Aftermarket Front Metal Skid Plate Needed?

[graphex]

So I was off-roading the other day and approached a rock shelf that was just a bit too high… that silver front skid plate got a nice dent and some scratches and even a small hole. It is surprisingly thin plastic and doesn’t provide much protection for whatever is behind it, so it seems like a great opportunity for an aftermarket product. Has anyone thought about it?

Also curious if anyone has made a similar boo-boo and approached an obstacle that is just a wee bit too tall just wee bit too quick? I have a service ticket in to find out what an OEM trim piece costs, and how much it might be for them to install. I also tore some of the plastic holes on the front of the wheel well as the skid plate pushed back.

I’d love to try something stronger out and even better if there is a potential aftermarket winch mount, but the market is probably too small and immature, unfortunately.

On the bright side, this truck was amazing at tackling a trail rated 7/10 and kept doing things with ease that I didn’t initially think it could do. I didn’t even notice this happened until after a wash with all the mud we went through.

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[sparetimetoys]

I think there would be a market for a true full front to back skid plate system. Maybe a couple rear facing louvres for ventilation. A good thick aluminum panel would be nice.

 

[WattTruckMatt]

I'd be a buyer for a metal skid plate.

 

[zefram47]

I'd be in for a proper skid plate. I managed to put a few scratches in mine while trying to climb a rock wall along with almost tearing off that little aero bit in front of the tire. What trail were you on, out of curiosity?

 

[graphex]

What trail were you on, out of curiosity?

We were on Blair Mountain in White River National Forest in Colorado. Quite Beautiful!

 

[graphex]

Pretty sure it was this pointy rock right here. It looked totally doable, but there was a bit of a hole in front of it that was hard to see in shadow. Pretty much went right over it, but I remember a bump that felt like plastic being squished though...

(Does anyone else wish there were more keyframes in the Rivian's video files??)

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Better yet, winch bumper with integrated front skid and optional improved approach angle ahead of front tires. And while they’re at it with development, provide a “fix” for those of us who are delivered with a single wimpy horn. @DCE @electruck4x4

This horn delete and the 12V outlets are irritating decisions by Rivian.

 

[electruck4x4]

Better yet, winch bumper with integrated front skid and optional improved approach angle ahead of front tires. And while they’re at it with development, provide a “fix” for those of us who are delivered with a single wimpy horn. @DCE @electruck4x4

This horn delete and the 12V outlets are irritating decisions by Rivian.

Agreed. A skid plate would be great. That was an early priority for us. There were a few issues that deterred us:

1. The bumper components there are ultrasonically welded, which makes them nightmarish to take apart.
2. There isn’t much in terms of hard mounting points to absorb an impact.

I’ve seen a few mounting options via the plastic structures down there, but I didn’t really want to be selling metal veneer and calling it a skid plate . All that said, I’d still like to pursue this some day and would love to hear more feedback and ideas!

 

[defcon888]

I don't know how you guys do it. Seriously, you are brave to take the R1T/S out for offboarding. I am petrified to do any because of things like this....plus with the truck costing $100,000, I am a little hesitant....but I salute everyone that is brave enough.

Also, we don't live where there is easily accessible offroading available.

 

[Kärsti]

My R1T probably spends as much if not more off road than on road. I had the underbody shield on my order but removed it to speed up delivery, kinda regret it.

So, I would be very interested in an aftermarket shield.

Having both the front and rear plastic shields off the vehicle it does not seem like it would be super difficult, not sure about the front clip area, but it seems like the areas covered by the plastic shields would not be hard to fab. I personally am not very concerned about the battery area being shielded (additionally), as I think there is already a very robust shield to protect that area. i've thought about fabing some from aluminum myself, the only major issue I see , which as @electruck4x4 says, is hard mounting points.

Anyway, interested to see where this thread goes.

 

[jjswan33]

FWIW I was talking to the company that makes/sells the Trigger+ wireless switch panels at Overland Expo PNW.

They mentioned that had been/are working on an integrated winch bumper with a beefed up skid plate. It sounded like they were opting for some high density non-metal material to save weight. They were busy working through making sure the changes didn't impact the crumple zones etc of the truck. Also it sounded like they had some concern that Rivian was going to change things up on them and the market would be too limited so who knows if it actually comes to market.

 

[WattTruckMatt]

Pretty sure it was this pointy rock right here. It looked totally doable, but there was a bit of a hole in front of it that was hard to see in shadow. Pretty much went right over it, but I remember a bump that felt like plastic being squished though...

(Does anyone else wish there were more keyframes in the Rivian's video files??)

 

[skunn]

I'd be interested in this too. Also for the back. Mine got roughed up doing some trails recently. Rock sliders did great with the sides though.

 

[moomoo2388]

What really stinks about this is I was under the impression the silver bits WERE metal. Here's a snippet from a post on Rivian Stories:

"I just heard back via email, and sadly I was right. Here is what he said: "I was able to confirm the silver skid plate IS part of the Off-road Upgrade. Our configurator needs to be updated to reflect the subtle change in image displayed between the 2 packages. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have informed our development team to update this image."

That was from March 2022. And I just assumed it wasn't only an aesthetic upgrade. Disappointing. That being said, I want a options for metal bumpers, and skid plates.

 

[Buckets0fun]

The silver is very much plastic. Here’s what they look like when met with a stiff bush.
I have metal skid plates for the front and rear subframe/driveunits in development. These bumper ones will be a bit more in depth, and likely req a full replacement bumper. Working on the details.

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