Do Skid Plates Waste More Gas?

Do Skid Plates Waste Fuel?

If you’re looking to get skid plates for your vehicle then you’re already undergoing the research phase, which clearly includes wondering if skid plates affect fuel consumption for your car.

Do skid plates waste fuel? Yes they do. Skid plates are made of abrasion resistant materials such as steel and aluminum. Therefore, they tend to be heavy on their own, plus the moment you install them under your vehicle, they already increase significantly the weight of the vehicle itself, hence impacting your fuel economy. As a result, if you drive with a skid plate installed, you will waste more fuel than if you didn’t. 

To give you a quick idea, a simple engine skid plate for a pick-up truck, can weigh 25 lbs on average if it’s made of aluminum, or up to 40 lbs on average if made of steel. Now, if you add other skid plates such as a transmission skid plate, then you can end up adding over 50 lbs of weight to your vehicle, which will clearly mean wasting more fuel every time you drive.

 

Do Skid Plates Help MPG?

Absolutely not. Skid plates actually affect fuel consumption, the more you drive with them, the more fuel or gas will be used per mile, negatively impacting your miles per gallon ratio.

 

Are Skid Plates Necessary? 

Depending on what you do with your vehicle, skid plates can be necessary. The main goal of a skid plate is to protect your vehicle’s underbody from any road hazards such as rocks, pebbles, debris, branches, etc. If you tend to go overlanding or off-road driving, or just regularly having to go on unpaved or dirt roads, then skid plates can be necessary and a safe bet for your vehicle’s livelihood.

Essentially, a skid plate, which can be made of either 1/8” thick steel, 3/16” thick steel or ¼” thick aluminum panels, are designed to absorb the collision with any unexpected object, diverting the impact and energy of the collision from damaging your vehicle’s underbody.

Skid plates tend to be designed for specific vehicle parts, such as fuel tanks, engine, transmission and such. Therefore, if you have one installed right below your engine, you know that no matter what branch, rock, or road’s deformation you encounter, your engine will be safe from any impact, keeping your entire vehicle safe.

However, if you don’t regularly do this type of driving, a skid plate is not necessary. On the contrary, it will probably affect your fuel consumption negatively, since the skid plate itself can be quite heavy, and you will just be wasting gas as you drive.

 

Can A Skid Plate Affect My Car?

Not in a negative way, no. Besides the increased fuel consumption, skid plates tend to protect the underbody of your car very, very well. Nonetheless, they can also be a headache for your mechanic, as if there is an oil leak or something to look at in the engine or underbody, then they will have to remove the skid plate first. However, installing them or removing them isn't complicated or hard. It'll just mean a bit more time for them.

Finally, make sure you do clean them regularly, as you might find some leaves or dust which settles in between the plate and the underbody if you tend to to some heavy off road driving. A simple water spray to the under body of the car will get the trick done.