Has anyone had issues off roading with the stock TH skidplates? It bothers me how that exhaust downpipe sticks right out. That seems super easy to bash in. I know with my Liberty the center of the front skid takes a lot of hits. Thinking about this skid... https://valkyrieoffroad.com/shop/fr...MI4NjYxpDW5gIVCr7ACh01fAmqEAAYASAAEgIeqfD_BwE Heard so-so things about ATP. What other skid plates are needed in addition to the stock TH ones? Thanks!
I don't have a TH so I'm sure what it looks like. A lot of people go off road with them but I have never heard of anyone having a problem banging up the exhaust downpipe. I have heard the Valkyrie products are pretty good.
The Valkyrie skid plate come coated or uncoated, and has an access panel for the oil filter and the drain plug (+), $350.00 to $400.00 respectfully (plus shipping). American Trail Products (ATP) comes coated only, no access panel (has to be removed; the Trailhawk skid plate has to be removed anyways/also. So no difference) for the oil filter and drain plug. $300.00 (+) (plus shipping). I have the ATP Carrier Bearing and the Rear Differential Skid Plates. I really like the fit, finish and quality of their products. ... The only issue that I had with ATP was shipping. It took them 4 months to ship out their lift kit. The Skid Plates didn't take that long to ship. It all depends on availability. I would call first to make sure that the products are ON-HAND before ordering.
I wonder if the access holes are in the right spot for the 1.3T oil filter? that'd be awesome if they are. Thanks, I will look at that!
I’m sold on the entire Valkyrie skid plate suite. I like the access panels in the front plate, and the rear just looks so much more solid than the ATP option. (ATP only mounts in the rear and just sort of dangles there. Valkyrie bolts all around. ) Probably going to be my next purchase.
Just to clarify; The ATP Rear differential skid plat has four (4) mounting locations. Two (2) in the rear and two (2) on the left side (which keeps it from just sort of dangling there). … for those that just aren't sure.
All the pictures I've seen don't show anything holding the front or sides. Link to product page. If you come down on a rock, I can't imagine any outcome other than the mounting plate bending and the skid just smashing into the rear diff. Or the front edge of the skid plate catching and bending the whole thing back, leaving you with a trail plow. Compare that to the Valkyrie option: Link here The Valkyrie skid plate mounts all around. Gives me much more confidence. EDIT: Watched a video and saw the two left side bolts. My vote still goes to the Valkyrie. Just looks better mounted and more well thought out.
I haven't had much of a problem with the stock front skid, it's generally been doing it's job on the trail. I have noticed some shredding of the metal mesh around the flex joint bend in the exhaust, but nothing I haven't seen on other vehicles that were road only. That said, I will eventually be upgrading to the Valkyrie plate. 1) I don't really like the exposed exhaust flex joint, I feel it's only a matter of time before I damage it on a rock or tree stump. 2) The Valkyrie has the aforementioned doors for changing the oil and filter, which is worlds better than taking the entire skid off. 3) The Valkyrie is thicker material. I upgraded my carrier bearing skid to the Valkyrie. It's at least twice as thick as the stock and doesn't have a huge hole in the bottom for sticks to get caught up in. I also got their rear diff skid, which is bullet proof. I was under there the other day and noticed I've got some rust on it from where I wore away the paint I put on it by dragging over rocks/tree stumps/etc. Very well made, and the attachment points for it make it rock solid. No way it's going to get torn off of there. I also had a not great experience with ATP when I ordered their rear license plate bracket. Took them a month to ship it out, and they sent a random assortment of incorrect hardware to mount it. More of a "grab bag" of random bolts and nuts/washers that were the wrong size, wrong size for each other, and missing one set. If that's their QC on packaging, I can't imagine they're doing a lot of QC on the parts themselves. I'd rather trust a company that clearly cares about the quality and completeness of their parts, packaging and shipping times like Valkyrie does. Valkyrie's support is also awesome if you have any questions during install or about new products they might be working on in the future.
This is what I use too and I think it was the best pick! Came down reel hard on some coral rocks and just paint damage nothing else!
