Bronco Sport Cat Skid Protection!

[Rawah652]

Someone said under the felt on the sides is a metal bash plate.

On the Badlands there is a metal bash plate (works quite well, I've tested it) that covers the evaporator. But your fuel lines are completely unprotected. Even though they sit higher in the vehicle, it just takes one errant loose boulder when going just a bit too fast off road to make for a bad day.


JRC folks- what does this do for the clearance on the badlands models? It appears in your videos to hang down a little bit lower than the felt. When I measured my vehicle, the factory skid plates over the fuel tanks (and that little orange gasket thing on the exhaust) were the lowest points of my vehicle, with the front skid plates being a close second. This looks like it will become the new low point hanging under the front skids. Do you have measurements for it, or better pictures to judge the changes before purchase?

Also, do you have heat shielding built in on the cover? Cats get extremely hot, and I'm concerned that the combo of the low-hanging cat shield and a lot of heat build-up can start a fire either on trail or parking in the grass out here in the bone-dry west (obviously this is always a concern with long grass, but I don't want to make it easier to happen by adding this mod).

Sponsored

 

[JcrOffroad]

It’s not plugging the exhaust pipe it still goes out the back. You are welcome to add cat wrap or shielding if you feel it’s needed.

 

[Rawah652]

It’s not plugging the exhaust pipe it still goes out the back. You are welcome to add cat wrap or shielding if you feel it’s needed.

And the clearance question?

The install vids make it look like it sits an inch or so lower than the felt covers, but that could just be a lighting issue. I'd like to pull the trigger on this and order it, but if it sits that low, I'll just end up returning it so would like to avoid the hassle.

 

[JcrOffroad]

We tucked everything up as tight as possible. Ground clearance is a #1 priority when designing Offroad products.

 

[Rawah652]

We tucked everything up as tight as possible. Ground clearance is a #1 priority when designing Offroad products.

I believe you did. These appear to be well designed and made in the videos and photos you've shared.

But the question remains- how far below the factory felt does this skid plate sit?

 

[JcrOffroad]

I believe you did. These appear to be well designed and made in the videos and photos you've shared.

But the question remains- how far below the factory felt does this skid plate sit?

We honestly haven’t done a direct comparison, did not think it was needed. Comparing clearance of a felt part that would rip off vs an actual skid plate. I’ll try to get you the information you are asking for…

 

[JcrOffroad]

We just did a comparison. Our skid is the same as the felt at lowest point. Our skid offers clearance in areas the felt does not.

 

[Rawah652]

We honestly haven’t done a direct comparison, did not think it was needed. Comparing clearance of a felt part that would rip off vs an actual skid plate. I’ll try to get you the information you are asking for…

Thanks for getting back on that. And yeah I understand your confusion now, I'm not a fan of the felt either, and don't plan on keeping it. But it is a very easy point of measurement that (I think) is the same across the packages, so it'll work for comparison purposes. I know the little heat shield thing in front of the cat from the factory sits a lot higher (and can also be torn up by hand), so I'm willing to add the inch or so it takes to add armor there, just not willing to go lower than the existing low points. If that makes sense.

 

[cprcubed]

Just received my JCR CAT skid yesterday (thank you!) and installed it today. A couple of minor issues to report. None of the Nut Tabs had the nuts captivated (which sort of defeats the purpose of them). I had to superglue the nuts to the tabs and luckily it held well enough during the installation. I also received eleven 5/16-18 nuts and one 1/4" nut, necessitating a trip to the hardware store for another 5/16" nut. I also didn't receive any washers for the bolts on the two front holes and two rear bracket holes. The bolt heads are smaller than the slot holes in those locations, so washers are required. It seems like there would be enough wiggle room to have those particular slots narrower with everything loose prior to tightening things down. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. Cheers!

Sponsored