We had a close encounter of the rock kind this past weekend. The only casualty was the lower molding on a front door but it was enough to make me realize that I should probably look into rock sliders before we do real damage.

Googling Land Rover LR3 rock sliders brought up more options than I would have expected and searching the LR3 forum here didn't add much information to help me decide. Do any of you have experience with one or more of the options out there?

I'm thinking of getting rock sliders without tree sliders / kick-outs / side steps. We typically off-road our LR3 about twice a month so I am more concerned about the ability to protect the vehicle than the look. Is this a reasonable solution? Any recommendations regarding brands? Thank you very much.

-Rob

 

I'm a big fan of Tactical Rovers. Bonus for you - they're based in SoCal.

I've USED mine and they're still going strong. I have managed to put a bit of a bend in the passenger side one, but what do you expect when you drop 7500 lbs of truck on a rock? They are heavy (that's a good thing) and more importantly they cover far more than just the sills - they run all the way inboard to the frame rails and basically give you skid plates as well as sliders. That also means they cover the compressor and air tank - also a good thing.

Only down-side is they can be tough to install since they are so heavy (I do it solo, just using a jack to lift them into place), and you have to ditch the sound cover for the compressor which means it will be louder than stock. Not really a problem, but something to be aware of.

I think they offer them with or w/o tree sliders - I'd recommend with. That gives you a couple extra inches between hard pointy things and your soft door skins. Plus they make a handy step for getting into the truck when it's lifted.


I'd also recommend their transfer case and gas tank skids if you really play in the rocks. These trucks will never have the clearance you can get from the solid axle rigs, so best to turtle the bottom so you can drag it over things you can't clear.

 

Lucky 8 has there own in house brand sliders they are indestructable. No matter what we have done to the LR3 they just take the abuse. They also go well underneath the truck and protect the compressor and are made to clear the upgraded compressor. Give them a call Justin or Erik @ 716-898-8153

I've seen them take a beating at event after event.

 

I'd be interested in seeing these, if only as a reference since I'm already running the Tactical stuff. But the Lucky8 website....it has needs. I couldn't find them (?)

 

It looks like Lucky8 sells Tactical Rovers and Terrafirma rock sliders for the LR3: Lucky8llc.com - Rocksliders for Land Rovers

Are nerd bars basically the same as tree sliders / kick-outs / side steps? I'd like to avoid protrusions, if possible.

 

Ditto on what you've heard already. The kick-outs are good if you're around trees a lot, especially the roots and stumps can cause problems.

 

'nerd bars' .... lol another auto-correct win I'm thinking!

Yes, nerf bars are the kick-outs/steps/tree sliders. At least on the Tactical they don't stick out far but they do help. I recall a very rocky down-hill section of Snake Lake trail where all the rocks under me started shifting and was basically riding a small land-slide down-hill about 10' until I came up against a big rock. I was sure it had taken out my door, but the nerf bar stuck out enough to engage the rock first and keep it off my paint. Close call though.

I've never been in a position where the nerf bar hung on anything. It would be tough to have that happen though I suppose possible. I'd still prefer to have it vs. not having it.

 

Yep, auto-corrected and I didn't catch it. I am a bit of a nerd so there's that, too.

We do almost all of our off-road adventuring in the desert so trees aren't really an issue for us. Still, it sounds like nerf bars may be worthwhile even though I don't want anything to stick out for on-road use.

Thanks for all of the help with this!

-Rob

 

Bump...

Anyone had luck with the Terrafirma Sliders from Atlantic British or the Rocky Road LR3 Sliders?

I've heard there have been fit issues with the Terrafirma ones.

Any input is much appreciated.

Cheers.

 

I got mine from Rovers North -- they've been solid so far.