This is a very valid point. In this situation given what is available, one needs to consider the material as it relates to the design.
Savvy off-road sold? (the unofficial Savvy customer support and Savvy rant thread)
- Thread starter Gollywomper
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This is a very valid point. In this situation given what is available, one needs to consider the material as it relates to the design.
I think they both drop about the same from the frame, but the Savvy tapers so it's basically flush at the frame and only the very middle hangs as low as the UCF, where the UCF has a flat bottom so it's minimum clearance is across the entire width.
The other big differentiator is the UCF is integrated with the crossmember, just like stock, while Savvy has a separate crossmember so the skid can more easily be removed for service (in other words, without getting out a jack and stands to support the transmission while you remove the skid).
I would rather have the Savvy, but I was unwilling to wait indefinitely for something at the time I had no confidence would ever be available again. So I have UCF. I also have the extra clearance UCF, not the ultra clearance, so mine is even probably another inch lower than the savvy or the ultra, and it's been enough for me so far.
Do you mean if countersunk bolts would actually work in the 3/8" aluminum without being too weak?
No. We have to go all the way back to what makes the Savvy TJ product line unique in its material selection and the fabrication design choices being largely dictated by the material choice.
It is why we can criticize the GenRight and UCF aluminum bumpers and why the GenRight stretch tanks with an aluminum skid is a questionable choice.
When these things are better understood, we can have some thoughts on how UCF can simply substitute steel for aluminum on their skids and not have a questionable product.
Does the savvy skid plate use a different kind of aluminum or something?
Us guys that are buying these things now have to only compare products that are actually still made too lol unless you can do it yourself
And that may be true. That doesn't change the fact that UCF is not redesigning their steel skid to made out of 6061t6 and it's fabrication constraints.
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Ithaca
New Member
We can all agree Savvy has the best aluminum products for bumpers and skids (among other items), but when they don't produce those items regularly for years and there is no definitive proof of them returning and only empty promises of " 1 more month", the next best option is UCF. If there is another company that makes 6061-T6 aluminum bumpers/skids I'm all ears because I'm in the market for some, but I don't want to wait an eternity for Zavvy's supposed return.
There is a severe lack a nuance in that statement. Where durability is concerned, I'll take a steel bumper over a UCF aluminum bumper. This is an informed compromise to the differences in weight between two otherwise similar bumpers.
I'm confused on what you're saying is actually wrong with the skid
Yes and you can use the OEM trans mount. If you get the engine skid too you need to drill your own bolt holes through the tcase skid but that's easy. I think they offer a loprofile mount you can use but it's poly and people say it vibrates. I think you need a body lift for the ultra clearance one I have the savvy 1.25" one
Its the same problem with the Genright bumper. The corners are welded on the UCF skid, which means its no longer 6061-T6. Why do you add the "Hardcore" upgrade to a Savvy bumper?
That said, I'm also running the UCF extra clearance skid. Until it lets me down, I will continue to run it.
6061t6 has a minimum bend radius that when exceeded will cause the material to crack the tighter the bend gets. Welding also weakens the heat treatment. Which means the locations of the welds must be carefully considered or reinforced where necessary.
The bottom line is that a steel skid or a steel bumper will be fabricated differently than a 6061t6 bumper or skid that has also been designed around the material characteristics.
So it could be designed more optimally but there isn't anything specifically "bad" about it?
Think about it this way. Many people run the GenRight aluminum bumper without incident. I won't even consider it because even with what we do it out here, I watched one peel open the first time it made contact with a rock. We use our bumpers as a skid, which means we need a bumper that can survive that kind of use. That isn't GenRight.
My base level understanding of why GenRight peeled where a steel or a Savvy bumper would not have peeled will inform my decisions in other areas.
This, among other things, contributes to an overall build philosophy that is heavily weighted on design and function and an overall integration between systems and components. Which makes the long standing accusations of brand-name fanboyism really irritating.
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The UCF low profile mount also has a history of resting it's steel bits directly on the skid, which circumvents the isolation of the bushings. It's another example of a questionable design.
Poly would suck on a jeep anyways. It's not a racecar no reason for it