Toyota OEM Rear Differential Skid plate
- Thread starter gvan1998
- Start date
The GX has a larger diff than the LC. In my North East wheeling and grinding over rocks at times, the rear diff from the factory is well suited to the task. The skid will actually reduce clearance. Under a hard pin against the skid it will likely rotate the plate and cause more issues.
Disclaimer: I have not gotten up close & personal with the GX550 rear differential yet. But….it should take a year and a day to damage a modern diff. You have to really hit a diff nowadays to cause a crack, leak, or dent that interferes with the differential’s job. If I’m wrong, please correct me!
The lower arch of the diff that would drag across rocks is very strong. The round rear cover (vertical part) is actually not super strong. For rock work I have installed a half moon curved plate that covers this on my front and rear diff. This is a weld on part and mostly not needed. The GX with an IFS front would not need anything. The rear gear cover is mostly protected by the spare in cases one is backing up into rocks. If that is of concern a weld on housing cover would be best.
I had weld-on protectors on my solid-axle Land Rover Discovery (on the front of the front diff and the rear of the rear diff). Those diff covers were notoriously paper-thin.
