I went with Riddler because the way they are made, you are less likely to get hung up on the rocks. When I changed mine I was really surprised how light weight the stock covers were. Pretty much they will give you as much protection as a pop can.

 

The stock diff covers are garbage and are susceptible to breaking open completely, rather than just a little peal back on the seam that leaks a little gear oil.

I would def run a quality diff cover. They also allow a little higher volume of oil that helps to dissipate heat and lubricate better. The CONCEPT of a diff slider is great... but it contradicts the height that we all fight to get in a lift and tires. That Rancho slider lowers the point of contact what looks to be about an inch! That is huge in the overall scope of things. That is the difference between running 35 and 33" tires. Guys even buy certain axles to get gain 3/8" clearance more. Others shave their rear ends (no wise cracks!) to add fractions of an inch... Now you want to add an inch to the lowest point of your rig? Counterproductive.

I do some pretty good rock crawling and bash my Riddler cover pretty hard. The worst that has happened is is peals the seam and opens up causing a little leak. So, you have to take off the cover in the next day or two, hit it with a little file or grinder and then reseal it with RTV or use your Lubelocker. If that is the only real trade off to avoid lowering my diff catching point by 1 inch... it is a no-brainer to me. I would never put one of these on.

Now if you tell me that you dont rock crawl, or do "those kinds of trails" so an inch isnt a big deal to you... well, then you shouldnt worry about having this kind of protection in the first place and an aftermarket diff cover would again be more than enough.

Just my 2 cents, but I cant see the logic that justifies me giving up that crucial height...

 

x2 on having both. I too have the riddler and have been eyeing up the Rancho plate.

 

It adds more like a 1/4". They fit really tight on the bottom area.

 

I think the glide thingie is pretty cool. I don't however like the idea of ANY type of cast differential cover. Castings tend to crack and break, whereas a plate steel cover would bend first...IF that. There are some plain steel covers on the market that are 3/8" thick in the cover area with a 3/8" ring. That's stout. I see these companies braggin about cast iron covers. That's pretty funny. You can throw that cast iron cover on concrete and break it. You can't do that with a steel cover. Here's what I'm talkin about:

http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-135306-dana-30-diff-cover.html

That's a bad sumbitch right there. You're gonna snap the axle in half before you break that cover. Yall put that pansy ass cast crap on yours if you want to. I ain't doin it.

 

I'm no rock crawler (FLA) but would it not just glide you over the rock and aiming at the drive shaft?

 

Yes that could happen but the drive slants up and you would have to hit the rock pretty hard to take you over the top. Every time Ive hit any rock that could possibly take my front drive out it would bring me to a complete stop. Then just back off and approach it with a different angle. If you are stuck on it best to be pull off.

 

i see this hasn't made the rounds in this thread yet.

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticl...est/index.html

Notice in every test, the steel plate faired better. They didn't test a 3/8" steel plate. The one that won "bulletproof" status was high strength steel plate. The reason for casting is that it's cheap as hell to mass produce. Don't get suckered into it. If you want real protection, look at those covers in my last post, or go for the one that won the shootout.

EDIT: Here is Great Lakes Off Road's warranty.

"Warranty ( No B.S. Fine Print )
You break it under use we replace it and add you to the hall of fame as it has never been done in the last 5 years. Our design has been engineered for strength. We weld these the proper way utilizing machined fixtures."

I think that says it all. They don't have a D30 cover listed, but I see no reason why they wouldn't make you one.