Skid plate without logos?

Anyone make a skid plate that doesn't have a logo laser cut into it? I can't stand that look.

 

Bud Built has nice skids. I have the full set with steel in front and aluminum gas and transfer.

 

Those look good. Thanks!

 

2WD so you're looking for aluminum? RA Motorsports in Canada has skids with logo on a little plaque that is easy to remove. No oil filter door though: https://ramotorsports.ca/collections/5th-gen-4runner/products/10-18-4runner-aluminum-front-skidplate

 

Welcome from AZ!

 

If you don't want to see anything visible from the front Talon's Garage. I have their full skid package. The front doesn't have a logo. The engine and tranny covers do but you need to be laying on your back under the rig to see them. The front skid also has the access panel for oil changes.

 

Stock skid plates? Do they have logos?

 

Will the real Talons Garage KDSS skid plate please stand up? I see that the one in your photo (yours?) is on a KDSS 4R, but the photo on their site looks quite different, especially noted are no openings on the front of the skid for air circulation:



Old photo, or redesign?

 

There's a story here. Talon's KDSS skid wasn't quite right, it didn't have sufficient clearance for the KDSS ram on the left front. I provided some input and they revised the design and sent me out another. Rev1 still needed just a little more clearance so Rev2 was sent to me. They were terrific to work with and resolved the issue very quickly. They asked if they can use my pictures for the web site but apparently it hasn't been updated yet. The first picture shows the original design and the last picture is the final product after the redesign.

 

That makes sense, thank you! They really need to update their website photos, as some might think they got the wrong skid when it arrives if they go off what's there now. Besides that, the one you now have looks so much better.

I see you still used the oem plastic filler between the bumper and the skid...

Have you done any oil changes since the skid installation?

 

Yes, I'll follow up with them and let them know that it's confusing potential customers.

I liked that the plastic filler could still be used.

I've done two oil changes since it was installed. However, because I'm still figuring out how the best way to drain the filter housing before removal to avoid a big mess I'm chosen to drop the entire skid instead of working through the access panel. Thus far poor technics on my part have made for messy removals. After discussing with guy's on this board I feel like my next one will finally be better but I'll probably chose to drop it one more time so I can confirm my method.

 

I just did the second oil change done by me the other day, and I used this both times:

$12 Oil Filter Tool Used with Oil Filter Wrench for Toyota,Lexus,RAV4,Camry,Tundra,Cruiser,Tacoma,Avalon,Highlander,Sienna,Scion,Prius,Corolla

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C7GTR5YH?ie=UTF8

It helps prevent the mess. The question is if you can get your hand up through that skid plate opening to insert it into the filter housing and tighten it...I also just remove the front skid, but have the oem which is super simple to remove.

 

I have that too. After letting it drain for 15 minutes I found that the housing still had a lot of oil in it (which resulted in a big mess). I need to figure out how to get the rest of the oil out before I drop the housing. It sounds like I need to loosen it some. Let it drain and start backing it off slowly until the vacuum is released allowed the remainder to drain. I haven't tried doing it through the access panel yet so I can't comment on that. If it's too inconvenient I won't hesitate to drop the entire skid since it's easy to do and takes less than 5 minutes. There's a lot to be said about having plenty of room to work. Plus things are easier to clean up if you make a mess like I historically do.

 

I feel your pain. I had an RCI aluminum engine skid for a while and decided to sell it and put the oem skids back on. Too much of a hassle draining the oil through that small hole, and trying not to make a mess dealing with the filter housing without really being able to see what you're doing.

Good luck to the OP getting a skid. I know they do more than allow oil change access, so...

 

Can you remove just the front skid portion without having to remove the back section where the oil pan drain access hole is? And, do the two engine skid pieces from Talons mount using the oem bolt locations?

 

The laser cut logo a lot of time also serve the purpose of letting air flow in. Helps dissipate the extra heat from the extra shielding.

 

FYI I contacted Talons Garage regarding the skid plate photo difference. They got back to me within the hour stating that their KDSS version of the skid plate for 4Runners looked like the GX460 version on their website, and sent a couple of photos from that page:



https://talonsgarage.com/products/lexus-gx460-front-engine-skid-plate-2010-2023

One thing I noticed on this skid is it is considerably wider at the front than the RCI skid I previously had, which to me is a definite advantage.



Also, the Talons being a two-piece skid, removing just the front portion (if one so opts to) to access the oil filter housing would be a lot easier than taking off the entire one-piece RCI skid.

 

Those Talons do look good, had I seen those first (with the correct photos) I would have most likely ordered those instead of RCI. I think both are solid options but as glwood54 points out, the ease of removing the front half of the engine skid and the wider coverage are both advantages.

 

Yes, you can remove just the front portion of the skid if you want to avoid using the smaller access point for an oil change. It's easier to remove than the stock skid plate. And yes, they mount using the stock OEM bolt locations.

 

Thanks. Would you happen to have, or might take, a photo from a similar front view as this photo below? I' d like to compare the ground clearance vs the stock skid...

 

Also, we have removed the logos from the second engine plate, transmission and transfer case skids.

The NON-KDSS version still has a logo in the front for air flow.

 

Here's one that's close...

 

Thanks. Do you plan to update the website with new photos that show the current KDSS version of the engine skid?

 

Thank you. That is close to the same angle...I was concerned that the Talons skid may hang down lower, but it seems not to - possibly due to mounting without the oem skid plate brackets.

 

I regret that I didn't take measurements before and after! Unfortunately I don't know for sure either way.

 

I have before measurements if you're interested, since I have the oem skid. The two sides on the front of the skid are 9" ground to skid. In the front center, it's 9.5" ground to skid. The rear skid, where the oil access panel is is about 8.75" at the lowest point. All this is measured on flat ground, and I have 265/70-17 tires. You may be curious to see how the Talons compares...or not.

I guess knowing the comparison may determine me going forward with a Talons engine skid.

 

I am looking into why that has not happened, I think it just got missed. I know we have some from GrimJeeper, and we might use the Lx460 photos since it is very close to being the same.

Sometimes getting photos of the plates on the lift can be the most challenging part in the R&D process.

 

I appreciate you looking into that. I just know when a Talons engine skid was recommended for the 4R, I checked it out on your website, but got confused as it didn't look anything like the one (@GrimJeeper91 ) posted in the forum. I did get the back story from him, but others may go to your site, order one, and wonder why what they get doesn't look at all like the web photos.

I am looking into the comparison of the ground clearance measurements of your KDSS skid vs. the oem skid currently, with the hope of placing an order in the not too distant future.

 

Since the two sides of the skids are easy to measure without laying on the ground I ran out to the parking lot and checked these. With the Talon's skid the measurement from the ground to the bottom of the skid are 9.5". I have stock size tires, however, I have lifted the front 0.8" (for a bit of leveling). So I would surmise that the Talon's skid sacrifices about a quarter inch of ground clearance. Makes some sense since quarter inch material replaced something that's around 0.060" thick (the stock skid sheet metal). I need to climb under the 4R and inspect things after bouncing around southern Utah for a week so when I'm under there I'll measure the lowest point.

 

I have the same front leveling lift on mine, with Eibach shocks, so I would assume we are comparing apples to apples. It sounds to me like the Talons skid gives a touch more clearance. I'll look for your lowest point measurement. I already know the oem skid's lowest point is about 8.75" on the back skid.