You have likely heard about and are aware of the importance of a proper skid plate on your vehicle.
Unfortunately, there is not much information available on the internet about which skid plates are the best for specific vehicles.
Here we will go over the best available options for your Honda Civic depending on what you are looking to protect and why you are looking for a skid plate.
Factory Engine Cover Plate
If you use your vehicle for the purposes it is made for, the best skid plate option is your Honda Civic’s factory engine cover plate, also known as the engine splash shield. Where many vehicles come with fragile skid plates without many purposes besides keeping water away from your engine, Honda Civic’s factory engine cover plate is of higher quality.
No matter what kind of skidplate you have, it’s better than without one. As well as rock chips being a danger to your paint, these little pieces of road debris regularly get kicked up by your tires and without a skid plate, can end up in places they don’t belong.
As the alternative name suggests, your Honda’s engine splash shield will inhibit water from being splashed up when driving in inclement weather. More importantly than that standard feature, the factory engine cover plate will help to prevent damage to vital parts of your vehicle like your engine and transmission from mild to moderate impacts, saving you from having to pay for expensive repairs.
As you surely know, one of the highlights of owning a Honda is that they have great gas mileage. The factory engine cover plate is made by Honda’s manufacturers to specifically help your vehicle’s fuel efficiency by having optimal aerodynamics and reducing friction.
You will not get this advantage from alternative or custom skid plates that you may find since they will not be made for that purpose.
What if I Need To Replace My Skid Plate?
Regardless of who you are, unfortunate things happen. If you are looking into what skid plate is best for your Honda Civic because your skid plate fell off after someone put the skid plate on wrong after an oil change, or it got hit on a big speed bump, you should look for an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) replacement.
This way, you will get all of the advantages that already existed with your factory engine cover plate instead of dealing with having a custom skid plate made that will not increase your fuel-efficiency or buy one meant for another vehicle and at a minimum, have to drill additional holes. For 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Honda Civic Type R’s, the part number for a replacement engine cover plate from an original equipment manufacturer is 74114-TGH-A00. You can find replacements for any year through Honda Parts Online.
These parts are very affordable and retailers have diagrams available to assist you with the installation. Alternatively, you could hire a mechanic to do the work for you. Although you may want additional protection for your Honda Civic than is provided with the factory skid plate, custom skid plates are far and few between for this vehicle.
With the especially low stance of this vehicle, adding more material under the carriage may make matters worse instead of better. It may be possible to find someone to fashion a custom-made skid plate made of thicker steel but it wouldn’t be advisable as it would make the skid plate to ground measure even shorter and at increased risk of impact.
Custom Fit Bumper Skid Plate
The paint becoming damaged from scrapes can lead to further damage to the surrounding paint as it starts to lift away from your vehicle’s body. This is even more of a concern with metal parts where oxidation will occur without paint protecting it. With a universal bumper skid plate like SLiPLO’s Skid Plate, these dangers could be a thing of the past.
Keeping the low profile of Honda Civics in mind, a custom fit or universal bumper skid plate should be considered. It is difficult to keep your paint on the underside of your bumper from getting damaged by every pothole, parking curb, and driveway with a sudden slope when your vehicle is a low-rider.
This skid plate does not require any drilling, is quick and easy to install, and it’s modular design allows it to be manipulated into any bumper’s shape. Interestingly, while being made of the same material snow plows are made of to allow for scraping on concrete, and adhered with adhesive as sturdy as a rivet, this skid plate can be safely removed without damaging your vehicles paint in any way if you decide you want to take it off.
You could have a dealer install bumper skid plates like Los Angeles’s Sticker City, or if you are more adventurous, this can make for an easy quick project to do yourself.
Wrapping Up
Besides getting a universal bumper skid plate to protect from your bumpers scraping along curbs, or getting dinged by flung rocks, the best option for a Honda Civic is already installed on your vehicle when it rolls out of the factory. It is more than enough for everyday use, though it would not be acceptable for frequent off-road driving.
Although it is likely possible to find someone to custom make a steel skid plate of an increased thickness for more protection, this will make your Honda Civic even lower than it already is, putting you at a bigger risk of scraping and will cause you to lose the fuel efficiency provided with the factory engine cover plate.
As expected with anything that is regularly hit by debris, scraped across concrete and taken on and off for maintenance reasons, the factory skid plate may fall off or become damaged. Luckily, this piece of equipment is affordable and easy enough to replace with an identical skid plate from the original equipment manufacturer of Honda.
For more info on the features, benefits, and pricing of skid plates, click here, alternatively, use our interactive map to find an authorized installer near you. If you enjoyed this article, check out our blog.