Polaris RZR
Skid Plate from
Holz Racing Products
Product Review - Skid Plate
Information:
The stock Polaris skid
plate is pretty wimpy. Combine that with low ground clearance, and
that can spell disaster in rough terrain. Here are a few examples of what
can happen to the belly of your RZR with the stock skid plate:
Photos used with permission
There are several skid plates made for the Polaris RZR, but
I'm not a big fan of aluminum for UTV skids. The reason is aluminum
hangs up on rocks and gets gouged as you slide over them. This
is extremely important on trails like the
Rubicon,
Barrett Lake and
Moab.
After searching around I found a company making skids using
UHMW. UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) is a extremely durable polymer that
is used in many applications where abrasion resistance (the ability to slide
over a rock) and impact resistance is critical. UHMW sounded like the
perfect material for the type of skids I was looking for, so I decided to
contact Holz Racing Products to get the ball rolling.
Installation:
The RZR is pretty low
to the ground, so it would be pretty difficult to work on the skid plate
with all the tires on the ground. If you choose to use jack stands, please
be real careful. I am lucky enough to have a neighbor that has a lift
in his garage, and that made it real easy to work on the RZR's belly.
The first step in the
installation is to remove the factory skid plate. There are about a dozen
3/8" bolts with dish-like washers that need to come out. Just make
sure you save these because they will be re-used on the new skid plate.
Good view of the underside of a Polaris RZR without the skid
plate.
** Side note - With the RZR in the air, and the skid plate
off, it it a great time to change your oil and filter without making as big
of a mess. If I was going to do this again, I would have taken a bit
more time and done a bit of service while the skid plate was off.
At this point, it is time to start installing the new skid
plates. You start with the aluminum side skids. The normal HRP side
skids look like this:
Well, I have the full body plastic from Fullbore Innovations
and that just wasn't going to fit. Holz Racing Products does sell have two
versions of their side skid. The first is as you see it above.
The second is for people with nerf bars or aftermarket plastic like me.
Unfortunately, I did not think ahead. So instead of sending the side skids
back for the smaller versions, we took matters into our own hands:
This hurt a bit since the side skids are really a piece or
art...
UHMW center skid plate with aluminum side skids in place.
Review:
I am very impressed with the UHMW material. It is
thicker than the factory skid plate, and looks much tougher.
The fit and finish of each piece is top notch. All of
the holes lined up nicely, and everything fit in place well.
The only issue I had with the kit is the rear aluminum skid
plate is a pain to install. But if you want additional protection for your
rear differential, you are just going to have to be patient. The area is
very tight, and the way HRP designed it is about as good as it gets.
If you have nerf bars, aftermarket plastic and/or
aftermarket front bumper, be aware that the normal aluminum may not fit.
Smaller aluminum side skids are available without as much rocker panel
protection.
I am very excited about trying the new skid plates on the
Rubicon!
Contact Info:
Holz Racing Products
Phone: 360-398-7006
Website:
www.holzracingproducts.com
10% coupon at Holz Racing Products -
enter code "duneguide" at checkout.
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