a big a$$ steel bumper will be great in an animal (or any other) strike, are we so sure that it won’t work against the crash protection that is designed into a factory LC? Only a few aftermarket companies crash test their parts to ensure that it meets safety regulations.

 

[gearguywb]

IMHO you don't need them, well until you did need them. Seriously though view it as insurance, you know, only pay for what you need, they say.

This.

I would add, much like insurance, if you don't need it it is not hurting anything to have it. When you need it, it's too late to run out and get it.

You are paying for peace of mind.

 

[ga12r1]

If you know, you know