A friend is thinking of ordering a new 4x4, and the mid/aft skidplates are a standalone option on the XLT and Sport 4x4s.. are they worth the $140? Front skid plates are an FX4 option only.

 

no

 

I know I used mine quite often with the Level II...I am sure they possibly saved me repairs in excess of that.

I say go for it. $140 isn't much factored into a monthly parment for 3 years -- $3.80. If it's a longer contract, it only gets cheaper.

 

It depends on what you do. If he does not see any real bad offroading, then yes. they are really are not as bad as some poeple make them out to be...they served me well for a while, until I got bored and wanted something stronger. The hassle of making/finding custom ones is not worth it for some people.

 

Aftermarket plates could be built much stronger but I doubt that you could buy a set for anything close to $140. The factory plates are OK for light duty use but won't stand up to serious rock bashing. Someone who does his own fabrication could make a killer set of plates for $140 in materials.

If he is going to do much off roading, he should really think about a front plate, too. The factory front LII plate 1L5Z-5B018-AA is an easy bolt on and way better than nothing but overpriced for what it is.

 

I would say no to the shiny stainless steel one but the black carbon steel one i think is worth it.

I am not aware of any aftermarket ones.

 

I agree with Bob, the front plate is definitely a good addition. If the xlt is anything like my 04 Edge, the only thing that is protecting the bottom of the radiator is a piece of plastic over the bottom of it.
As for the mid/aft skid plate, its not too expensive, and better safe than sorry.

 

Anything is better than nothing.

However, both Tom and I destroyed our in Wharton -- and not even on rocks. We had the very thin stainless ones. However, they STILL prevented major damage. My new stainless one is very thick compared to the original, and gives a bit better coverage.

The carbon steel one is much stronger than the stock stainless one, but of course it will rust so you'll neet to keep hitting it with paint if that would bother you. I don't know if you can even get the steel one anymore.

 

Level II front skid plate (black):
1L5Z-5B018-AA
$213.03 list, $159.77 online

98~2000 front skid plate (stainless):
YL5Z-5B018-AA
224.15 list, $168.11 online

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Cool! I'd go for the black level II one, for sure -- if you're going to get a factory plate, that is.

 

How much does a new radiator + install cost? How about fuel tank? Brake lines? Maybe a new t-case..

I'm glad my truck had them factory installed. I'm shocked more trims don't come standard w/ the plates.

Although looking at Bob's last post.. I don't know why anyone would go for the stainless plate.. it's inferior and costs MORE!

 

AMEN! lol

 

The shipping calculator in his auction says $130+ to ship that skid plate UPS GROUND from Wisconsin to Michigan! I could drive there and pick it up for less.

 

wow I didn't look at any of the extra charges. how much does it weigh? I could probably sent it Fedex overnight from work for less than that.

 

The only reason I can think of is appearance on the earlier truck. The 98~2000 bumper valance is much shorter than the 2001+ part. Either plate would hang down and be very visible but the stainless one would look good longer -

unless, of course, you turn it into crumpled scrap while off-roading:

 

not to high jack the thread but what do you guys think, if you get a few dents hear of there in the skid plate, do you bang them out or leave them ?

 

http://www.millersfabrication.com/skidplate.html
Says it's for 98~2000 but I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't fit later with little or no modification.







http://www.ultimateautoaccessories.c.../PROD/SKP/9619
(For Rangers with Superlift only)

 

well i got the front skid plate first... the crappy stainless one. i dont do any "major" offroading, so it works for me, and also looks nice. the other major advantage to it, is that it keeps crap out of your engine compartment, like water, mud, and sticks, and grass and stuff... got an uber clean engine? drive thru a muddy puddle wait 10 minutes and pop the hood.... eww yuck! mess galore. the skid plate prevents alot of this, as does the driverside wheel well splash gaurd which is not there on the 04+ models.

as far as cost wise? I paid $65 shipped to my house, shipping was $40, not $130 from colorado to buffalo, via fedex ground.


the mid skid plate, is MUCH heavier, just pick it up, it wieghs about 2x as much and is 1/4 the size

the gas tank skid plate, id say is about the same thickness as the mid skid plate, and was alot more difficult for me to install, ended up using a jack to hold it up while i bolted it up. the front skid plate i think is pre-threaded, tho i could be wrong. i ended up using stainless stell bolts to hold my plates on, incase i trade my truck in, i can take the plates off.

but like i said, if your not gonna go rock climbing, or do anything crazy like neilz and the rest of them do hehe,.... stick to well beaten paths, and mud puddles that jump out in front of you, the stock plates are a good deal, especially if you can get them on ebay like it did.

Total skid Plate Pkg: $180 (all 3, shipped)

tho thats from three different sellers and waiting a year for them to become available for bidding on ebay.

also, the ford explorer fual tank skid plate looks as tho it WILL NOT fit, by comparing the pics i have of the explorer, and mine, it doesnt look compatible

oh ya, my front skid plate came pre-dinged and the one hole for the bolt, the tab was mangled, lil tlc got it straightened out tho, also, throw a coat of wax on it and u get a mirror like finish like this:

 

Ha ha! I'm the poster child for wrecked skidplates. That's my truck in the photo Bob posted.

Yes, I used the stainless one a long time -- but breaking the ice in Wharton finally did it in...

 

That's certianly true. I've seen a few Rangers from that era running around w/ the stainless plate. It IS quite visible when facing one at a stop light..

 

And, in the rust belt, the ones without a front skid plate show a lot of rust on the undercarriage from the front. My 2000 looked like hell after a couple of winters. That may be part of the reason that the valance "grew" in 2001+.

 

ya that front cross memeber that i used to jack on, it looks ugly once it rusts, and ford puts this anti rust crap on it that makes it hard to paint over...

 

If your gonna spend 150 bucks on a damn skid plate... Go to a fab shop and have them build you a REAL one for that kinda price. I mean hell, Some fab shops you can get a custom bumper / Skidplate for under 400 bucks.

 

Rangers aren't worth 5 grand...