When I decided to run the Tire Rack One Lap of America in the Model 3 this year, one of the concerns I had was regarding protection for the front of the car. As you may have seen elsewhere on the forums, it is possible for damage to the front aero shield on the bottom of the car to also impact the coolant hoses on the front of the battery pack, which could leave the car not only undrivable, but also needing a $15,000 high voltage battery replacement.
Given I would be putting nearly 6,000 miles on the car for this event, and could be in one of several states well over 1,000 miles from my home, having a problem that left me stranded like this didn't sound like a good idea.
So, I looked into ways of protecting the car, and replacing the flimsy felt aero shield with something more durable seemed like the solution.
Enter the Mountain Pass Performance "Smash Me" front skid plate - an 1/8th inch thick piece of aluminum; that seemed like it would do the trick!
Installation was a cinch.
Lo and behold, towards the end of our event we hit an (already deceased) deer that was sitting right in the road, there way no way to avoid it, only to go over it. The car got some air; it definitely did not feel good. I was of course concerned about the damage. We jacked the car up and after inspection found that, although the skid plate was bent, it did its job and everything that needed protection had been protected. The front lip spoiler cracked, and a sway bar mounting bracket was a little bent, but that was the extent of the damage. A trip to the car wash got most of the evidence washed off.
Overall, a product I would highly recommend! It's cheap insurance to protect the (very expensive) bits underneath the front of your car.
Given I would be putting nearly 6,000 miles on the car for this event, and could be in one of several states well over 1,000 miles from my home, having a problem that left me stranded like this didn't sound like a good idea.
So, I looked into ways of protecting the car, and replacing the flimsy felt aero shield with something more durable seemed like the solution.
Enter the Mountain Pass Performance "Smash Me" front skid plate - an 1/8th inch thick piece of aluminum; that seemed like it would do the trick!
Installation was a cinch.
Lo and behold, towards the end of our event we hit an (already deceased) deer that was sitting right in the road, there way no way to avoid it, only to go over it. The car got some air; it definitely did not feel good. I was of course concerned about the damage. We jacked the car up and after inspection found that, although the skid plate was bent, it did its job and everything that needed protection had been protected. The front lip spoiler cracked, and a sway bar mounting bracket was a little bent, but that was the extent of the damage. A trip to the car wash got most of the evidence washed off.
Overall, a product I would highly recommend! It's cheap insurance to protect the (very expensive) bits underneath the front of your car.
