i have seen allot of guys on here with arb diff covers and diff skids - how important do you think these are on a rig, or are they there for the most part to look cool?
basically what are the odds of damaging your diff?

 

for the most part, they just look cool and are a cheap enough mod that everyone can do it. of course, the nay sayers will come on in a bit to argue about how you can drag the lip of your factory cover on some rocks and causes a leak. but honestly, that can happen with a heavy duty after market cover too. in fact, i see it on the trail all the time. so long as you're careful in how you wheel, pick good lines, listen to your spotter and go easy on the gas, i can assure you that you can prevent just about any damage to your stock diff cover. as far as peeling back the cover and causing a leak goes, just make sure to grind the lip of your cover so that it's not hanging below the diff housing and, use a high quality gasket maker like permatex "the right stuff".

for what it's worth, i like aftermarket diff covers as they do look cool but, i still run factory covers on my orange jk, wheel it on trails like the rubicon and really, they do just fine.

 

I like the extra protection. I could give a shit less what they look like. You can pick a great line all you want, but sometimes you slip off a rock and your line. I did that and dented th crap out of my stock cover very close to where my ring was. I ordered covers the next day. Plus I live in the south and all we have is mud local. I hate mud and try to avoid it, but if you want to scratch the offroad itch then its what you have. You don't know what is under the mud and I rather have a strong diff cover hit it rather than the factory. Nothing is wrong with extra protection, things off road are not going to go exactly like you want them too.

 

in all fairness, wheeling in the mud is tough and fortunately, something the OP doesn't have to deal with on a regular basis. most of the trails here in CA are dry and offer a lot of traction. aftermarket diff covers are cheap and obviously, will offer more protection but, i personally think that they are far from being "important" as the OP had asked - or, at least out here in CA anyway.

 

Sorry that made me laugh. But it is true just not as easy as it sounds for guys with limited experience.

In my opinion a $100 diff cover is a great investment and great insurance.

The rear cover is nice becuase it has a higher fill plug and allows you to get the right amount of oil in the diff without having to jack the Jeep up.

The front cover is nice for when you dont see that rock , tree stump ect ect and run into it and put a whole in the cover .

Bottom line most people have a good $1000 in there diffs $100 protection is pretty cheap.

David

 

Diff protection is something you will eventually want as your experience grows. Don't rush out and spend your money right away, their are more important things you can do. But when it comes time to do that first gear oil change, re-gear, etc go ahead and throw on some heavy duty covers while your at it. You should be removing your covers at oil changes anyway to inspect the internals.