Are skidplates necessary for off-roading?

If I'm just taking trails, not rock-crawling.

 

Nope. Not necessary.

 

Can I also make the argument that if something hits the skidplate, the truck isn't even prepared for that environment anyways (i.e. skidplate is compensating for improper suspension)?

 

Not always. Branches could be flipped up into delicate parts and the skids protect against that. People also misjudge their clearance frequently.

I personally don't like skids because they're heavy. Also I don't take my daily driver down stuff that's so nasty that it risks thrashing it. At least not anymore.

But if people are serious about off roading, skids are an insurance policy against a punctured oil pan.

 

Skid plates are way overrated

 

Even on modest trails, I’d say better safe than sorry. Aesthetically, I think they tie the front ends together very nicely on a 3rd gen with any modest lift. But to each their own looks-wise. Are you looking to add or take one off?

 

P.O.M.G....

 

It's like asking if a seat belt is needed for off-roading. It's not until it is.

 

Did oil change a week ago and skid caught a good amount of oil resulting in a long afterdrip.

 

Nope, you don't even need 4x4

 

Fight me

 

Violence, again?

I'd argue that some skid plates give peace of mind. The front of mine is naked right now and the bottom tank of the radiator is pretty exposed. But I'm taking it down a '4x4 road' this weekend anyway.

I think a lot of people go overboard though.

 

Most of the bullshit mods people do aren’t necessary for the way they use their trucks.

that said, I want Coastal bumpers and skids and bxbuilt headlights and ditch lights and nicer wheels and bigger tires and all kinds of other mods because I like the look and there might be a marginal utility gain

 

I think most people here seem to be arguing about aftermarket skids. The factory ones are more than adequate for most types of off roading. The main concern would be rocks and other debris as opposed to slamming your vehicle into something because of poor judgement on clearance.

 

Factory Skid plates I never have seen any .

I have removed many of tool catchers though.

Some people need skid plates to venture to the Mall.

it is a personal thing.

 

Entirely depends on what you decide to drive over

 

I don’t know.

 

The "it's not until it is" is really really accurate here. I took my skid plate off to do my 4x4 swap four years ago and I never had the motivation to put it back. I ran it in Moab without a skid plate and I was fine. That being said, I was very worried about not having that skid plate under there. Because it's better than nothing, truth be told. It's peace of mind.

 

After taking my truck out on a few trails that it was more than capable of handling I still had a few oopsie moments with the stock paper thin skids. The pro skid upgrade is worth looking into if you want a bit more protection upfront for doing medium trails & crawls/fire roads/washouts. But it all depends on how you plan on using your truck

 

Stock skids are fine, the biggest issues with trails is the large ruts from bigger trucks causing the belly to drag. This is bad with mud and snow where I'm from. But the frame sits really high on a 1st gen so its not a huge risk.