Primitive Skid Plates

Well, the Primitive plates are very nice under normal circumstances but do not expect them to stand up to a really hard hit.

I knew of cases of bent or broken front plate but recently a newly made friend managed to surprise me by bending his AT plate on his first outing. Afaik, all he did was to misjudge a rock on flat terrain, nothing fancy like dropping down a ledge.

I have had half a dozen moderate hits without consequences but I would not expect them to save me from a really bad decision.
I want steel plates but nobody offers them.
 
MiddleAgeSubie said:
I want steel plates but nobody offers them.
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Mine is made out of 8mm "Dural", it is very strong, I can lift the front of the Forester both wheels in the air with one jack but it is quite heavy, like 15kg...

You could probably take the Primitive as the design is good and make a similar one out of Dural.
 
Just recently got mine primitive front skid on the SF. I ordered it with spacers for the headers but it hangs down to low. I will be putting my stock headers back on for more center ground clearance.
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Since the OP is in the US another easy option is LP Aventure. This is my 2015 Outback with their full set up on it. Skid is 1/4" thick.

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I like the LP aventure setup for typical forest roads and mild forest or desert trails but if a 4Runner was high centering and having issues with rocks, the OP must mean difficult CO trails. There is nothing one can do to a Subaru to make it suitable for more than very few (a couple?) of those.

The skid plate is the least concern but as far as that goes, I know of no off-the-shelf Subaru skid plate that can survive the kind of hits I think the OP had in mind considering the 4Runner comments.
 
The thing I don't like about the LP Aventure setup is how it's so bad for approach angle. In any kind of rut the front will become a plough. I like the late model Outbacks, they have good ground clearance but a big overhang at the front & this only makes it worse.

Not much help to you guys but there's a guy in the local Subie 4wd club who does an excellent 6mm (1/4") plate alloy guard that tacks up well.

It's the same deal as with bullbars, there's not a single reason why there can't be multiple manufacturers in the US. You just need to approach several fabricators & get them building something. There's definitely a market for it!
 
^ I agree NL - need the ability to "slide" over obstacles but a nice looking plate nonetheless.

Hal43 said:
Since the OP is in the US
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I'd say since the OP's one and only post was over 2 years ago they are long gone :iconwink:
 
Yes, the approach angle is the big issue with the LP setup. The whole front looks designed to keep out mud, sand, and gravel rather than protect against serious hits. Again, I like it for much of Canada and the US but not for the Southwest.
 
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