Peter Storck
Having the right underbelly protection is essential for extreme off-road running.
Words by Peter Storck
Maybe it comes from my days in school, but I recall always being told to use protection. I guess that’s why nowadays I feel the need to reinforce the coverage of my off-road vehicles with skid plates.
My Colorado ZR2 is the most extensively modified vehicle that I have owned to date, which now includes protection where it counts. There are a number of skid plate options for the Colorado, but only one met all of my criteria. I chose the American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) skid plates from Peden 4 Wheel Drive.
While skid plates offer much needed underbelly protection, some minor shortcomings include added weight and reduced ground clearance. One option to counteract the added weight is to choose skid plates made of aluminum. Here are a few points to consider:
Aluminum is lighter in comparison to the same gauge of steel, but it’s much weaker. You have to use a thicker plate to compensate for the lack of strength, which will add weight with minimal loss of ground clearance. Steel is heavier and a thinner gauge will increase clearance (I am talking millimeters here). Typically, steel skid plates are 3/16” thick and aluminum is 1/4” thick.
If a plate gets dented, aluminum cannot be hammered back into shape without the risk of fracturing it. Steel can usually be bent back into shape with the assistance of a BFH (a big friggin’ hammer). Since aluminum is softer, it can cause the truck to get hung up more easily when sliding over obstacles such as jagged rocks as these can gouge the material more easily.
Cost is also a factor. Aluminum is more expensive than steel. The thicker the plate is to meet the strength requirements, the more it will cost. As a result, steel is the most cost-effective option and various steel options are available.
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Peter Storck
A key reason for choosing AEV is they use Hot Stamped Boron Steel for the majority of the set.
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Peter Storck
Installation was pretty simple and the kit easily bolted to my truck.
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Peter Storck
Rear differential skid plate fresh out of its package.
Two reasons finalized my decision to buy the AEV skid plates. The first one was the company uses Hot Stamped Boron Steel (HSBS) for the majority of the set. This type of steel yields a much higher strength-to-weight ratio than the regular steel found on other skid plates. It’s commonly used in the automotive industry as it is lightweight and has extremely high yield strength, which is approximately 200,000 ksi (kilopounds per square inch) versus mild steel at only 25,000 ksi. The increased strength means a much thinner plate can be utilized and that equates to major weight savings. The hardness of HSBS also resists gouging.
Secondly, AEV uses a DOM (Drawn over Mandrel) Steel Tube for the transmission skid rather than a Boron Steel plate. This is because AEV works with the truck manufacturer to ensure design parameters are met. I was glad to hear that AEV worked with the Chevrolet designers to ensure its bumper met the vehicles crash and cooling requirements.
Cooling also comes into play with one of a vehicle’s most important components, the transmission. Chevy and AEV designers realized that with a plate, even a vented plate, the transmission can’t meet the necessary cooling requirements, which led to another solution – heavy-duty DOM steel tubing. It’s the same kind used in roll cages for race cars and monster trucks.
I called up Brad Peden of Peden 4 Wheel Drive just in time to secure one of the last sets of AEV skid plates that were in stock. Peden mailed the set out, and I received it two days after the order was placed.
Upon arrival, the parts were well packed, organized, and the instructions were clear, though some steps may challenge a novice. Even though my factory front skid plate mount on the Colorado was bent, the kit easily bolted up to the truck, thanks to its slightly oversized and slotted mounting holes.
My only real complaint is the outer mount on the back of the fuel tank skid plate requires a special 90-degree drill or another specialty tool as the space between the frame and the leaf spring is minimal. I don’t have a 90-degree drill, so I utilized my plasma cutter to make a small hole for the supplied fastener. The whole kit took me a little longer to install than I had anticipated, but I did take my time and didn’t rush it.
After thorough testing over the last few months, I have to commend AEV on designing what I consider to be the one of the best designed skid plate sets on the market. I did manage to bend one of the transmission skid tubes slightly, but there’s still plenty of space between it and the transmission housing. The rest of the skid plates have some scratches, but otherwise they remain in great shape.