LX570 skid plate recommendations

[levster2023]

Hi all, my 2010 LX570 is currently getting Dissent front,rear bumpers + sliders.

I’m wanting to get skid plates as well and could use your recommendations.

I don’t plan to do much hardcore stuff but I definitely am going to take my rig to Moab and do some some crawling.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

My main motivation is to protect the under body during light crawling and just have peace of mind for when I’m camping/overlanding and maybe come across challenging terrain.

One other thing I’d like to optimize for is routine maintenance, it’s important that the skids don’t have to come off/don’t cause undue pain for simple/regular maintenance such as an oil change.

Thank you!

 

[Willie G]

A quick search using the word "skid" turned up threads on most of the suppliers for the 200.

They al have their admirers and the comments on each may help you decide.

I personally like the looks of these:

E&E Off-Road 200 Series Skid Plate System

Well the cat is out of the bag, a few of us were early adopters/late pre-production beta testers for @turbo8 and his new all aluminum skid plate system branded under his company E&E Off-Road. https://www.ee-offroading.com/product-page/200-series-skid-plate-system I was drawn to this skid plate...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[levster2023]

Thank you so much.

I definitely did several hours of research but I wanted to post my specific situation with the dissent front bumper and use cases.

I’ll look into the ones you recommended, appreciate you sharing.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

I purchased Rival 4x4 skids because they were relatively cheap. I haven't smacked them too hard or wrecked them yet. They interface well with my 2013 LX with dissent front bumper. Most of the skids won't really interfere with your dissent rear bumper, so I think you are going to have a lot of compatible options.

I think the E&E ones and Dissent one's look top notch. The deciding factor for me, was honestly a plan to smash them more than I have so far. Hence, I aimed for economy options that were relatively light.

 

[Heckraiser]

E&E Offroad definitely the best designed skid plate package in my mind. Added bonus, built-in anti-tweaker cat protection. @turbo8 is a awesome guy to work with.

I also like Budbuilt for the variety of options (thick steel, medium steel, stainless, aluminum) and you can get front skid, engine skid, transmission skid, cat guards, etc, all mix and match to save money, space out your purchases, get lighter protection in less damage-prone areas, etc.

Both have little service panels for oil changes.

 

[turbo8]

The next batch is still on track to be ready to ship mid October. If you get on the pre-order list you will get an additional 10% off a full set.

I'll also have some rear bumpers available around the same time frame too.

Thanks @Heckraiser and @Willie G

 

[levster2023]

E&E Offroad definitely the best designed slider package in my mind. Added bonus, built-in anti-tweaker cat protection. @turbo8 is a awesome guy to work with.

I also like Budbuilt for the variety of options (thick steel, medium steel, stainless, aluminum) and you can get front skid, engine skid, transmission skid, cat guards, etc, all mix and match to save money, space out your purchases, get lighter protection in less damage-prone areas, etc.

Both have little service panels for oil changes.

Thank you for the recommendation, the sleek/smooth design of the E&E is a real plus both in terms of not getting caught as easily (plus a potential for a fractional aerodynamic advantage lol)

When I talked to Will at Bud Built he gave me a really good impression of a small team that focuses a lot on quality, not to mention a lot of options like you said.

He did mention however that there would be a small gap between the dissent front bumper and their engine cover, which is a detail I would have to sort out.

 

[levster2023]

The next batch is still on track to be ready to ship mid October. If you get on the pre-order list you will get an additional 10% off a full set.

I'll also have some rear bumpers available around the same time frame too.

Thanks @Heckraiser and @Willie G

Thanks for letting me know, I’m going to DM with a couple questions about shipping and coverage.

 

[nwfl4runner]

Thank you for the recommendation, the sleek/smooth design of the E&E is a real plus both in terms of not getting caught as easily (plus a potential for a fractional aerodynamic advantage lol)

When I talked to Will at Bud Built he gave me a really good impression of a small team that focuses a lot on quality, not to mention a lot of options like you said.

He did mention however that there would be a small gap between the dissent front bumper and their engine cover, which is a detail I would have to sort out.

Dissent sells a filler plate - I run dissent front and budbuilt skids. Don’t lose a second of sleep over that - be glad to post pics if you want

 

[levster2023]

Dissent sells a filler plate - I run dissent front and budbuilt skids. Don’t lose a second of sleep over that - be glad to post pics if you want

Thank you, that would be super helpful if it’s not too much trouble for you

 

[nwfl4runner]

Thank you, that would be super helpful if it’s not too much trouble for you

I’m a crap photographer

 

[levster2023]

I’m a crap photographer

View attachment 3732282

No you’re good! Also, I see you have some great usage out of it, where do you usually go crawling?

 

[nwfl4runner]

No you’re good! Also, I see you have some great usage out of it, where do you usually go crawling?

The bangs and scrapes are mostly Moab - where I live the wheeling is deep mud and blind bottoms - I run buds aluminum front and the rest is stainless steel. Stuff is bombproof

 

[levster2023]

The bangs and scrapes are mostly Moab - where I live the wheeling is deep mud and blind bottoms - I run buds aluminum front and the rest is stainless steel. Stuff is bombproof

That bulletproof line at the end has stuck in my head, it’s becoming more compelling to go with a SS set up and just never had to think about it. On balance though I don’t actually know what the marginal difference is and doubt I’ll ever off-road to the point where I exceed the protection aluminum gives.

 

[m12345y]

The (high strength) steel stuff is heavy; I’d recommend aluminum for typical mental assurance. Not sure where stainless steel stands in weight.

 

[levster2023]

The (high strength) steel stuff is heavy; I’d recommend aluminum for typical mental assurance. Not sure where stainless steel stands in weight.

The (high strength) steel stuff is heavy; I’d recommend aluminum for typical mental assurance. Not sure where stainless steel stands in weight.

So I did the math based on Buds website, and for front, engine, transmission, transfer case, and fuel tank skids, aluminum = 113lb, steel (stainless or carbon, same weight) = 225lb, for a delta of 112lb. Essentially twice the weight.

My rig with all the planned mods is already adding approximately 870lbs (albeit there was a weight loss when the AHC was removed but I don’t know what that would be, so conservatively I’m going to assume it was a loss of 70lbs, Same goes for rear seats, which I reckon come in around 30lbs each). Thus, I’m at 740lb net gain already.

With these skids I’d be standing to add an additional 113lb/225lb depending on which metal I chose.

With aluminum I’ll be at total gain of 853 and with steel I’ll be 965lb.

On balance, the additional weight would reduce my center of gravity which is great, but the fact that it’s a net gain of weight has its own drawbacks in terms of ride and handling.

In summary, when it comes down to assessing how much of a trade off the additional weight of steel is I’m at a bit of loss considering steel is more durable (since less prone to galling, per Buds website) and the extra weight may be a net positive in terms of handling and safety because it lowers the center of gravity more than aluminum.

That all being said, considering that the vast majority of my driving will be on road, saving 112lbs maybe be the more prudent choice.

P.S. sorry for this insanely long rant, this thread is oddly therapeutic after another long day caring my for my 10 month old twins.

 

[grinchy]

I put in a variety of manufacturers in aluminium. This was before Eand E existed.

Ending up destroying the engine and front skid (it was a total chaos one piece). It was the front part that took the hit. Replaced with a BB steel front and engine. I got the 3/16, but would recommend the 1/8 for the engine, with the tires there it won’t see much action.

My belly stuff is still aluminium and still fine.

TC and Fuel as well.

Don’t forget the RLCA and rear shock skids. The rear shock skids get a lot of action from rocks.

 

[levster2023]

I put in a variety of manufacturers in aluminium. This was before Eand E existed.

Ending up destroying the engine and front skid (it was a total chaos one piece). It was the front part that took the hit. Replaced with a BB steel front and engine. I got the 3/16, but would recommend the 1/8 for the engine, with the tires there it won’t see much action.

My belly stuff is still aluminium and still fine.

TC and Fuel as well.

Don’t forget the RLCA and rear shock skids. The rear shock skids get a lot of action from rocks.

Thanks for sharing, where do you get your RLCA and rear shock skids from?

 

[nwfl4runner]

That bulletproof line at the end has stuck in my head, it’s becoming more compelling to go with a SS set up and just never had to think about it. On balance though I don’t actually know what the marginal difference is and doubt I’ll ever off-road to the point where I exceed the protection aluminum gives.

You raise some good thoughts about weight in your other posts, and it’s real - my SS setup is heavy! I run my build light (no rear bumper/drawers/fridge/roof rack) and my only added stuff is a front bumper/winch and sliders. If you’re adding weight elsewhere AND you don’t intend to really rock crawl, I’d rock aluminum. I’ll also give a controversial thought - although I run bud skids, I don’t run a fuel skid, and my fuel tank doesn’t have a scratch on it - I’d save your weight there as well.

 

[grinchy]

Thanks for sharing, where do you get your RLCA and rear shock skids from?

Trail tailor. It is possible they aren’t made anymore. I haven’t looked recently.