Aluminum VS Steel skid plates - Real world reviews
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2021
- Check out our shop: www.sandycats.com/
Instagram: / sandycats_
Not all skids are built alike. You can have a 25% weight difference between manufacturers and even greater when choosing different material. In this video we will see what you can truly expect from the weight savings of aluminum and what to look for for choosing a skid system for your overland or off-road vehicle. We show the results of RCI skids used on a Toyota 4Runner. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from making mistakes. Thanks for taking the time and sharing your experiences.
Thank you for this video. I had heard that aluminum skids didn't slide over rocks but I was skeptical. Seeing yours all clawed up has helped me decide on steel skids. Thank you very much!
Just came across your channel today. I was wondering what the main differences were between steel vs aluminum. You helped me make up my mind to go with steel. Enjoyed your no non-sense no BS approach. Thank you!
i can attest to the strength of the steel rci skids. i have them on my taco with almost stock tires. went on some trails yesterday and absolutely slammed hard into some decent rocks in a river. skids dont appear to even be dented. they are scratched, but not heavily dented. steel is worth the weight for the protection. if i didnt have the steel rci skids, i would not have been able to drive home from the trail that day.
Only problem is the transfer case skid (the furthest to rear). Tried bumping up a rock and dented it to hit my rerouted exhaust. Would be better if they had some cross braces there so I don’t have to bend it back on hard hits
Great video man. I am running RCI's 1/4" thick aluminum skids for eng/trans/tc on my 18 Tundra. They have held up well so far, but I also don't encounter a lot of rocks on the wheeling that I do. I am a little shocked and disappointed at the response RCI gave you about the aluminum skids. They also actually state on their website "The aluminum material is substantially lighter than steel and thanks to its extra thickness it is just as strong." This is very misleading and they shouldn't state this. Those welds cracking and the deformity is very disappointing. There's a lot of science that goes into what material is actually "stronger" but at the end of the day it's about what you intend on using your vehicle for. I would also agree that if you are going to be banging up constantly on rocks, the steel is a better choice...but after watching your video I now wish I would have went with steel for longevity as the weight savings and rust doesn't bother me. Thanks for the real world testing.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to share your experience!
Great talking points - was considering RCI aluminum for exact same reasons as for your wife's 4R. This video make me change that thought. Your observations on clearance and increased need for protection and aluminum softness versus steel are really insightful. Thanks!
Appreciate the feedback!
@@SandyCats thanks for your honest review. I just started looking at the RCI aluminum skid plates today and your video has completely changed my mind. Look forward to more reviews from you!
Excellent video, very very descriptive!, thank you so much for taking the time to make this!
Just the information I needed. I really appreciate your fair and direct feedback. Thanks.
Thank you for the honesty man I’m subscribing for that and the great REAL review and comparison.
Awesome video, great information, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, clarified a lot of my concerns.
Thanks for the review and Your honesty!
Thanks for this video. Super helpful. Will look into the 1/4" (
Great job ! Honest and concise review !
Thanks for this. Super knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing all of your information
Cool and informative video. Was already leaning more towards CBI or C4 over RCI. Adding the customer service(lack of) response you got kinda confirms it.
Great video! The forums and blogs don’t give this level of detail. Good to know the pitfalls of aluminum skids. Steel is real
I just discovered your channel and it’s great! I’m a newbie to offroading and I bought RCI aluminum everything because I never thought I would wheel hard but how wrong I was. My aluminum engine skid is a lot more beat up than yours with the welds ripped and same problems “catching the rocks” instead of sliding from it making me get stuck more often than I admit. The sources you pointed out are channels that I’m subscribed to like Kai’s tinkerer, DBC off road, dirt lifestyle. Good to find another channel I can subscribe to that give facts from experience.
Soo happy to hear that feedback! Appreciate it!!!
Thanks for the video. Assumed this was the case, but glad i saw this first hand. Can't believe RCI gave you the shaft like that... not that I'd expect them to take back a beat to hell skid plate, but at least "hey ship it back to us, we'd like to analyze it to see how it held up, here's 10% off the steel" one would've been nice.
Thank you for your honest assessment!
I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing the great info. cheers
Same exact experience. One hard hit and destroyed my front aluminum skid plate. Nothing but steel now.
Great video. I hope you decide to make more videos. Love the channel
Thanks for this video. This is the kind of real world reporting that is going to help the community make the right decisions for their rigs.
Also makes me second guess rci after hearing about your poor customer service experience.
This certainly makes me feel better about my choice. I just got the shipping notice for RCI's full steel skids for my Taco. I was agonizing over the decision, going back and forth.
Very informational thank you 👌🏼
good video. glad to see the side by side visual comparison. i just bought steel skid plates for my 2020 Nissan Armada today. very rare parts to find in the USA. i watched a couple videos of steel vs alum and then looked up some fatigue, shear specs and decided with steel. cheaper and stronger. 28% heavier but truck weighs 6000# stock so who cares about 30 more lbs at that weight. now just have to touch up occasionally when scraped. STILL LOOKING FOR SLIDERS IN USA. haven't found anyone yet. most Armada owners use generic skids modified by a fabrication shop to fit
Very helpful, thank you!
Amazing video👍
I have had bad experiences with RCI customer service also Which is why I went to the Heavier CBI skids ON my 3rd and 4th gen 4runners good video Bro
I had ordered the aluminum rci skids, they hadn't shipped yet, so glad i came across this video before they did. RCI's steel tundra skids are just 10 gauge, not 3/16 steel. I'll be curious how well that thinner steel holds up.
Very good information, thank you
Seeing the numbers really made me reconsider mixing materials trying to save some weight. I only thought about how heavy steel is, but I was looking at the total weight rather than the difference. The weight doesn't seem that crazy when you look at what's truly _extra_ . Especially with all the other crap people throw on their trucks. I'm not going to run an RTT or carry a full kitchen with me, so I've got some spare pounds to work with. I might as well go steel and never have to think about it again. Hell, my own body weight fluctuates more than the difference in materials of some skids lol.
Lol…. Good stuff.
Good analysis. I think you made my mind up. I'm going steel. The weight difference down low is a non factor. I'll take the longevity and the weight over the poor weld adhesion and deformation. Thanks!
I appreciate your honest review. I suspect your mild overland wheeling is a bit more harsh than my harsh overland wheeling... 🤣. Nevertheless, while weight should always be a consideration, if you're going to invest in upgrading your skids, then steel makes the most sense to me.
Wish I saw this review earlier. Hoping my rci aluminum skids do better than yours. Thanks for the info. Super useful.
I like CBI Skids a ton Over RCI especially for rock crawling and Thickness and toughness
My BudBuilt 1/4 Alum on my FJ were bought used. First thing to fail were the welds on the mounting points. Not a lot of rock here but cracking after a couple of oopsies is not okay.
I had someone tig the welds back and there was steel contaminating the welds. Sparking as we ground them down to re-weld.
So not sure if the cracking is an aluminum thing per say or bad QC from BudBuilt. Next time I will go steel since I can easily weld it and I can find weight savings elsewhere.
Great advice and very much appreciated!
How can i find the blueprints and or diagrams to 2011 frontier?
I have all everything in the shop to make it happen. All I'm lacking is the layouts... it would be great to make this happen.
Thanks for the video
Just bought the aluminum skids, I plan on using my truck to haul diesel up and down mountain roads. I will switch to steel if need be, this was great info. I don't plan to overland or drive over rocks on purpose. Before i got my tacoma I was running a stock 04 4runner and it does ok. Cant haul fuel to machines with that. So hopefully the aluminum is all I need I havent ripped my step off the 4runner yet, not for lack of trying, think aluminum might be all I need.
I have Rci skids. Mostly aluminum. I’ll be replacing a few for Steel in the spring. I cracked my aluminum ones in the first year of use. At least aluminum for low hit areas but for frequently hit areas steel 100%. I have aluminum control arm skids, engine, transfer, transmission, steel sliders, lower shock mount, lower link, diff. Going to get a gas skid in the spring along with replacement my two front most Al skids with steel. Which is engine and transmission. Only decision now is steel vs aluminum in the gas tank. The design is a boxed system so it should be more robust than a flat plate like the engine skids. I’ll figure it out.
Interesting. I ordered an RCI skid plate though I haven't received it yet, but when I had a question about my order and how their site mentioned a promo but it seem to not work when I was checking out, the customer service guy not only gave me the promo when I called in later but helped me further though I don't want to get the guy in trouble. Hopefully the quality is decent to good.
This is a great video, I was going to go with the aluminium plates but after seeing this I'll be going with steel plates. Still a bit uncertain between 3mm and 4mm plates though.
I’d say 3mm for red trails and 4mm for black trail🤷♂️ I’m stuck with this decision as well 😂
This video is good to make my own criteria. I was near to buy alum skid plates. Now I won't even think about it. I am in Colombia, so importing a skid plate is not easy. I am trying to make a good choice, aluminum skids are off the list. RCI... I consider them one of the big ones, but they left you alone this time.
Honestly… even though I’m still not stoked about RCI customer service… I ended up using them on another build. After trying another brand… RCI steel skids seem to be the best bang for the buck.
Thanks for the video. Been debating about the topic for a couple of days.
I use Cali Raised and run full skids all steel enjoy them so far
The best skid plates are 3/16" aluminum with steel reinforcement ribs, and have a 1" layer of plastic similar to cutting boards. They are light weight, slick as snot, and can hold the weight of the vehicle. If built right ,the only thing you need to replace after time is the plastic. I've done quite a few of these, all custom applications. One was even for Raceline Wheels KOH EMC jeep, they had no more problems with getting hung up after that.
Would be interested in knowing weight difference. With the steel ribs and plastic... I am assuming you would be close to same weight to steel? BUT... that sounds like it may be way more functional than steel. Longer lasting and less rust worries (as plastic doesn't rust). I would be EXTREMELY interested in learning/seeing more. Do you have any info online and/or photos?
@@SandyCats some of my research came from checking out King of the Hammers rigs when I worked in the pits, some is from being in a custom Jeep shop for years as the main fabricator, and more still is from just simply being in the field and seeing the end result.
On the Raceline jeep, we weighed the existing skid that we removed vs the new one, and we only added around 20lbs even though it was 10x's stronger.
Aluminum is nice because it's lightweight, however it loves to grab rock and hang you up. The 1" plastic is nice, but it's rather expensive and heavy, hence the 3/16 Aluminum backing. If you go thinner on the plastic it is susceptible to breaking/cracking. Together they are almost bomb proof.
Now if I had to pick metal or aluminum by itself, I would pick metal. The added weight is not really a con, it helps lower the center of gravity and aid against roll -overs.
Is there any way to DIY-modify the aluminum plates with that cutting board material?
And what and where to get it?
@@KrinklingPlasticBits Yes, you can always add the plastic, but you will have to make provisions for mounting it. Finding the plastic might be the harder part. The company near me is no longer there, I believe they were called S&W Plastics.
nice vid man! could add 4xinnovations steel for the weight comparisons FYI ;-)
I really appreciate your candor and honesty. It’s good to hear what you’re going through because your opinion is backed up with facts and experience. All that being said I’m no longer going to worry about weight under the GX protection of the belly is most important. Thx again.
Thanks for the video. Aluminum can be strong if the correct grade is used and RCI should fire whoever welded that aluminum skid.
OffKamber, any thoughts on Artec Industries 6061 aluminum, 1/4" thick? I got the LCA skids, and will be testing them in Moab at the end of this month. Contemplating the belly pan skid system. Nice video.
Never seen them and hard to tell how they are reinforced from photos. Also… not sure the weight as it’s not on site. I’d call and ask to compare how much you are really saving in weight vs steel skids as these (Artec) have a lot of wings that aren’t necessary for skids and therefore may not be as much weight savings. Lastly… from my experience all skids eventually have to be replaced… just hopefully after 50 trips and not 2 trips :). That price tag is a hard one for me to personally swallow for something that will eventually have to be replaced.
If it wasn’t for the price tag… I’d say these are a good middle ground between steel (that will take more abuse) and cheaper aluminum (if the weight savings is substantial from something like RCI skids.
I got aluminum to replace factory plastic. Forget about any hard stuff. It's for daily drivers that like dirt roads on weekends.
If you want ones that will last you forever get the Bamf (Bay area metal fab) skid plates. They are heavy but you will have a hell of a time breaking those!!
I use mine for medium trails, occasional hard ones but alot of overlanding trips. I have a 08 Xterra Vk56 swapped on 33s ( going to 35s in 2022) locked rear. I went with Hefty fab plates, but a little different. I got a steel front plate and the rest is aluminum. I also have sliders from P&P engineering, ARB front bumper with Hard Core offroad PA rear bumper/tire carrier. I don't take it rock crawling so to me it made sense to just to steel front. I also have a Gladiator on 35s but will probably go steel all the way because of the wheel base, I am more likely to high center that.
Sounds like you’re doing it 100% right!
@@SandyCats Time will tell if I made a good judgment lol I can always order steel later if I get too rowdy one day.
Absolutely 😎🤙
Great video, Did you consider LFDoffroad skids?
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to cover all the skid manufacturers. I posted this as a general guide. LFD did not lists weight on their website but they seem similar in weight to the RCI skids based on what I can see (flat steel and not gusseted).
Thanks for this video, I’m looking to make my own skids and was trying to determine which material to start with & I’m definitely going with steel and conserving my weight in other areas of the vehicle. I took my Land Rover lr3 (which we know hangs low even on my 35s) and bashed my t case cross member from a tree stump hidden in the grass and had to go home on a trailer. I’m definitely not allowing that again and steel is the way to go for me. Thanks
My dad who has been in the steel industry for 40 years now and runs his own steel/copper/aluminum/brass/etc company has looked at most of these car “fabricators” and says the gauge of steel and aluminum are crap and usually use a cheap metal; mostly from China even though they advertise “Made in America”. This is just to increase profit margins. Best bet is knowing a fabricator and creating your own skids for way less. Currently he is creating some skids for my 4R so we will see how they turn out. This is definitely the route to go. Run steel on the belly and aluminum on the front and back.
I'm building a full set out of steel, but I'm drilling a lot of speed holes lol, in them ,I dropped a cpl pounds with the holes
I have a full set of aluminum RCI skids on my 4Runner. After a day on some very rocky trails, I had one very noticeable dent in the leading edge of the front skid and one side was pushed up near the back of the skid. The dent in the front was my fault for going through some water too fast and hitting a big rock, oops. None of the welds were cracked or broken, so I just pounded the skid back into something approaching its original shape. The transmission skid and transfer case skid had a few minor scuffs, but were otherwise unharmed. Since you can buy the skids separately, one compromise might be to use a steel skid at the front and aluminum behind - I may do this once my front skid gets too beat up to be serviceable. The 4Runner is my daily driver and I don't do hard-core rock crawling with it, so the weight is a serious consideration.
Steel is for rock crawling for sure. Aluminum should be fine with good line selection, driving skill & knowing when not to go. If you have to go anyway, that demonstrates aluminum gets the job done. Definitely aluminum in a wet climate unless you’ve got gobs of time to devote to annual paint maintenance of your skids. A good middle ground is a steel front skid & aluminum the rest of the way back.
I think it does really depend on the type of overlanding you do. If your possibly going to start doing harder stuff over time… or if you like to explore (especially expeditions) and you can possibly end up in places where your on your skids all day and your not willing (or able) to turn around. Or if you drive at speeds off-road where rocks show up out of nowhere. I def agree at least steel front for that reason. Personally, I’d take a few more pounds in an area where center of gravity is helped for the luxury of knowing I don’t have to worry about it. Biggest thing I learned in my research was serious weight differences from manufactures. Hefty fabs is less than 30 pounds lighter than RCI steel as an example. The bigger issue I see is that people are buying aluminum with expectations of similar performance to steel. I hoped it was clear in the video that I’m not against aluminum (building aluminum skid right now actually for another project), but for newer guys to know that steel and aluminum have different use cases and what options exist.
another one swayed towards steel from the aluminum.... thanks!!
The charts are interesting Because my Cbi Skids aren't Aluminum at all there 100 percent steel
I am in the process of installing the steel RCI skid plates front to back on my Bronco. Did you use antiseize on all bolts, or only the ones with the exposed nuts? I'm not a mechanic so thanks for the information!
I wish I put antiseize on ALL the bolts. Since this video I’ve probably had to re-thread or re-weld at least 4-5 factory bolt holes between two vehicles.
I just installed a steel RCI engine skid and the design is almost identical to yours you drilled holes in. What size hole and spacing do you recommend for drilling?
Honestly the bigger the better. I just used the biggest drill bit I had (1”). If you use a 2” holesaw and do them 2” apart…. Would probably get better results
Broverland mentions having the same issues with the steel RCI skid plates. I think at a certain level of offroading, having gussetted skid plates is the way to go, even with steel skid plates. Found at: th-cam.com/video/FedHnFN6M00/w-d-xo.html around the 15m mark.
Just watched it. Agreed with his assessment 100%. Anyone considering aluminum probably doesn’t plan to beat skids as hard as he did. I think my Steel RCIs will last for a long time unless I start rock crawling (have other rigs for that). Not gusseted steel will withstand more than gusseted aluminum (just do to chunking alone) and the weight savings becomes minimal at that point for a much more $$$ material. But everyone has a different need, I just hope this video gives more insight for good decision making.
Baja racers are doing 50 plus mph over vast land and whoops constantly they very rarely hit rocks on there skids because there not rock crawling
while not cheap I wonder if there's appreciable improvement hard anodizing aluminum for this use case?
Wouldn’t know. Haven’t seen any. What a lot of hardcore guys do is use aluminum with a plastic layer below it so it slides better and then replace the plastic as needed. But that’s also an expensive way to go.
Great
You mentioned, that gas tank stock skid is good enough for average user. How about front plate. Aren’t they good enough for most users? Why people are looking to upgrade them? I believe stock one is steal and air flow is designed well by Toyota. I just don’t fully get why people are replacing stock skids.
Im not here to argue or debate but I will say I own a set of full aluminum skids on my GX470 made by RCI, I have beat the living s&%t out of my skids the past 2 years hitting a lot more then fire roads, I have 3 and 2 wheeled my setup many times sitting in nothing but these skids, yes they have slightly deformed in some areas but overall they have taken the beating, no welds have ever cracked and my engine and trany temps have always statyed normal, the only issues I ever had was my diff drop bolts hit the front skid plate so I drilled 3" relief holes and then covered them with 1/4" aluminum plate thats riveted on, my y-pipe on the drivers side was also hitting the trany skid plate where the edge is bent and I had to trim it slightly, other then that they have held up, maybe I got the unicorn batch of aluminum skids made on a wedneaday but I can not complain, they have held up great for me.
curious, you mentioned your wife's 4runner was on stock suspension/tires with the rci front skid. it clearly got very banged up. did she have skids beyond just the front? was there any damage to the transmission, transfer case, or gas tank?
Gas tank was minor scratches. Tranny is warped a bit (banged). T Case untouched. I find the T-case skid almost never gets touched on all my Toyotas.
@@SandyCats thats interesting the T case went untouched. crazy that the transmission took a hit though. it sits so high in comparison to the rest of the underbelly.
i appreciate the video. really helping me understand a lot of the design mishaps with aftermarket skids as well. there are definitely some that have better airflow than others. do you know what transmission temp you sit at around now with the new skids installed vs old skits w/ your DIY vents?
thanks for the clarification!
@@swangfuI I’m honestly not sure if it’s the location of the t case skid or the type of trails I do. I am rarely doing rock crawling trail where I intentionally use the skids (like I do on Jeeps). The front takes most of the hit on the Toyotas only because it may have to slightly move a rock due to clearance or take a fall when front tires slide off a rock. But it’s nice to have the whole system if I ever need to winch completely through something instead of having to turn around.
As for the holes…. Yes.. it dropped it by about 10 degrees overall (highway and hill climbs). But I’m not sure if that’s solely due to the holes in the front diff or the holes in the tranny as well. Id like to think the holes in the tranny help when I’m crawling very slow or stopped.
Well that bites. I really wish I saw this video a week ago before I ordered and installed my aluminum fuel tank skid on my 4 runner. With that said though, compared to what’s there, the aluminum will provide at least 50 % more coverage as half of the OEM skid is missing.
Correct. Just expect to have to replace it much more often than steel.
That was a great video and review, thank you. However, I think it is unfair to knock RCI and to criticize their customer service for not giving you a discount on steel skid plates after you or your wife trashed the aluminum plates. I agree with RCI that aluminum skids are not designed for such abuse. To, me it looks like those aluminum plates were used HARD and they are not designed for that. That aside I really appreciate your candid opinions and great review
Steel is the way to go. The weight "savings" isn't worth it if you are doing any serious wheeling. The weight difference is maybe 30-40lbs and the weight is super low so it doesn't even affect the vehicle as much as if it was high. They are only good for brolanders driving a fire road for instagram or tiktok.
Im going to be the guy that has a rattle can of paint in my truck to just touch up after a day on a trail to prevent the rusting lol
You got videos of both the 4Runners off roading?
Not wheeling together. The green 4Runner is currently under the knife getting Marlin's RCLT kit. Once it is done the white one (my wife's) is going under the knife for a few weeks. However, you can view vids of them individually on my IG @Offkamber_
@@SandyCats sounds good thanks. I’d love to see it in action fully stock like mine. I have a 21 also. No mods yet.
@@SandyCats Hmm, why can I not find your instagram? Am I dumb, or did you delete the account?
@@TrailTape should be @offkamber_
@@SandyCats Is it Mike? The only one I see says Mike but it doesn't have an underscore or any recent offroading posts. Sorry, I feel dumb for even asking but I'd love to see more footage of the white runner crushing trails with the stock Duelers!
Aluminum is good for Heads to keep a engine cool not for Skids Aluminum is to soft for skids in my opinion
Any thoughts on ASFIR aluminum skids? It seems like they're on of the only companies building exclusively in aluminum, so I'm wondering if they might have better design than RCI.
Never seen them in person. Looking at their website it seems that they are not adding additional supports (similar to RCI). Also… the gas tank skid brackets look very weak if they are aluminum as well to be honest. Maybe it’s just the pictures online but to me it looks like they won’t take much abuse.
It is a SKID plate. If the manufacturer does not want it to SKID over rocks then they should call it a beauty plate or cover plate.
👍
Good info. But I'm confused as to why you would expect to get a refund or discount on your new plate after using and pounding on the aluminum one. Kinda like wearing down a pair of shoes and expecting to be able to get money back on them when you go buy new ones. I have RCI aluminum skids because I do not wheel hard. However of they do break i will go steel. I knew aluminum would not stand up to hard use. But was willing to try them out and see if would handle my moderate use. Three years and still good. From the look of your plates you for sure needed steel from the go.
they advertise the aluminum as being just as tough as steel. if i bought a pair of shoes and the soles had completely worn away after a 1 mile walk in the woods, I'd be going back asking for a refund/exchange too.
It says on their website that all skids are as is no warranty. I have a cracked aluminum skid and I thought about contacting them but then I realize they’re probably either doing nothing or only going to give me 10% off anyways so I’ll just wait for one of their 15% off tax sales. We’re taking a 4800 lb vehicle and dropping it on rocks, they have no way to differentiate one hit from the next, unless it was just cracked from the factory. I have had excellent experiences with their customer service. I am also local so I just drive to pick it up which may make the entire experience more convenient for me along with the fact that I’m able to talk to them in person about other products when I pick my orders up. I initially felt similar frustrations to you, but at the end of the day it says for hard use go with steel. It’s us dummies thinking that if we spend more money for a lightweight option it’s going to get the same job done when in reality the cheaper steel is really what we want… Along with a regear and a supercharger haha😂
My frustration was at the time that I purchased they did not say things like light use and heavy use (aluminum vs steel). But I agree with you 💯… I’m over it and I have ordered from RCI again for my other builds (steel) because they do have most of the needed skids that others don’t offer at some of the cheapest prices.
@@SandyCats ohh that makes sense. I got mine within a year so they’re descriptions definitely could have been updated. That is frustrating. And the stuff isn’t cheap. I would definitely prefer not to have to buy brand new skids a year later.
Steel is King if you're gonna paint it a different color and don't care about extra weight.
Stainless Steel if you want it to last forever.
Aluminum if you have money to burn replacing it often when it gets scratched and weight savings if they're that important.
Against your better judgment to use an aluminum skid plate driving over boulders in your new daily driver... genius ! 1:03 👋
How thick was aluminum skid??
1/4
@@SandyCats I can understand your frustration. At 1/4 thick that thing should’ve held up significantly better. Thanks for video. Helps make my decision easier
Gusseted aluminum cbi design, welds included is a far superior skid in aluminum. I wouldn’t ever use rci aluminum. Cbi actually made their aluminum skids to be fine for rocks
Literally editing a video right now on CBI skids and bumper. Should be up tomorrow…short version… not impressed.
2 things. 1 aluminum skids always need to be either thicker or more reinforced comparing to a steel skid plate. 2ndly you should always bolt a protective skid plate made out of "Uhmw Polyethylene Plastic Sheet". This is what experienced rock crawlers have been using for generations now and on aluminum is highly beneficial as your belly just slides over the rocks without scaring into the aluminum. Also rci apparently doesn't know how to weld if all their welds are breaking 😳. How can you sell a skid plate and say it's not supost to be used as a skid plate... SMH rci!
Also brother! Very awesome video and I appreciate the time you took to unbolt the skids to show them and making this video, sad to say though I wish you hadn't re-supported rci by buying another one of their skid plates! That customer service would have left a very sour taste in my mouth!
@@patsaunders6035 appreciate it. Needed some protection asap… I am super intrigued by aluminum with plastic. Surprised no one sells that (that I’ve seen)… going to play around when I have time to build my own. Thanks!
Yeah, some of those welds were visibly complete shit.
Wow, I didn’t know about transmission heating with use of these skid plates! It’s good to know, thank you!
And I’m really considering a mid skid plate mainly for a converter theft deterrent. So aluminum makes sense but it does look flimsy… if steel is cheaper and covers the cat converters, I’ll probably just go with steel. 👌🏽
I don't know how much it cost but titanium
I looked into it once. Seems it’s not too difficult to get in Ukraine and other countries at a decent rate. But when I started reading about welding titanium… it seemed like it would be a new learning process. When I have a bit more free time, I plan to experiment with it.
Can i use titanium skid plates?
Only if you live in Beverly Hills
Its weaker than steel and far more expensive.
@@danielfly3871 thanks
A weld should never break. If done properly the weld should be stronger than the plate.
I'm about to get a set of skids for my 2023 ORP. Because of RCI's response to you I will never buy any product from them even if it means I have to wait longer. They should put in very bold print on their website that the aluminum plates cannot be used where rocks are present and 2. They should have given you a very deep discount for being willing to purchase from them again even after you got that junk. #neverrci
Really appreciate the solidarity! But… I’ve ordered again from RCI. Honestly… with the discounts they post and the ease of their installation… it’s still the best bang for the buck for steel skids. Even if their customer service sucks.
@@SandyCats You've got a great disposition and that makes sense.
I have never understood why ppl put aluminum skids other than to save weight, but they are more expensive and don’t last as long 🤷🏻♂️
Is that a Thin Orange Line flag in the back? SAR?
Yup. I volunteer for mountain SAR for LASD
@@SandyCats awesome. I am NAVY Rescue Swimmer and SAR Helo Pilot. Got my Orange flag flying out front myself. Small community we are in. 🤙🏻
Anybody have issues with rust? Mine has been rusting away :(
I spray paint all scratches after every hard trip or every 6 months. No rust..
Chinese aluminum?
I love when you buy an Offroad item, then you use it and they claim oh they arent meant for offroad.
Aluminum aren't for serious duty, if you're going to be in the rocks steel is the only option.
Those welds from RCI looked a bit amateur.
Aluminum is softer than steel, obviously.
Difference in application.
Steel if you hammer down and bull you way over obstacles.
Aluminum if you pick your lines and finesse your way, treading lightly.