Your best bet is an aftermarket skid plate
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who makes a half covering aluminum front skid splash plate?
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thanks,I bookmarked it.
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Rival skid plates ordered today! I pre-ordered the front skid and CAT cover bundle. The AT tires on steel wheels were installed last week. Hopefully some warm weather is coming so that I can finish the Rough Country Lift, Steeda front strut tower brace and rear say bar and Air Lift bags. Heck, I might finally get that Steelcraft Grille Guard installed too though I suspect it is going to make the front sensors get very upset.
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I would caution 2025 and 2026 Ecoboost owners from purchasing the Rival skid plate. I had one. It was incredible quality but it rubbed on the oil pan (see pics.) I sold it to a hybrid owner who did not have an issue. In addition, you would still need a funnel to do oil changes due to the location of the drain hole. It is right on the edge.
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Did you let them know of the rubbing issue?
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Yes, their customer service was very responsive. Their advice was to file rivet down, which I did. (Not something you expect to do with a brand new skid plate.)
I had gotten the skid plate to make oil changes easier. But it actually made them harder. Due to the location of the drain hatch, right where the oil drains, you would have to sit under the car with a funnel to keep half the oil from draining onto the skid plate. What an incredibly poor design flaw (at least with a 2025 ecoboost.)
If Rival moved the oil drain hatch one inch right and one inch back, I would buy another one tomorrow. That would also correct the rubbing issue.
Update: The backordered skid plate arrived this week and I installed it yesterday.Rival skid plates ordered today! I pre-ordered the front skid and CAT cover bundle. The AT tires on steel wheels were installed last week. Hopefully some warm weather is coming so that I can finish the Rough Country Lift, Steeda front strut tower brace and rear say bar and Air Lift bags. Heck, I might finally get that Steelcraft Grille Guard installed too though I suspect it is going to make the front sensors get very upset.
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First oil change with the Rival pan in place went without a hitch on my '25 hybrid AWD.
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Interesting. The Rival site seems to be showing spotty availability to past 5/31. I'm leaving for Virginia at about that time, so it doesn't look like I'd likely be able to get it installed before then. I'll need to be *very* careful, but should be OK...Update: The backordered skid plate arrived this week and I installed it yesterday.
P. S. how was the rivnut quaility? Others have reported needing to replace them because they were shoddy.
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I plan to order this skid plate set - including the cat converter & well as the "driver" & "passenger" side plates to protect the battery. I drive in rallies with a lot of gravel, dirt & rocks. However, I am concerned about how the plates are attached.
The installation manual shows 3 "insert nuts" and when I messaged Rival they said one of these was a "wire insert nut." They sent slightly better photos, but I still can't determine how these work. I asked three times for a link to the manufacturer or distributor of the "insert nuts", no mention or link on their responses.
I had skid plates on 2 VWs I ran in the rallies. They were attached with the "rivet nuts" which soon became loose, nearly impossible to remove the plate to change oil. Finally I had regular nuts welded into the frame discarded the rivet nuts.
On 2 Subarus I ran, got skid plates from Primitive Racing in Portland, OR. These easily bolted into the stock nuts in the frame. However, they had several spacers one each of the 4 bolts that fell out when removing the plate and were a pain to reinstall. Finally, I had permanent aluminum spacers welded into the plate, worked fine after this.
I need to order & install the plates soon, but if the "insert nuts" are unreliable, I need to use something else. Rival advised not to weld nuts into the frame as this "would cause difficulty in lining up the plate to the frame". This is concerning, as if there is play in the alignment, it seems to me that the insert nuts are moving around, are not stable.
Anyone with experience with this, please let me know. Thanks
The installation manual shows 3 "insert nuts" and when I messaged Rival they said one of these was a "wire insert nut." They sent slightly better photos, but I still can't determine how these work. I asked three times for a link to the manufacturer or distributor of the "insert nuts", no mention or link on their responses.
I had skid plates on 2 VWs I ran in the rallies. They were attached with the "rivet nuts" which soon became loose, nearly impossible to remove the plate to change oil. Finally I had regular nuts welded into the frame discarded the rivet nuts.
On 2 Subarus I ran, got skid plates from Primitive Racing in Portland, OR. These easily bolted into the stock nuts in the frame. However, they had several spacers one each of the 4 bolts that fell out when removing the plate and were a pain to reinstall. Finally, I had permanent aluminum spacers welded into the plate, worked fine after this.
I need to order & install the plates soon, but if the "insert nuts" are unreliable, I need to use something else. Rival advised not to weld nuts into the frame as this "would cause difficulty in lining up the plate to the frame". This is concerning, as if there is play in the alignment, it seems to me that the insert nuts are moving around, are not stable.
Anyone with experience with this, please let me know. Thanks
The skid plate went together fine and I had no issues with the nuts. They don't look like much, but they did work. I use my Maverick on my land where I'm building a new home. I crawl up and down steep mounds of dirt and I noticed some evidence that the skid plate is doing its job. Dirt and rock rubs tell the tale. I'll get the cat cover installed soon. My home construction is my priority at present.
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