Skid plate

#1

Anyone know if these are legal? http://www.e30motorwerks.com/index/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68:severe-duty-skid-plates&catid=40:new-parts&Itemid=37

#2

I don’t think so…

I also should say that I have been on and around the track in various guises for 18 years now… I haven’t required a skid plate yet. SpecE30’s certainly don’t ride low enough IMO.

If you do need one, you might need a lot more than a new oil pan…

#3

Kieran, hate to disagree, but in order to skip curbs with the soft suspension of our spec cars you will need a skid plate…at least in the southeast.

RP

#4

That one is not legal. This one is and one of the nicer ones I have seen.
http://www.tcmotorsports-store.net/e30-m20-engine-skid-p3020.html (No affiliation with them)

If you drop a wheel at the wrong track you can kill the pan. So if all the tracks you drive at do not have bad drop offs you will be fine. If they do and you drop a wheel you may have an an issue.

#5

Patton wrote:

[quote]Kieran, hate to disagree, but in order to skip curbs with the soft suspension of our spec cars you will need a skid plate…at least in the southeast.

RP[/quote]

Jason brings up a good point about legal skid plates…mine is the one as specified in the rules .

Thanks, RP

#6

lmoorefx wrote:

I know the guy that makes/sells those. Good dude. That doesn’t make the skid plate legal tho.

#7

mahoneyj wrote:

[quote]That one is not legal. This one is and one of the nicer ones I have seen.
http://www.tcmotorsports-store.net/e30-m20-engine-skid-p3020.html (No affiliation with them)

If you drop a wheel at the wrong track you can kill the pan. So if all the tracks you drive at do not have bad drop offs you will be fine. If they do and you drop a wheel you may have an an issue.[/quote]
According to Carlo (the C in TC) his plate measures 23.5" long by 16" wide which is within the spec.

#8

If you hit the curbs hard enough you dont need a skid plate :woohoo:

On a serious note anyone actually have pics of skid plate that actually helped? Would have to think that 10 gauge material is much too weak. It would help with debris and light scraping, but curbing, i dont know…

Peter Thibault

#9

I don’t remember specifics of who but I do remember reading on here that a few people hit curbs in the SE and the basic Factory 3 aluminum plate helped. Anyone remember who and and any details.

#10

The Factory3 plate works to prevent catching the leading edge of the pan on dirt when you go off. It isn’t going to prevent a crack if you really high-center your car on the exit gators. It will help with glancing blows, but not body slams.

The illegal brace shown above looks like it could transfer a lot more energy to the unibody before bending. The TC piece is kind of in between those two.

If you go out of bounds far enough, no plate will help though.

If you crack your pan, keep the revs up because then all the oil stays up in the head. Some say.:laugh:

#11

Steve D wrote:

+1. A relatively thin plate will help the car slide over gators that could otherwise give the oil pan a hard whack. Mine’s taken several hard blows.

#12

Steve D wrote:

[quote]
If you crack your pan, keep the revs up because then all the oil stays up in the head. Some say.:laugh:[/quote]

since all the oil is in the head, do we even need oil pans? :stuck_out_tongue:

#13

For me the Factory 3 plate was a 2 year replacement item as I scraped the metal through at the owner-modified outdentation (new word) at the drain plug location.

I shudder to think of the damage that might have occurred without the plate.

RP

#14

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Steve D wrote:

+1. A relatively thin plate will help the car slide over gators that could otherwise give the oil pan a hard whack. Mine’s taken several hard blows.[/quote]

I all depends on how hard you whack it…That’s a golf ball size hole dumping oil with skid plate!

#15

I like the price on the TC ones and it looks decent. I would hate to leave an oil slick for everyone behind me though.

#16

The 2015 ruleset made the HiK skidplate legal. I have one and it’s quite stout. It certainly protects the oil pan better than the wimpy piece of AL that I had before.

http://www.hikfabrication.com/arvixe/HIK_Fabrication_Home.html

#17

The HIK plate is the way to go!

+1 for this rule and , after 1+ year of use, this plate. It is strong, well designed and fits correctly.
RP

#18

[quote=“Ranger” post=81595]The 2015 ruleset made the HiK skidplate legal. I have one and it’s quite stout. It certainly protects the oil pan better than the wimpy piece of AL that I had before.

http://www.hikfabrication.com/arvixe/HIK_Fabrication_Home.html[/quote]

Here is the new link, if anyone is looking for this item. HIK Fabrication E30 skid plate.

#19

What does it weigh?

#20

I did a fair amount of cutting on mine so it only has about 1/2 the width it originally did. I’d guesstimate it originally weighed 15lbs.