I am relaxed. Not one word in all caps and I actually didn’t think I was justifying my purchase.
Cool dude and obviously you didn't think you were trying to justify your purchase. People like you never do.
Didn’t buy them. I can’t afford to buy fancy parts so I have to skab shit together the best I can.
I can. And, if I really thought they were so awesome, I can assure you that they'd be on all my Jeeps.
If I make a mistake, it would be really easy to unbolt them and go a different route, I’ve done it many times. That is not the case here. Ive had fantastic luck with mine
Yeah, we got that and like I said before and in all caps, AWESOME!!
...and I wanted to explain why they worked in my application.
Yeah, we got that too. Now pat yourself on the head for buying something that you clearly like.
My question was why don’t they work in my application, I seem to think they do.
Umm, I think we got that loud and clear.
I too would suggest saving people money
By buying aftermarket skid plates. Got it.
...so let’s talk about what the negative effects are, and put a dollar value on that. With all the input on this thread it should be really easy to get all the proof we need to make a decision.
Since you seemed to have missed it, I already stated that aftermarket skid plates and the negative effects of them include:
1. They cost a lot of money.
2. They add a lot of weight.
3.They trap in a lot of heat.
4. They make it difficult to service your Jeep.
5. They make it hard to spot things like leaks.
6. They can make it near impossible to fix something like a broken shift linkage on the trail or replace a drive shaft especially if you have allen bolts that get mashed up.
The dollar value of sticking with the skid plates that come from the factory is that you don't have to buy anything else and take the time to replace what you already have.
If it’s inconvenience during trail fixes, that’s an opinion, but also holds value.
LOL - yeah, it's definitely just my "opinion" that staying up until 2 am, trying to get a screaming hot skid plate off enough to make a simple fix, on an event that you have to be ready to roll at 6am, is a bit of an "inconvenience".
I thought the OP was looking for input on aftermarket skids.
Since you seemed to have missed it, the title of the thread states "Best skids / armor?" Maybe it's just me but that would include the ones that comes on your Jeep when you buy it. And, guys like me gave input on them as well.
Didn’t chime in because I don’t have any opinion on who’s best. It appears the jump to “no aftermarket skids needed unless you’re a dumbass,” is when I thought other opinions could chime in. No?
LOL - right, because god forbid you're a dumbass.
In spite of what you're choosing to believe, we heard your opinion and I even said that it was awesome that you're happy with what you chose to buy.
I still would love to hear from someone that has had a heat related issue that has set them back because of shrouding. I’m very close to starting skids on my current project so I’m interested in hearing what works and what doesn’t so I can pick a design accordingly.
Obviously, I don't run aftermarket skids so I've never had the heat related problems caused by them. However, I have personally seen the negative affect of it with aftermarket skids. Just because you don't like what I'm saying doesn't mean I haven't actually seen it. And really, you need to ask yourself, why would I make any of this up? What do I have to gain by trying to help people save their money?
As I stated before, if you're happy with what you chose to buy - AWESOME!! It's your money, your Jeep and you should absolutely do what you think is best with both.
Peace
