2005–2023 Toyota Tacoma Flat Belly Skid Plate Kit
A Completely New Approach to Skid Plate Design
For years, customers have asked when we would release skid plates for the 2005–2023 Toyota Tacoma. The truth is we did not want to release just another skid plate. We wanted to build something that actually improves your truck’s capability, not something that adds weight and reduces performance.
Introducing the DRT Fabrication Flat Belly Skid Plate Kit for 2005–2023 Toyota Tacomas.
This is a completely new approach to skid plate design focused on one thing: real ground clearance gains and real world performance.
Starting With the Problem: Breakover Angle
One of the Tacoma’s biggest limitations off road is breakover angle.
Breakover angle is the maximum angle a vehicle can pass over without the belly contacting the obstacle. It is primarily determined by:
• Wheelbase
• Ground clearance at the center of the vehicle
• Tire size
• Suspension compression
Tacomas have relatively long wheelbases. Once you start hitting more technical trails, you quickly find yourself dragging the belly or “turtling” on obstacles.
Traditionally, there are three ways to improve breakover angle.
Option 1: Bigger Tires
This is the most common solution. But if you own a Tacoma, you already know:
• Fitting larger than 35s is difficult
• Requires major trimming and suspension changes
• Raises center of gravity
• Gets expensive quickly
And by today’s standards, 35s are considered small.
Option 2: Suspension Lift
The problem is the Tacoma is really only happy with about a 2.5 to 3 inch suspension lift when using factory width control arms. Beyond that, geometry starts to work against you.
You begin to run into:
• Poor CV angles
• Reduced down travel
• Harsh ride quality
• Reduced suspension performance
• Increased wear on components
You can push lift height further with a long travel kit but you may be sacrificing handling performance just to gain a small amount of breakover clearance.
So while lift height can help, it quickly reaches a point of diminishing returns, especially on a Tacoma platform.
Option 3: Portal Axles
Portal axles are becoming more popular with companies like 74W leading the way. They offer massive ground clearance gains and proven off road performance.
But portals come with major downsides:
• Cost
• Added maintenance
• Not practical for many builds
So we asked ourselves:
What if there was another option?
The Better Option: Flat Belly Design
Our Flat Belly Skid Plate Kit provides:
• +2 inches of clearance at the transmission crossmember
• +4 inches at the transfer case skid (excluding the transfer case pocket)
To simplify things, let’s focus on the transmission crossmember gain.
To achieve this same clearance increase with tires alone, you would need to go from 35 inch tires to nearly 40 inch tires.
That means:
• Less work
• Less cost
• Lower center of gravity
• No major body cutting
Now combine:
• 37 inch tires
• DRT Flat Belly Kit
• +2 inch long travel kit
You are now achieving similar transmission crossmember clearance to many portal setups at roughly half the cost if you do your own work.
This is exactly what we set out to build.
Built Light. Built Right.
We designed this kit using our Built Light Built Right philosophy.
At its core this means:
• Making material work smarter
• Using bends for strength
• Strategic overlaps for rigidity
• Purposeful geometry for load distribution
• Keeping weight down
• Keeping manufacturing efficient
• Hitting a realistic price point
The result is a skid system that is:
• Stronger
• Lighter
• More capable
• More affordable
Laminated Gusset Design
Both the transmission skid and transfer case skid feature our laminated gusset structure.
Instead of traditional ribbing that is tabbed and welded directly to the skid, the majority of our inner rib structure bolts to the skid plates.
This allowed us to:
• Use full length bent edges
• Add material overlap
• Reduce weld distortion
• Increase rigidity
• Lower labor cost
• Improve corrosion resistance
Traditional skid plates often leave exposed raw metal hidden under welded ribs. Those areas trap moisture and eventually rust.
Our laminated design allows complete coating coverage on all surfaces.
The result:
• Stronger design
• Better rust prevention
• Cleaner construction
• Reduced weight
• Lower cost
Built In Adjustability
Production vehicles have tolerances. Frame widths vary slightly. Traditional fixed gussets can create fitment issues.
Our transfer case skid uses laminated gussets that allow the skid to be adjusted during installation.
Once installed:
• The gussets are locked in place
• Future removal is simple
• 5 easily accessible bolts separate the transfer skid from the transmission skid
• 6 additional bolts remove it from the frame
This makes servicing dramatically easier.
Rethinking the Transfer Case Skid
Traditional transfer case skids rely on a low hanging crossmember that mounts below the frame. This defeats the purpose of trying to gain clearance. The downward design of these skid plates is where most of the strength comes from in these designs. When you land on the skid the angled portion transfers some of that energy into compression force.
With a flat skid plate its not as simple.
Instead, our system uses:
Bolt On Rib Structure
These ribs increase rigidity and support the flat belly design.
Structural U Shaped Crossmember
The primary strength comes from a ¼ inch thick bent U channel crossmember.
Vertical steel is significantly stronger than flat steel. By orienting the material vertically, we dramatically increase stiffness without increasing weight.
This crossmember mounts to the inside of the frame rails and includes legs that weld to the inner C channel.
This design:
• Prevents mount roll
• Improves load distribution
• Transfers impacts into compression
• Reduces deflection
When the skid is hit, the load is pushed upward and partially transferred into compressive force through the mounts, improving strength dramatically.
Reinforced Load Path Design
The transfer case skid also features a ¼ inch overlap joint welded to the bottom side.
This creates an effective ½ inch thick section in critical load areas.
We identified natural stress concentration points and reinforced them strategically.
Here is what happens during impact:
• The frame acts as a backer
• The skid wants to bend at the frame transition
• Impacts focus stress at that location
• We double material thickness exactly there
This is intentional load path engineering.
Not just thicker steel everywhere.
Stronger where it matters.
Designed As A Complete System
This is not just a skid plate.
It is a complete clearance and load management system.
Every component works together:
• New transmission crossmember
• Flat belly transmission skid
• Transfer case skid
• Laminated gussets
• Structural crossmember
• Frame mounted load paths
• Overlap reinforcement
The result is a skid system that:
• Improves breakover angle
• Adds real ground clearance
• Maintains strength
• Improves serviceability
• Performs under abuse
Real Capability Gains
Most skid plates:
• Add weight
• Reduce clearance
• Hang lower than factory parts
The DRT Flat Belly Kit:
• Increases clearance
• Improves breakover angle
• Strengthens underbody protection
This is not just protection.
This is capability.
