[In.The.Wild]

I’m going to be purchasing skids this week. For me engine, transmission, t-case, a-arm, rear lower link forward mounting bracket & rear shock mount skids are all mandatory. However, I’m unsure on gas tank & diff skids. I’ve searched the forum and spoken to a couple people and like a lot things there seems to be opposing camps on both.

Bumpers, sliders, winch, batteries, skids, etc all stack up the weight quickly so I don’t want to have lbs I don’t need and waste money that could go elsewhere- but I also wheel trails that aren’t the easiest as is, and as my build allows I’ll continue to progress to more difficult trails that demand more protection. Plus the peace of mind thing is nice.

For the diff skid I’ve read that in some folks opinions in not necessary as the diff is strong enough as is, others say it’s saved their drain plug and such. For the gas tank skid, some people think the plastic/resin skid is good enough and others say their tank skid saved the tank..

I’m hoping some folks with either or both of these skids can chime in with their actual experiences and if they’d purchase whatever they have again or not - or if there’s folks who didn’t have one of these skids that wished they did..

 

[Iconic_]

I've never had either, and still haven't felt the need. The plastic gas tank skid is pretty good IMO. Mine is starting to show some use but still holding on just fine. I almost like being able to hear rocks slide against the plastic that way I know exactly where I'm hung up. Ha!

IMO they're not mandatory, but depends on tire size and lift amount also.

 

[In.The.Wild]

I've never had either, and still haven't felt the need. The plastic gas tank skid is pretty good IMO. Mine is starting to show some use but still holding on just fine. I almost like being able to hear rocks slide against the plastic that way I know exactly where I'm hung up. Ha!

IMO they're not mandatory, but depends on tire size and lift amount also.

Just the kinda response I was looking for, from just the kinda person. I’m only on 33’s currently but I’ll be switching to 35’s this coming spring after a re-gear / front locker install. Thanks!

 

[JKFJ08]

I agree with Iconic I have the stock gas tank skid and no diff skid. my gas tank skid is beat up but it works my rear diff has taken a lot of hits and the only thing I see on it is the guard ring around the drain plug is a little beat up. I did not want any more weight on the drivers side from a steel skid on the gas tank. the only thing I do not like about the stock gas tank skid is that it gets small rocks in the holes some times that I have to get out lol.

 

[Cholerabob]

It's "personal" lol I have gas tank skid from Ricochet and Boztec Diff skid. I like the piece of mind they give me. I would agree on the gas tank skid, the plastic one is really good. I don't have mine because when i got the skids there was a deal for the whole set. But i would not mind not having it.

 

[iLuveKetchup]

I'm on 285/70/17 tires so I don't have much lift over OEM. I can say that on my FJ (and probably because of my poor driving), that I've scraped the rear diff skid (RCI) and scraped / bent the hell out of my gas skid (aluminum RCI). Not to say that the plastic gas skid wouldn't be up to task, but I am definitely hitting those areas and glad I had the extra protection.

Also planning on 35s next, so that should help alleviate some of the scraping/hits.

 

[In.The.Wild]

I agree with Iconic I have the stock gas tank skid and no diff skid. my gas tank skid is beat up but it works my rear diff has taken a lot of hits and the only thing I see on it is the guard ring around the drain plug is a little beat up. I did not want any more weight on the drivers side from a steel skid on the gas tank. the only thing I do not like about the stock gas tank skid is that it gets small rocks in the holes some times that I have to get out lol.
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Exactly.. gas in the tank, battery, me haha -- the drivers side weight adds up and throwing more weight on that side is why I was hesitant about just pulling the trigger on that skid specifically. It's also nice to hear from someone that has taken some hits to the diff and not had a major issue. Thanks for the response.

 

[In.The.Wild]

It's "personal" lol I have gas tank skid from Ricochet and Boztec Diff skid. I like the piece of mind they give me. I would agree on the gas tank skid, the plastic one is really good. I don't have mine because when i got the skids there was a deal for the whole set. But i would not mind not having it.

Good points, and the piece of mind thing is important to me as obviously both the tank and the diff are kind of important haha.

 

[In.The.Wild]

I'm on 285/70/17 tires so I don't have much lift over OEM. I can say that on my FJ (and probably because of my poor driving), that I've scraped the rear diff skid (RCI) and scraped / bent the hell out of my gas skid (aluminum RCI). Not to say that the plastic gas skid wouldn't be up to task, but I am definitely hitting those areas and glad I had the extra protection.

Also planning on 35s next, so that should help alleviate some of the scraping/hits.

Nice to hear from someone on the other side of this. I like the idea of Aluminum for the gas tank skid..At this point I feel like I'm kinda of leaning towards getting a diff skid as that's the lowest point and at least for the time being just making sure to take lines that keep the tank out of harms way as much as possible.