Beach Photos Featuring Front and Rear Skid Plates

[tom4bren]

... the front & rear skid plates would look much better in matching Silvertone color (not Foxfire). In Silvertone, the skids would compliment both the roof rack and wheels and bring the whole package together in union. Plus, the Silvertone colored skidplates would really "pop" against the cladding background instead of being somewhat subdued ...

EWWW!!!

IMHO, stick with the complimentary color scheme ... not contrasting.

[JAMAS]

EWWW!!!

IMHO, stick with the complimentary color scheme ... not contrasting.

I would agree, but with much less disgust

[vt_maverick]

Thanks for the inputs guys, I gave this decision months of thought and research before I pulled the trigger on the skids, and even then I was a little unsure. It's good to see that our membership seems to share my conflictions.

A couple of quick thoughts:

• I don't have my roof rack mounted most of the time, and since the plates go on the front and back rather than on the sides, the matching/contrasting effect to the roof rack and Borbets is not as big as you might think.
• I generally aim for my mods to be subtle and have a factory accessory quality/look to them. I want my plates to "pop" in the sense that they look great, but not so much as to be gaudy or detract from the VX's already beautiful lines/look.
• I've given a lot of thought to powder coating the rack, my OEM rims, etc., but I worry about being a little too "matchy-match" by having everything so tightly coordinated. Some contrast is a good thing, although paint v. cladding v. silver rack v. chrome rims is way too much. Hence the reason the Borbets haven't come off the truck since I put them on a year ago.

Here are a few pics that I studied in trying to make a decision:

Gene's matching skid plate looks great:


Then again so does John's:


But this pic was probably the deciding factor. Granted it's not entirely fair to try and compare anybody's VX against Gene's, but this pic at least helped me to determine that I did not want the strong contrast of a light "Silvertone" even if it did match my rims and roof rack. (Also note how much more the faux studs stand-out on a dark-colored plate.)


Personally I think that a darker silver/gray or paint-match will look best on a Foxfire in general, but since the darker gray wouldn't match my rims, I decided to go paint-matched instead. One of the frustrations that I had with this site early on was that for all the amazing pictures of mods that are in our galleries, very few of them had ever been attempted (or at least photographed) on a Foxfire. So this thread (and hopefully Sue's once she gets her's installed) should help others to make the decision in the future. Here are consecutive pics to make the comparison easier (keep in mind the lighting is different in the two pics).

[vt_maverick]

Couple more, the first shows the front plate in different lighting.

[Mile High VX]

Looks great Ashley!

[vt_maverick]

Was digging around on the JDM guy's site earlier and came across this in a newly posted gallery. Looks pretty sharp I think, especially with that rich dark cladding:

[RamAirZ]

Love the plates man and awesome beach pics!

[tom4bren]

I like the subtlety (sp?) of your color match. IMHO, the Proton should've been painted black (too much of a good thing I rekin).

[Riff Raff]

That's what is so great about this forum. You can ask other people's opinion, and you will get their opinion (whether you agree or disagree). When it's all said and done at the end of the day, it is the VX Owner's opinion that matters most. Thank you VT for giving us the opportunity to share our opinion and inviting us into your world.

[vt_maverick]

Rear skid plate pic as promised... sorry for the quality, my cell phone lens was blurry.

[VXjunky]

just personal preference .... one mans ceiling is another mans floor....id choose to match the cladding color....

[vt_maverick]

The problem is that the cladding will fade over time, so what shade of gray/black would you paint it? (Oh God let's not start that debate again!) Personally I think the rear would look good in paint match, gray/silver, or black. It's so far below the paint that I don't think any of them would clash at all. As you said, just personal preference.

[tom4bren]

Rear skid plate pic as promised... sorry for the quality, my cell phone lens was blurry.

UMMM ... Dude - I don't think it was the camera's fault

Actually, weren't you trying to get a pic of your fabrication skills on that receiver pin? Can't see that at all!!!

[vt_maverick]

I'll see if I can't take one close up with a real digital camera tonight. I have the feeling Sue won't believe the bent pin fits until she sees it for herself.

[tom4bren]

Just rattlin yer cage Dude.

I really like how the skids turned out.

Have Y'all moved yet?