OE Sliders

[Trynian]

got it . . . $1250-$1350 is worth it for the heavy protection . . .

thinking of having mild protection . . . don't know if I want to remove the compressor cover and increase cabin noise (anyone have an idea by how much) req'd for the RS babies

Just depends, some compressors are louder then others. Mine is louder then my friends and both of ours are louder then another friend of ours.

 

[davidfkon]

ahhhh . . . expensive shot in the dark . . .

 

[morrisdl]

my brandnew compressor under my RS sliders is noticeably quieter than than the 2006 one that was recently replaced under warranty. The dealer charged me $75 to R/I the slider to replace the compressor, but the suspension fault problem was ultimately fixed with new front height senors.

 

[davidfkon]

morrisdl - just PM'd you

 

[thorgal]

There is a separate thread,regarding these sliders, under sponsors on DISCO3.cu.uk,but I will shortly quote Neil about them,if anyone wants to know if they withstand a hung up on tree trunk or rock:
"The protector is built around a 5mm steel sill slider with increased under body length compared to our standard aluminium version. The Tree bar is made from 47.5mm tube with 3mm wall thickness, supported via 4 40mm support struts - all continuously TiG welded for a smooth finish."

"The Tree Slider sits 5mm lower than the lowest part of the door and 125mm out from the original sill. This allows it to be used as a side step. We offer an anti slip finish at no extra cost - we'll even cut, shape and apply for you.The unit is held on each side by 11 countersunk stainless steel bolts and SS washers."

Although,they are not Mandrel bent on endings,simply ,cos additional cost of this procedure is not,well...cost effective,they will not loose any strength needed to cope well with rocks and such.400 pounds is roughly $640,and that is half that RS sliders cost.I have no idea if they provide coverage over compressor of tank , that however, would have to be answered by Neil himself.It is a nice alternative to all who don't want to spend 1500 $ on product that will be used once or twice a year,and i find it way better than safari or high country guard .My 0.2 cents
If this product is as good as their ladder and many other items ,it will be a huge hit among LR owners.These guys are engineers and go off road regularly,so their products are field tested and designed carefully.

 

[Neild]

Not really much to add here that's not already been said - apart from the car should never be lifted by the shell / sliders / sills. THe car should only be lifted on the on the chassis points. You do not want the chassis stressing with the weight of the Axles, engine and chassis.

 

[davidfkon]

Neil,
these still bolt to the body rather then the fram as the RS correct? If so . . . doeen't impact still affect the body as with other sill guards?

 

[JohnKel]

thorgal you said "i find it way better than safari or high country guard "...why? Just curious.

Cheers
John

 

[nwoods]

Neil,
these still bolt to the body rather then the fram as the RS correct? If so . . . doeen't impact still affect the body as with other sill guards?

Steel is more forgiving than aluminum, and it also slides over rocks better. These sill protector style of sliders are designed to dissapate impact load so that a point load impact (your truck landing on a rock) spreads across the entire sill length, thus reducing the potential to deform the sill.

The SG style sliders are tubular, so if the point load exceeds the steel's rigidity, the bottom tube face bends but the top face of the tube does not...hopefully. The aluminum wrap around plate designs, like Rasta's sill protectors, dissapate the load somewhat, but are much easier to bend. Mine looked like a piece of bacon after my testing (torture), with corresponding damage to the sill of my truck. I don't think the SG style of slider will have that sort of negative impact. The tubular sliders offer good protection from that sort of damage.

Steel plate are almost as good as tubular, because of the qualities of the steel. The RS sliders use a heavy gauge steel plate. I am not certain, but I think (Neild's?) sliders are steel, and 5mm think. I think (really not sure, old memory) RS's is 3/8" plate, which is a bit more than 9mm thick. An additional difference is in how they attach. Most plate designs, and the tubular designs, bolt only to the door sills per the hardpoints indicated in the cutaway photo I posted. RS's sliders do not. They use the pylon points that connects the body to the frame, which are MUCH stronger. This is the primary concern I have over the outrigger sidestep style of plate sliders shown on those Flickr photos. That's a lot of cantilever force to put on a little nut tackwelded to a fairly light gauge body panel.

I think aluminum plate sliders are good. I think steel plate sliders are a bit better, I think tubular steel sliders are better than plate sliders, and I know for a fact that RS's full frame plate and pylon mount sliders are the absolute best.

Once you pick your level of protection/cost/value, then you have to decide on if you want side protection via stand off tubes. It is more popular in wooded areas to have "helicopter skis" for stand off tubes, to keep those pesky stumps, logs, roots, and trees away from your sheet metal. In very rocky areas, such as SoCal, the stand off's are less helpful, and can even be a hindrence when trying to slide over rocks projecting into the trail on each side. I prefer the Stage 1's without tubes for this reason. A very good compromise is the Stage 2 Slim's, but that's just my opinion based on where and how I off road....or did :-(

 

[davidfkon]

Thanks much! GREAT - REALLY GREAT info . . . trying to find a fair amount of protection, w/out the big tubes sticking out - I like the slick LR3 look . . .

NWoods . . . looking at those pics, where on those baby's plates are the actual frame mount

Neil, any chance of your tube sliders coming less then 12.5 cm out? something like the stage 2 slim?

Or am I just trying to get the best of all worlds?