Steel vs. UHMW Skid Plates — Straight Talk
Every other week somebody asks us whether they should go steel or UHMW for their skid plates. The answer is boring: it depends on how you ride. But since nobody likes that answer, here's the longer version.
Steel Skid Plates
Steel is what we build in-house. We cut 3/16" or 1/4" plate on the plasma table, bend it to fit, and weld on mounting tabs. Advantages are obvious — steel is strong, it's repairable, and it bolts up solid. A steel skid plate takes a rock hit and dents. It doesn't crack, it doesn't shatter, it doesn't let anything through.
The downside is weight. A full belly skid in 3/16" steel on a RZR Pro XP adds about 30-35 lbs. On a race machine where every pound matters, that's real. On a trail rig that's already loaded with coolers and spare tires, you'll never notice.
Steel also rusts if you don't coat it. We powder coat everything we build, but the bottom of a skid plate gets ground down by rocks and sand. Touch it up every season or it'll look rough after a couple years. Still functional, just ugly.
UHMW Skid Plates
UHMW (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) is the plastic option. It's light — roughly half the weight of steel for the same area of coverage. It slides over rocks instead of digging in, which means less hang-up on obstacles. And it doesn't rust. Ever.
The trade-off is impact resistance. UHMW handles glancing blows and abrasion like a champ. It does not handle sharp impacts as well as steel. A pointed rock at speed can puncture 1/2" UHMW. That same rock would dent steel but not go through it. We've seen cracked UHMW plates on machines that hit ledges hard — the material just doesn't absorb point loads the way metal does.
UHMW also can't be repaired. Crack it, and you're buying a new one. A steel plate? We straighten the dent, weld any tears, and send you back out.
So Which One?
Go steel if: You ride rocky terrain with sharp ledges, you bottom out regularly, or you want something you can fix instead of replace. Also if you don't care about the extra 15-20 lbs.
Go UHMW if: You ride fast on smoother trails, you want the lightest setup possible, or you're building a race machine where every pound counts. Also good for muddy riding where the slick surface helps the machine slide over obstacles.
Do both if: You're serious about protection. Steel belly skid and A-arm guards for the hard hits, UHMW rock sliders for the sides where abrasion matters more than impact. We've done a few hybrid setups and they work well.
We build custom steel skid plates starting at $200 for partial coverage. Full belly kits with A-arm guards start around $450. Get in touch and we'll figure out what your machine needs based on where you actually ride.