Any aftermarket rock sliders?

 

Only the set from Lucky 8 appears to be available now (upon request, not sure they carry extra stock on hand quite yet), as far as I know. Matzker in Germany may be another option, sliders and a bunch of other cool underbody protection most likely of very high quality, but last time I checked their new Defender products were not quite ready to ship yet, they don't have a US importer (meaning shipping rates from Germany are likely to be outrageously expensive), and their prices are pretty outrageous to begin with, even before shipping. So, Lucky 8 appears to be the only viable source for us here in NA today, althought I am sure others will follow eventually.

 

Wasn't there a company that made durable and quality rock sliders for the L320 RRS?

 

Yeah, that was Rover Specialties... Haven't heard from them in ages and I suspect they may not exist anymore. Also, a local (Southern California) shop, Tactical 4x4, who does excellent work with older Defenders and Discos - I had his super tough rock sliders and fuel tank plate on my own LR4 - took a good look at my new Defender a few weeks ago, but would need a "donor" Defender 110 in his shop for a few days, to properly design similar underbody protection.

 

Doesn't the defender come with underbody plating already? From TFL videos it looks like it's covered. I would need rock sliders and rear crash plate though.

 

It does, but it's a bit flimsy and coverage is so-so. Front bumper, fuel tank (2 tanks, actually), cat converter and rear diff are all exposed and could use some plates (which Matzker will soon have, made of aluminum), and of course rock sliders with plates that protect the nearby air compressor on the RH side are almost a necessity for rock crawling. So far, LR is only offering a smallish front bumper skid plate, AFAIK.

 

I wonder how they'd compensate the person who left the car with them for a few days. Could be worth a trip to SoCal...

 

I am sure you'd get a hefty discount on the finished product. I got the sliders and fuel tank skid plate for my 2013 LR4 for nearly half the retail price from them that way, but back then they already had a blueprint from earlier model year LR3/4s, and only needed to modify that design to fit the then-new (and larger) AMK compressor and bracket that replaced the original Hitachi setup on MY13+. So, that took only a couple of 1-day trips there, no big deal and I actually got to see them at work, Eric is a very skilled guy. If I didn't need my car every day, I would have gladly left them my Defender a few weeks ago when I paid them a visit to let them take a look at it. If you are serious about it, let me know and I'll connect you guys.

 

I ordered the Lucky8 rock sliders about 2 months ago, which is when they offered them for sale. They haven't shipped them yet. I check in with them from time to time to get updates and they are prompt in responding. They've been delayed on the body moulding brackets. I reached out again this morning. I'll pass along what I hear. They are the only option in the US that's I've seen so far.

 

Lucky 8 has those as well my friend has a set in his Sport and they are stout