Published on February 5th, 2015 | by Joe
Ricochet, RZR S Skid Plate Test—WITH VIDEO
Ricochet Off-Road Skid Plate Set Test—WITH VIDEO
Complete Undercarriage Protection for your Side-by-Side.
Ricochet’s 9-piece Complete Aluminum Skid Plate Set offers full coverage, including full frame skids, combination A-Arm and CV boot guards, plus footwell protectors with built-in rocksliders.
After hearing of an editor from a print magazine putting a rock through the engine on a RZR 800 and watching our RZR S frame out on a few rocky sections, we felt more undercarriage protection was in order. Ricochet’s 9-piece Complete Aluminum Skid Plate Set offers full coverage, including full frame skids, combination A-Arm and CV boot guards, plus footwell protectors with built-in rocksliders.
Ricochet also offers ¼-inch UHMW skid plate overlays for their aluminum skid plates. They combine the strength and rigidity of the aluminum skid plate with a slick surface that more easily slides over obstacles.
Ricochet constructs its skid plates of 3/16-inch 5052 H-32 aluminum, and offers them in a bare aluminum finish or with various anodizing color options. For serious rock crawlers, Ricochet also offers ¼-inch UHMW skid plate overlays for their aluminum skid plates. They combine the strength and rigidity of the aluminum skid plate with a slick surface that more easily slides over obstacles.
Ricochet’s skid plates come complete with all of the necessary mounting hardware. The exposed star head bolts feature rounded heads that won’t easily snag or sheer off on rocks like a standard bolt, and are the next best thing to recessed bolts. Using steel bolts and aluminum clamps on the a-arm skids, we strongly recommend using a small amount of grease on the bolts to prevent the steel and aluminum threads from corroding and freezing up. This will make maintenance a lot easier down the road.
Installation and fitment between the Ricochet skid plates and the RZR was easy and straight forward. Removing the stock parts and installing the Ricochet skid plates took us a little over an hour with our experienced staff. Expect to spend an hour or two on it the first time around.
The Test
Upon viewing our project RZR S, the one product most UTV owners said they felt they should add to their machine was the Ricochet skid plates. We banged our way through some creek beds and through a gnarly rocky wash, grinning, rather than cringing, with each impact to the underside of our car.
During several test sessions, we never noticed any annoying rattling or vibration. Post-ride inspection revealed minimal signs of impact, despite taking some good shots while rock crawling.
Perhaps we could have picked our way through the same sections minus the Ricochet plates without breaking anything. However, it’s usually the rock or object that you don’t see when you’re flying down the trail that winds up breaking something costing you money and a ruined day of riding. With Ricochet’s skid plates, that’s far less likely to happen.
During several test sessions, we never noticed any annoying rattling or vibration. Post-ride inspection revealed minimal signs of impact, despite taking some good shots while rock crawling.
Unless you ride exclusively in the dunes, we feel Ricochet’s skid plates are a smart investment.
Conclusion
For many, driving side-by-sides is about relaxing and having fun. We definitely felt more at ease when impacting rocks, knowing Ricochet had our machine covered. Unless you ride exclusively in the dunes, we feel Ricochet’s skid plates are a smart investment for maintaining the structural integrity and resale value of your machine.
Manufacturer: Ricochet
Product: RZR S 800 9-piece Complete Skid Plate Set
Price: $779
Contact: www.ricochetoffroad.com
Ricochet, RZR S Skid Plate Test
Summary: We definitely felt more at ease when impacting rocks, knowing Ricochet had our machine covered. Unless you ride exclusively in the dunes, we feel Ricochet’s skid plates are a smart investment for maintaining the structural integrity and resale value of your machine.
4
5 Ride Test
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