“RIVAL 4x4” Skid plates - any experiences?

Been trying to find some skid plates I like, and the ones from Rival 4x4 look solid.
I can’t find much information about them though in this forum or FB groups (hard to search as the 4x4 makes a lot of things pop up)

if you’ve heard bad things, do you have any other recommendations besides RCI/Talon?

 

Definitely get wanting to like a product.

But I think customer service is up there and if you can't find any information on the product that would be a red flag for me. RCI has a big following and does a lot for the off road crowd. Talon is smaller but is actually on the forum and has been an awesome vendor and great to work with and listen to folks and make products that actually benefit us and meet our needs.

Dig more into Rival if that is what you want to do. Or you could ping @Talon2006 and start a conversation about what you like more about the Rival product and he may or may not be able to help get you something you like but from a Vendor with a known reputation and who can easily be contacted.

 

I ran Rival's on my 4runner. They were about 2/3rds the cost of RCI at the time I bought them and I absolutely loved them. I was very hard on them. They supported the entire weight of the vehicle multiple times before deforming beyond use. For moderate use they are perfect.

Unless you are just plain abusive (like I was) to your vehicle they should be great for mild to moderate use.

 

Thank you both for the insights! I appreciate it. I have the TRD skid plate now but not a fan of removing for oil changes.

It’s basically Rival vs RCI vs Talon at this point. The only reservation I have with Talons is the logo cutout, feel like it is too big but maybe it’s not too bad in person.

 

They are a overseas company, and while they have a building here in Houston that they do R&D at, everything they make is done overseas and shipped to the USA from what I know.

 

I think my box had "Made in Russia" printed on it.

 

Good info, thanks. I will rule them out.

Looking at yours, I am going to buy the TRD lift kit once it is not on stop sale anymore. For now, I have no lift. If I select the TRD Lift kit option, is it just an add on I can do later or a completely different skid plate?