Turner Aluminum Skid Plate

[ptper]

Just got this email from ECS Tuning a few days ago for a new oil cooler guard from Turner (just before they got hacked, lol). It looks like they're back up and running though:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-turner-m...021491tms01~a/

The F8x M3/M4 models are simply amazing to drive, don't let road debris keep you from enjoying the moment. These cars have so much packed under the hood to get you this experience it cause the oil cooler to be placed face down to the road. This makes the cooler an easy target for impact since the stock belly pan is designed from flexible plastic material. We've seen stories from small branches, scrap pieces that fell from trucks to large ice chunks impact the cooler immediately draining the car of its oil. If you don't catch this right away this could cause serious internal engine damage from oil starvation.

Turners in-house engineering designed a skid plate to protect your oil cooler from these unfortunate situations and still maintain a stock like architecture. The idea was to design something much stronger and that still keeps the weight to a minimum, using 8 GA 5052 Aluminum covered their goal coming in at only 5 lbs. Since the Turner skid plate weighs only 3 lbs more than the plastic OE piece this makes the Turner plate the lightest metal option on the market. This skid plate requires no modification and mounts using the existing factory hardware the OE belly pan was fastened with. Using a trim seal to press against the oil cooler allows the air flow to pull heat from the cooler like vacuum the same way the OE belly pan was designed.

Features:

Designed to maintain the OE cooling and fitment
Manufactured from 8 GA 5052 Aluminum
Maintains factory hardware and mounting points
No cutting or modification required
5 lbs total weight, only 3 lbs more than the plastic OE
Made in America!

Thinking about getting some sort of protection. What do others think? Anybody have the one from IND/Fall Line and are happy with it?

[JamesGames]

I'm not so sure a thin sheet of metal will help much if the oil cooler is subject to getting smashed in.. at that height any rock or whatever that wedges in-between the floor and oil cooler is going to take the oil cooler out, regardless of sheet metal or not IMO.. I feel a front lip that will push away whatever you're about to hit is a better investment (while destroying your front lip), but that's just my 2 cents

[ptper]

Originally Posted by JamesGames

I'm not so sure a thin sheet of metal will help much if the oil cooler is subject to getting smashed in.. at that height any rock or whatever that wedges in-between the floor and oil cooler is going to take the oil cooler out, regardless of sheet metal or not IMO.. I feel a front lip that will push away whatever you're about to hit is a better investment (while destroying your front lip), but that's just my 2 cents

Maybe get both then, ha!

[BuLoOoSki]

I've had the Fall-Line oil guard for a year and a half now, and I'm glad I made the investment in one. It has saved my oil cooler at least once from running over a shredded truck tire that I couldn't swerve away from. I've seen the underside of my car and that oil cooler guard took a strong beating from the incident, and I'm pretty sure that the oil cooler wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for it.

I definitely recommend getting one. Turner Motorsports have a strong reputation and their version seems to be priced more attractively, so give them a try if you're debating between the two.

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by JamesGames

I'm not so sure a thin sheet of metal will help much if the oil cooler is subject to getting smashed in.. at that height any rock or whatever that wedges in-between the floor and oil cooler is going to take the oil cooler out, regardless of sheet metal or not IMO.. I feel a front lip that will push away whatever you're about to hit is a better investment (while destroying your front lip), but that's just my 2 cents

That's not necessarily true, you can still hit whatever it is in your way with your front lip and have it go underneath and smack the underside. The oil cooler guards are overpriced I admit, way overpriced, but I wouldn't say it's not serving a purpose.

[goneloco]

I have the Fall Line guard. I bought it after running over a tire tread on the highway. It bent my front lip and the mounting hardware (lightweight lip). The plastic guard under the oil cooler broke, but the oil cooler survived. I replaced the lip with M Performance.

It's a great piece of mind. Especially if you drive in snow.

[JamesGames]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

That's not necessarily true, you can still hit whatever it is in your way with your front lip and have it go underneath and smack the underside. The oil cooler guards are overpriced I admit, way overpriced, but I wouldn't say it's not serving a purpose.

Again it was my 2 cents. Take it how you want. My point was a thin sheet metal isn't going to support a rock. It might save you from light debris, but the oil cooler is stronger than that sheet metal.. so if a rock wedges in-between your car and the oil cooler you can be damn sure that undertray is going to be bent to hell.

My point regarding front lip is they are significantly lower than the oil cooler. The idea is hopefully the front lip will clear it out and damage front lip. If you think this sheet metal will save you then enjoy your undertray. Just my 2 cents. Having both is probably the best protection, but again I don't see how that piece would save you from a rock (which is what damages the oil cooler most of the time).

[horsepower_and_hounds]

I got it a month ago and installed it...prolly the first one they sold. My plastic one was torn to shit but i am....wait ....was lowered 1.5 in in the front with back rake. I hit a lot of shit and road under hard g-outs in the mountain runs. I was getting worried so it adds a lil bit of security. I had already scraped it once before I totaled the car. I was going to do a write up but failed to get to it and the car is gone now......I might still do it but the fit was perfect and pretty light compared to the fall line stainless unit

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by ehagerty

I got it a month ago and installed it...prolly the first one they sold. My plastic one was torn to shit but i am....wait ....was lowered 1.5 in in the front with back rake. I hit a lot of shit and road under hard g-outs in the mountain runs. I was getting worried so it adds a lil bit of security. I had already scraped it once before I totaled the car. I was going to do a write up but failed to get to it and the car is gone now......I might still do it but the fit was perfect and pretty light compared to the fall line stainless unit

Yep, if their 5lb weight claim is accurate then its nearly half the weight of the fall-line option! Given that, I'd be interested to know more details about thickness of both guards because I understand that Aluminum is lighter than SS but it's not half the weight. So if it's made very thin to save weight, then strength is sacrificed, which sort of defeats the purpose of the guard.

If thickness/strength checks out, then its a no brainer. The Turner option would be less than 2/3 of the price and half the weight.

[ptper]

I added the description to the op that talks about weight and material for the skidplate. I also looked at the instructions for Fall Line. It looks like there is some cutting involved with the oem guard, and you have to use a drill to expand the holes of the parking blocks to have theirs bolt right up. May not be a factor to those who don't plan on trying to resell later on, but it's a consideration for others.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Yep, if their 5lb weight claim is accurate then its nearly half the weight of the fall-line option! Given that, I'd be interested to know more details about thickness of both guards because I understand that Aluminum is lighter than SS but it's not half the weight. So if it's made very thin to save weight, then strength is sacrificed, which sort of defeats the purpose of the guard.

If thickness/strength checks out, then its a no brainer. The Turner option would be less than 2/3 of the price and half the weight.

I will weigh it in a bit and report back

[dzvero]

you can buy 2 coolers for that price

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by dzvero

you can buy 2 coolers for that price

Does that include labor costs? Or does it include the oil you need to top up your car with? Or does it include your wasted time on the side of road waiting for a bed to take your car to a dealership?

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Yep, if their 5lb weight claim is accurate then its nearly half the weight of the fall-line option! Given that, I'd be interested to know more details about thickness of both guards because I understand that Aluminum is lighter than SS but it's not half the weight. So if it's made very thin to save weight, then strength is sacrificed, which sort of defeats the purpose of the guard.

If thickness/strength checks out, then its a no brainer. The Turner option would be less than 2/3 of the price and half the weight.

Density of Aluminum (0.10 lb/in^3) is almost 1/3rd the density of SS (0.29 lb/in^3).

[swifty]

How are you guys liking the Turner guard.

Anyone pair this up with a mesh cover also?

[Caliboy951]

I'm in manufacturing and can make these out of 304 stainless (much stronger than aluminum) for a fraction of the price if anyone is interested? I assumed they are laser cut, stamped and welded.

[swifty]

Originally Posted by Caliboy951

I'm in manufacturing and can make these out of 304 stainless (much stronger than aluminum) for a fraction of the price if anyone is interested? I assumed they are laser cut, stamped and welded.

Definitely interested. PayPal ready.

Can you also consider a mesh too?

[Caliboy951]

Originally Posted by swifty

Definitely interested. PayPal ready.

Can you also consider a mesh too?

Absolutely. If anyone has a sketch or drawing I will be back at the factories March 15th and we can make anything.

Does anyone have one I could borrow to get the dimensions and then we can make any changes? I ideally need the .igs files.

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by Caliboy951

Absolutely. If anyone has a sketch or drawing I will be back at the factories March 15th and we can make anything.

Does anyone have one I could borrow to get the dimensions and then we can make any changes? I ideally need the .igs files.

in as well

[BigDog]

In for one also!!!!

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by swifty

Definitely interested. PayPal ready.

Can you also consider a mesh too?

Originally Posted by Caliboy951

Absolutely. If anyone has a sketch or drawing I will be back at the factories March 15th and we can make anything.

Does anyone have one I could borrow to get the dimensions and then we can make any changes? I ideally need the .igs files.

I see the conundrum of an open design for cooling vs a more closed design for protection. But I'd be totally in for a mesh version if it didn't restrict cooling.

I'm not a fabricator or engineer, but can something like this be done? Is it even a good design?

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by exo-shell

I see the conundrum of an open design for cooling vs a more closed design for protection. But I'd be totally in for a mesh version if it didn't restrict cooling.

I'm not a fabricator or engineer, but can something like this be done? Is it even a good design?

Hard to tell if it is a good design without holding it in person, and seeing it mounted to the car. The images leave alot of questions in terms of angles, airflow etc. Both options look like well designed components.

Regardless i'm sure airflow is sufficient as there is quite a bit of open area.