Why do people get rock sliders, but not skid plates?

[iwashmycar]

Sliders also help with door dings if they stick out enough!

Ill purposefully park next to that soccer-mom Honda Odyssey or any car as I know that door is only going to tag my slider.... Then I only have to avoid other SUVs or trucks that might also have high door heights (or that pesky sharp rise in the rear doors)

 

[CharlieS]

Great responses everyone! This forum is so helpful.

I summarized all the comments in this thread, in no particular order:

• The car already has some (albeit limited) skid plate protection, but no protection where sliders go.
• In addition to damage from the bottom, sliders also protect you “from the sides” e.g., being on a slope, and sliding onto a rock.
• Sliders allow you to “pivot” off a tree or rock.
• Sliders protect things that are very expensive to fix
• The sides are pretty weak: you don’t need rocks to damage the sides, even tree stumps can do that.
• Sliders can be helpful even on easy trails. Skid plates only help on the more difficult trails.
• Sliders and skid plates are both very heavy.
• Sliders look cool.
• (read elsewhere) skid plates can make it harder to access things under the car.

I think what I'll do is get the Slee Slidersteps first (though let me know if other brands are better) and hold off on skid plates for now.

Good synopsis, but some of feels like it is stated as fact, when it seems like opinion. For example, with my skid plates (budbuilt), it is actually easier to access the underbody than it was with factory skids. Some are highly variable - I have aluminum skids that aren't that heavy compared to some steel options. I find my sliders make better steps than the factory running boards. Sturdy skid plates can save your day on the road too - I've lost an engine to a frost heave knocking out the oil plug on a car without skid plates (you will never see a rally car without skid protection).

I love Budbuilt, but if I were in CA, I'd look for some of the options that are closer to you. You have some great shops out west.

 

[robmobile73]

Rubbing, scraping, and bouncing off/over/around obstacles Is a type of off road driving that people readily do with ATV's, Tractors, heavy equipment etc.., but rarely consider doing with their nice shiny painted truck. If you want to off road like that with a expensive, newer, shiny, straight bodied 4wd and want to keep it nice you probably need the sliders....Ditto on what everyone else has said about most Toyota's coming with decent skid plates from the factory. Also scratches, dents, and damage underneath don't matter much unless it inhibits function. I've seen plenty of Aluminum rubbed off on rocks from peoples tranny's and transfer cases, but not much oil on the rocks with it. Tells me those driveline parts are quite durable, plus they are mounted in rubber mounts so there's a little give if they hit somthing hard.

A totally non-functional reason why you see more sliders is because "you see them" without having to look underneath the vehicle. There are alot of "parking lot cruisers" out there that have modified jeeps solely for the purpose of looking cool. Rock sliders get more attention.

 

[grinchy]

Agree with @CharlieS that front to back Aluminum skids add little weight over stock (edit: 30lbs added)
My MT LX570 sliders though add 150lbs over the stock steps. That is a lot!

 

[M1911]

Sliders also help with door dings if they stick out enough!

The other day I was looking at the right side of my 200 and saw that a white car had scraped up against my right side slider. They clearly had a bad day, but no damage to my slider that can't be fixed with a rattle can. I'm guessing it was their left-front corner that scraped my slider while they were either coming into a or pulling out of a parking space next to me.

 

[bloc]

ARB sliders are light specifically because they aren’t as strong. For this purpose I’d rather have some pretty solid structure down there.

 

[Madtiger]

ARB sliders are light specifically because they aren’t as strong. For this purpose I’d rather have some pretty solid structure down there.

Seems decent to my untrained eyes. Have you seen one up close? The slider and arms and where they attach to frame seem pretty stout...from pics of Slee “formed” sliders, ARB seems stronger?? But i am sure MT, BudBuilt, and Slee “regular“ sliders are stronger but you pay for it in weight.

But either way, i have banged the ARB against some stuff...it did not care. I trust ARB and their R&D into stuff. So, if it is good enough for their off-roading, then it is probably overkill for me.

 

[DPA200]

White Knuckle Offroad is in SoCal. I have BudBuilt, but I know quite a few people with White Knuckle that love them. Otherwise yeah i never really hear anything bad about Slee sliders. Any of the 3 are solid options. BudBuilt is the only no-drill option, but even with that, I wouldn't say necessarily easier install. Great company to deal with, they really torture test and stand behind their products though.

 

[Romer]

Seems decent to my untrained eyes. Have you seen one up close? The slider and arms and where they attach to frame seem pretty stout...from pics of Slee “formed” sliders, ARB seems stronger?? But i am sure MT, BudBuilt, and Slee “regular“ sliders are stronger but you pay for it in weight.

But either way, i have banged the ARB against some stuff...it did not care. I trust ARB and their R&D into stuff. So, if it is good enough for their off-roading, then it is probably overkill for me.

They may be just fine. However, its people with a lot of years building multiple trucks who are suggesting not to be that worried about weight with sliders, the extra strength pays for it self.

I had an ARB rear bumper, had a lot of issues. I gave it to my nephew and bought a Slee and have been real happy. I do have the ARB front bumper and their Jack and lockers, they do make good stuff

 

[Markuson]

Seems decent to my untrained eyes. Have you seen one up close? The slider and arms and where they attach to frame seem pretty stout...from pics of Slee “formed” sliders, ARB seems stronger?? But i am sure MT, BudBuilt, and Slee “regular“ sliders are stronger but you pay for it in weight.

But either way, i have banged the ARB against some stuff...it did not care. I trust ARB and their R&D into stuff. So, if it is good enough for their off-roading, then it is probably overkill for me.

I’ve seen them up close...and kinked badly.
ARB sliders are not going to do well when weight of the vehicle is on a small part of it. Maybe it can handle leaning against a deep rut or bank, but honestly, I don’t think they should be really considered *rock* sliders.

ARB **skids, OTOH, are far more capable...
...but ARB rails (sliders?) are really thin and poorly attached.

 

[Madtiger]

I’ve seen them up close...and kinked badly.
ARB sliders are not going to do well when weight of the vehicle is on a small part of it. Maybe it can handle leaning against a deep rut or bank, but honestly, I don’t think they should be really considered *rock* sliders.

ARB **skids, OTOH, are far more capable...
...but ARB rails (sliders?) are really thin and poorly attached.

Wow. You’ve seen the newer version (2016+ LC)? ARB made slider thicker metal and redid mounting I think.

I stand corrected if you have seen the new version.

 

[Markuson]

Wow. You’ve seen the newer version (2016+ LC)? ARB made slider thicker metal and redid mounting I think.

I stand corrected if you have seen the new version.

No.
if you were referring to some brand new version of ARB “sliders” then no. I cannot say with certainty I have seen those...if that’s a thing. My observation of ARB rails are at least one to two years ago on a 200, but I don’t remember what model year it was.

So maybe you are referring to something new that I am unaware of. If someone has a link, I’m curious now.

to @Madtiger
ARB has had a product that look like sliders for years. If ARB recently upped their strength dramatically (did they?), I have not seen that. ARB rails always looked like sliders, but I don’t think they even advertised them as true rock sliders.

Does anyone have a link to a new version from ARB?

 

[afgman786]

Wow. You’ve seen the newer version (2016+ LC)? ARB made slider thicker metal and redid mounting I think.

I stand corrected if you have seen the new version.

ARB themselves do not call them rock sliders for a reason. They are not. Those sliders are more for the bush than rocks.

 

[Markuson]

ARB themselves do not call them rock sliders for a reason. They are not. Those sliders are more for the bush than rocks.

Yep. This is what I’m referring to.

If anyone knows of a new version that is ready to handle the weight of the vehicle at any point along the piece, that would be something very different from what I’ve seen in person.

My impression is that the main thing that’s new on the ARB is simply the way the side rails attach to the new version front bumper. They note this on the AU site.... but they don’t point to anything else that is new or stronger as sliders.

Paging @VooDoo2 ?

 

[hickuptruck]

It's unlikely that the undercarriage components would be damaged when getting stuck on a ledge as the frame rails tucks all that stuff in. You would rest on the frame rail underneath.

However, more than more likely you will damage the rocker and doors. Which is why sliders exist. It is less likely to be going down a trail, over a rock, and then your suspension bottoms out all of a sudden needing skids, compared to getting hung up on a ledge and needing sliders.

 

[ATwoZ]

Not sure if this is right, but I've always heard from a driving technique standpoint that when you have the option, to put your wheels over the tallest item, and thus your sliders in the process. That way you avoid diffs and other costly mechanical things. Obviously that doesn't work in every scenario, but one of the reasons I saw sliders as more important.

 

[Madtiger]

Yep. This is what I’m referring to.

If anyone knows of a new version that is ready to handle the weight of the vehicle at any point along the piece, that would be something very different from what I’ve seen in person.

My impression is that the main thing that’s new on the ARB is simply the way the side rails attach to the new version front bumper. They note this on the AU site.... but they don’t point to anything else that is new or stronger as sliders.

Paging @VooDoo2 ?

ARB themselves do not call them rock sliders for a reason. They are not. Those sliders are more for the bush than rocks.

From ARB: SIDE RAILS & SIDE STEPS

SUMMIT SIDE PROTECTION
With an all new attachment system, larger steel tubing and anodized aluminum tread plate, the Summit Side Protection range encompasses the very best in design and vehicle protection.

Built for the next generation of four-wheel-drives, Summit Side Rails and Protection Steps defend your vehicle’s doors, side sills and quarter panels from expensive damage encountered off-road. Manufactured from high strength 60.3mm tubular steel; the attachment system connects the side rail to the bumper securely, while a tough nylon cover sleeve provides an integrated look.

For those that do not require the side rails, a standalone protection step can be fitted.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the link above, if you click thru the "slides" on that web page, then you see that ARB states that their side rails can take the weight of the vehicle??

 

[Markuson]

From ARB: SIDE RAILS & SIDE STEPS

SUMMIT SIDE PROTECTION
With an all new attachment system, larger steel tubing and anodized aluminum tread plate, the Summit Side Protection range encompasses the very best in design and vehicle protection.

Built for the next generation of four-wheel-drives, Summit Side Rails and Protection Steps defend your vehicle’s doors, side sills and quarter panels from expensive damage encountered off-road. Manufactured from high strength 60.3mm tubular steel; the attachment system connects the side rail to the bumper securely, while a tough nylon cover sleeve provides an integrated look.

For those that do not require the side rails, a standalone protection step can be fitted.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the link above, if you click thru the "slides" on that web page, then you see that ARB states that their side rails can take the weight of the vehicle??

Ya.
I don’t have a pony in this race...and maybe this did something totally different....but I think they are really fudging it with that description. The specifics of when it can “support the weight of the vehicle” is kind of a big deal. Holding up as it leans into a long, banked or muddy rut is one thing...because that spreads the weight across long sections of tubing more evenly as it leans up against a muddy bank or rut. That kind of contact is really common in Australian mud/roads.

But in the rocky stuff (not a typical day in Australia), supporting the weight when rocks concentrate that weight on just a tiny part somewhere on the slider rocks is way more demanding.

Not trying to bash ARB or argue. I like and use many of their products. Only reason I’m still commenting about it is because for folks heading to rocky stuff and trying to protect... It’s sucks to find out the hard way that something isn’t up to the task.

 

[bloc]

The fact that the ARB parts weigh half as much as most of the other good options suggests those must be twice as strong as is really necessary... and ARB is the only one smart enough to develop them correctly.

Anyone willing to go bash their ARB “side steps” against some rocks to prove the point? Until I see that happen I’ll keep recommending actual rock sliders for people that want or need rocker panel protection from rocks.

I’ll be among the first to advocate for a lighter rig when possible, but rock sliders aren’t the place to try and save weight unless you are ok with the body damage.

 

[Trukk]

I have BB Sliders. They have already paid for themselves. About a week after install, a neighbor backed into my truck. His bumper was torn to hell, and all I had to do was wipe off a scuff mark with a towel. Saved me from having the car in the shop, new rockers/door(s?), new paint, etc.

As an aside, the BB Ultimate sliders will survive the apocalypse. To say they are stout is an UNDERSTATEMENT. They give the confidence that the rocks will break before the sliders will take damage. Anyone on the fence, give BudBuilt a call. Worth every penny and pound!