Front and rear diff guards

HeavyDuty · Post by **HeavyDuty** » Thu May 10, 2018 9:25 pm

I know this has been discussed to depth. I just want to make sure. The consensus is Thuren diff cov in the front and purple cranium in the rear. Plus there was a guy selling skid plates but don’t recall what for

Thanks in advance boys. Appreciate it.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Thu May 10, 2018 9:49 pm

Carli diff skid is by far the toughest and best coverage you can get up front.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Thu May 10, 2018 11:01 pm

I opted for half-spiders front and rear. That Carli cover looks like it would hold onto mud, and that’s a big part of life up here.

YouTube · Post by **OffroadTreks** » Thu May 10, 2018 11:19 pm

As observed this PWIM, the Carli diff guard actually hits more things, because it hangs lower. If you decide to add a truss, you have to cut the bottom of it off. As happened to GTOMike.

Overall, best bang for the buck is the Half Spiders from Purple Cranium. I've abused these relentlessly in Moab and elsewhere without any problems.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Thu May 10, 2018 11:19 pm

That’s certainly a good point, I’ve never had a problem with that, but it’s usually too dry where I am to have much mud. Rocks stumps and road debris are more my concern. Those half spiders do look like they offer decent protection from larger objects though.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Thu May 10, 2018 11:22 pm

Do you guys with the rear track bars have enough space to run a fabricated rear cover like a ruff stuff or ballistic fab? That would be great out back if so. I use a ballistic rear and it’s hell for stout and holds about 8 quarts

Reloaderguy · Post by **Reloaderguy** » Fri May 11, 2018 11:41 am

I've never owned a Purple Cranium guard and I don't drive around backwards much but I do have a Carli front guard and it is stout. If Carli made a rear I'd consider it a little more seriously than a Purple Cranium.

KevinABQ · Post by **KevinABQ** » Fri May 11, 2018 12:05 pm

I slid back a bit negotiating an obstacle on top of the world and came to a very sudden stop. Got a nice ding on the rear diff guard from that.

Bill2014 · Post by **Bill2014** » Fri May 11, 2018 12:43 pm

KevinABQ wrote: ↑
Fri May 11, 2018 12:05 pm
I slid back a bit negotiating an obstacle on top of the world and came to a very sudden stop. Got a nice ding on the rear diff guard from that.

Yepper -That's when you're glad you put a rear guard on!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri May 11, 2018 3:04 pm

Thuren doesn’t make diff guards, probably thinking of the Carli. I love the carli front, excellent quality and protection and it goes under the diff housing to help slide over obstacles and protect the lower lip of the diff cover. I like the Carli front over the purple craniums just for aesthetics but they’re both effective. Getting a half-guard they clears the trackbars and tie rod is the best so you never have interference issues.

If you truss your axle you need to remove the lower lip from the Carli cover, it’s a non-issue.

I make transmission/engine/exhaust skid plates if that’s what you were thinking of?

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Fri May 11, 2018 3:19 pm

Yes, but when for us 3rd gen guys??? I want to give you money Marcus! Lol

Easttnrhino · Post by **Easttnrhino** » Fri May 11, 2018 3:37 pm

I have trail test damge wagons skid and it did good, also have Carli front cover with rock rash and could not make up my mind between it and purple cranium, but glad went Carli. Got purple cranium on rear.

YouTube · Post by **OffroadTreks** » Fri May 11, 2018 6:32 pm

I think people just see the openness of the Purple Cranium and think it's not as strong. But it is. Ask @DamageWagon how abusive I am to my truck.

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri May 11, 2018 8:44 pm

Colibri wrote: ↑
Fri May 11, 2018 3:19 pm
Yes, but when for us 3rd gen guys??? I want to give you money Marcus! Lol

I’ve got the prototype, gotta make changes but it’s coming!!! Plan for August

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri May 11, 2018 8:44 pm

MikeKey wrote: ↑
Fri May 11, 2018 6:32 pm
I think people just see the openness of the Purple Cranium and think it's not as strong. But it is. Ask @DamageWagon how abusive I am to my truck.

The Purple Craniums are awesome, but for the same price the Carli is HOT

Reloaderguy · Post by **Reloaderguy** » Fri May 11, 2018 8:49 pm

MikeKey wrote: ↑
Fri May 11, 2018 6:32 pm
I think people just see the homeliness of the Purple Cranium and think it's not as strong. But it is. Ask @DamageWagon how abusive I am to my truck.

FTFY

molonlabe · Post by **molonlabe** » Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:38 pm

This is the result of running into a 200# rock with your front diff. I don't recommend it.
I got lucky as it pushed my front cover in about a 1/4 inch near the bottom. This resulted in the fill plug nut (on the inside of the cover) contacting the carrier and grinding off some of the nut. Aside from making a whirling noise the contact problem corrected itself as I drove back home.
By lucky I mean after getting the truck to a repair shop, I just needed to replace the cover and change out the diff oil.
To help prevent this from happening again, I ordered the Carli Front Diff Guard.

13powerwagon · Post by **13powerwagon** » Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:45 pm

Colibri wrote: ↑
Fri May 11, 2018 3:19 pm
Yes, but when for us 3rd gen guys??? I want to give you money Marcus! Lol

You can give him your money now, I gave him my money back in January for one lol.

whitey · Post by **whitey** » Sun Sep 30, 2018 1:13 am

I've had the half spider up front and full spider in back from purple cranium. They've taken around 8 years of off roading with no issues. The front half spider goes under the tie rod during heavy impacts. Most of the time it saves the tierod and hydro assist.

Lazarus · Post by **Lazarus** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:11 pm

Is there another option for the rear other than the purple cranium? I'm getting carli for the front, I'm just not into the whole spider/skull design thing that purple cranium uses. Seems like a good price for it though.

Low_Sky · Post by **Low_Sky** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:38 pm

Order black powder coat, the cheesy arachnid or skeleton parts motif will be harder to see.

Nothing else out there except for beefier diff covers and Gale Banks is tearing that market a new one right now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TankerZak · Post by **TankerZak** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:51 pm

I got the stock hammered ones. Can really barely see them. You know what they are if you know what to look for but no one has ever commented.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

TwinStick · Post by **TwinStick** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:17 pm

Low_Sky wrote: ↑
Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:38 pm
Order black powder coat, the cheesy arachnid or skeleton parts motif will be harder to see.

Nothing else out there except for beefier diff covers and Gale Banks is tearing that market a new one right now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, he is.

But lets face it, if ALL of his theory was true, there would be no need for 10-20 quarts of oil in diesels either, just enough to lubricate the engine & keep the oil sump & it's pump happy.....yet the ones that do take LOTS of oil, seem to last the longest. I wonder why that is ? We all know that life happens & not everyone is super diligent with their service intervals, diffs being the least likely to get attention. I think most people would agree that 2 identical engines with 1 holding 2x the engine oil of the first, would either a) last longer or b) able to go more miles between oil changes (but still changing the filter at it's lifespan), or both. The Dealer says our 2017 4Runner only needs an oil change every 10,000 miles. Amsoil says their's can go 25,000 miles, if using their Signature Series oil & matching filter.

My experience has been: my Mag-Hytech rear diff cover that doubles the capacity from 3 qts, to 6 qts, does not run any cooler at all, exept on short trips of 7-10 miles. Once the rear diff is heat soaked while towing, it is my mph that makes the HUGE difference in my truck. A steady 65 will see temps of around 175-187*F. Just 5 mph more, @ 70 mph brings temps of 215*F or so. 80 mph will bring temps of 285*F, no matter what brand of gear lube i use. I just hope not to have to change the oil as often as before & am hoping for more longevity from the rear axle & it's related components.

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:56 pm

Doubling volume in a system that isn’t built for it is a problem. Doubling oil volume in a system that was designed for it is a different story.

Put 14 quarts of oil in your Hemi and let me know how it goes

My oil analysis running Signature Amsoil 0w-20 for 24,000 miles on a 25k mile filter on my ‘11 showed better wear numbers across the board than running Royal Purple for 4,000 miles with a Wix filter

RustyPW · Post by **RustyPW** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:32 am

DamageWagon wrote: ↑
Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:56 pm
Doubling volume in a system that isn’t built for it is a problem. Doubling oil volume in a system that was designed for it is a different story.

Put 14 quarts of oil in your Hemi and let me know how it goes

My oil analysis running Signature Amsoil 0w-20 for 24,000 miles on a 25k mile filter on my ‘11 showed better wear numbers across the board than running Royal Purple for 4,000 miles with a Wix filter

14 qts in the Hemi with a stock pan. Can you say oil windage.

You would have some much oil whipping around that crank. Think it would slow it down.

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