[sliver_surfer]

Installed No Lo Designs (NLD) Skid Plates on my 2022 Passport Trailsport - like the additional protection even for road hazards...

Sound deadening and rattle prevention applied...

Front skid plate installed.

Mid and catalytic converter skid plates installed. The mid skid plate is significantly beefier than the stock one...

Gas tank skid plate...

Rear differential skid plate.

 

[Obert]

Very nice 👍

 

[REALM]

Looks great!

 

[ballisticexchris]

I just added my NLD skids today. It was a little tedious but came out really good. I did not go as far as the sound deadener like sliver_surfer. I'm of the opinion it does not offer enough benefit to reduce noise. In fact both myself and my wife could tell zero difference in sound level before and after install. The main thing is to torque down bolts sufficiently and use lots of LocTite.

I used orange LocTite and tightened everything down to spec. It took me about 6 hours for rear diff skid, gas tank skid, carrier bearing skid, mid/cat skid and front skid including oil change and ValvoMax drain plug install.

The gas tank and diff were a little fiddly but no drama and solid at the end.


Carrier bearing skid was a prototype and required a little trimming to fit without interference to gas tank skid. Ein marked the cut point. You use the original hardware and slip it between frame and bearing. The plastic under body needs to be trimmed a bit also. Remove the small bolt holding it on next to bearing to make trimming easier.

A theif is really going to work in order to get the cat removed!!

 

[sliver_surfer]

Very nice. Like what you did.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Very nice. Like what you did.

Back at you. Yours looks great as well. Is it just me or was it hard to get pictures under the vehicle? LOL!!

 

[sliver_surfer]

Yeah, it was tight under there. As for the sound deadening, I did it less for noise and more for retention (I've read that there have been rattling issues with the front skid plate - but that might just be with the prototype models) just a bit a preemptive measure to keep everything tight with the frame...

 

[fx_chip]

I just added my NLD skids today. It was a little tedious but came out really good. I did not go as far as the sound deadener like sliver_surfer. I'm of the opinion it does not offer enough benefit to reduce noise. In fact both myself and my wife could tell zero difference in sound level before and after install. The main thing is to torque down bolts sufficiently and use lots of LocTite.

I used orange LocTite and tightened everything down to spec. It took me about 6 hours for rear diff skid, gas tank skid, carrier bearing skid, mid/cat skid and front skid including oil change and ValvoMax drain plug install.

The gas tank and diff were a little fiddly but no drama and solid at the end.


Carrier bearing skid was a prototype and required a little trimming to fit without interference to gas tank skid. Ein marked the cut point. You use the original hardware and slip it between frame and bearing. The plastic under body needs to be trimmed a bit also. Remove the small bolt holding it on next to bearing to make trimming easier.



A theif is really going to work in order to get the cat removed!!

Clean and lovely results.

I noticed you used four Rhino Ramps, do you advise this instead of four jack stands for this level of work? I've been thinking about doing more under carriage work on our cars, some of the work needs the cars to be elevated but it scares the wife and she bombards me with links to stories about jack stand failures.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Clean and lovely results.

I noticed you used four Rhino Ramps, do you advise this instead of four jack stands for this level of work? I've been thinking about doing more under carriage work on our cars, some of the work needs the cars to be elevated but it scares the wife and she bombards me with links to stories about jack stand failures.

Funny you ask this. I purchased a few more ramps just for convenience. When I went to back off them, the rear ones caught on my running board bracket. It was a bit of a pain to get them moved out of the way.

I will say it is much safer with the ramps. Jack stands are pretty safe as long as the wheels are off and under the vehicle as an added protection. I'm always a little nervous getting all the way under a vehicle with just jack stands.

 

[sliver_surfer]

I noticed you used four Rhino Ramps, do you advise this instead of four jack stands for this level of work?

I used Rhino Ramps as well. Useful for oil changes or any work under the vehicle. This is the one I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0117EESNC

 

[ballisticexchris]

I used Rhino Ramps as well. Useful for oil changes or any work under the vehicle. This is the one I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0117EESNC

Plus one here. I'm kind of bummed out at the purchase process on them. A few days before I needed those extra pair I put them in my cart and they were 60 bucks. Woke up in the morning and they went up to 75.00. I'm a prime member and have had this happen before. So I got mine locally at Advanced Auto so I could keep up with my "fuel perks" for a .20 per gallon discount on gas.

 

[lvdukerider]

I use ramps for oil changes and such and Ranger Quick Jack's if I have to do extensive work under the car.
I used to have a very high curb in front of my previous residence that I could just drive up on and do oil changes and all manner of work under the car.

 

[HenryFL]

total cost ?

 

[REALM]

I use ramps, then put jack stands just under jack points for extra measure. ☺

 

[sliver_surfer]

total cost ?

Around $1300 including tools, ramps, and sound deading material.

 

[howlnwolf3]

Did any of you get noises when you had the wheels turned all the way left or right then moved forward or back? I complained to the dealership about it, they took off the No-Lo oil pan skid plate to test it out, put it back on weeks later, then finally took it off for good all for free just to see if it's that issue people have complained about the Passport on ...no more noises since then. They never figured out why the skid plate was causing the noises during the turns.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Did any of you get noises when you had the wheels turned all the way left or right then moved forward or back?

What kind of noise? Resonating or clunking?

 

[REALM]

Mine is 100% the skid plate, as took it off for a while myself to see if noises went away and 100% did.

I’ve found no permanent solution, other than cranking it down so tight with the u-bolt kit that I think it’s going to snap off, and then it stops popping for a day or two and then returns. I don’t want to use lock tite as last time I did that a bolt broke off and I couldn’t remove it when needed.

I’ve just accepted this is aftermarket skid plate implemented with the best solution they could, and I keep a 14mm wrench in the glove box to tighten it down when it starts annoying me too much.

 

[howlnwolf3]

What kind of noise? Resonating or clunking?

Clunking at full lock left & right. Without the plate, no clunking.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I don’t want to use lock tite as last time I did that a bolt broke off and I couldn’t remove it when needed.

You might want to try out this fairly new to the market Permatex Orange #25005 that I've been using the last few years. Very good success with a even balance of holding and ability to remove fasteners.