For all the Mazda CX-50 owners who like to take the road less traveled, here is a glimpse of our new skid plate releasing in the latter part of this year.
Taking your SUV off-road comes with a new set of challenges and we have designed a skid plate that is a complete solution for those who want and need extra protection for the critical components on the underside of your Mazda. Below, we will cover the unique features that have been added to the CX-50 Skid Plate during the design process.
Material Quality & THICKNESS Matters
For the new CX-50 model, we wanted to take our skid plate up a few notches and provide an even higher level of protection for the off-road oriented Mazda CX-50. The main areas that were focused on include the material thickness and mounting points.
The first addition that leads to the majority of the additional protection and durability, comes from the material thickness that was selected for the main plate vs the flimsy felted-plastic cover provided by Mazda.
Everyone knows that our aluminum skid plates are awesome and provide outstanding protection from the all the woes that on road life can throw at your street vehicle. However, we purposely increased the thickness of the main plate from our standard 0.090” aluminum to 0.187” or 3/16” aluminum. This increase in thickness of the main plate, to over 2x of our standard material, allows for a plate that can withstand a great deal more abuse from objects that you might find out on the trail.
Robust Mounting Points
The next design update we implemented involved larger and more robust mounting points. We relocated the mounting points for the CorkSport CX-50 main skid plate to the 4 corners of the plate. To secure the main plate in these locations M10 size hardware was selected, which vastly exceeds the capabilities of the factory M6 hardware that currently secures the OEM cover. We are also using aluminum standoffs that take advantage of mounting locations in the subframe so that no modifications are needed for installation.
Improved Skid Plate Features
Other noteworthy features built into the CX-50 skid plate include the duct for the front differential and the flush-mounted oil filter cover. For the transfer case duct, we wanted to retain the cooling ability but also modify the design so there is less of an opening for larger debris to penetrate. We accomplished this by utilizing a slotted opening to reduce the size of the debris while still allowing airflow to cool the transfer case.
Moving onto the oil filter cover, we created brackets that go on the top side of the skid plate so that the cover can be fully recessed. This design lessens the chance of the skid plate getting snagged on objects that may come into contact with the skid plate while driving.
A Bigger Option For Better Performance
For the CX-50 skid plate, we will be offering the option to pick up just the main plate or add on the additional front plate for further protection on the front end. The front section maintains the same thickness of 0.090” as our other skid plates so it will also offer a great improvement over the factory plastic piece. The mounting for the front section is tied to the main plate and we have added additional mounting points and standoffs to the front edge. These mounting locations attach to a metal structure in the bumper to provide a more solid place for the front edge to mount.
That brings us to the current status of the project for the CX-50 skid plate. During the time until release, we will be continuing development and some features may change as we fine-tune the details of the skid plate. If you are interested in picking one up in the future, be sure to keep an eye on the website for when it gets released later this year.
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