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Putting Savvy Armor to the Test

10K views 63 replies 33 participants last post by  stwilson74 
#1 ·
I was able to test out all the Savvy products that I installed last month for the first time. I put the armor through some of the toughest trails at Green Acres in Clayton, OK. Here are the trails that we ran.

Day 1 - "Jeff's Ledges" - "Green Mamba" - "Green Mamba Extension" - "8-Point"
Day 2 - "Access Road/Walter's Mule Trail" - "Cake Walk" - "Black Sheep"

Everything held up well, but I was able to put a few scratches on them. :cool:

Let's start out with the Under Armor. I gave it a light tap to start the day off.



It provides excellent clearance underneath!





How about a look at the Under Armor?

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#4 ·
Here are a few pics of the damage at the end of the day.

I put a crack in one of the Under Armor welds. It's kind of hard to see it in these pics.





Just a few scratches. I might have even put a small crease in it, but won't be able to confirm until I pull it.



For the most part everything held up well. I'll have to look at getting the Under Armor replaced. When I get some more time, I'll post some more thoughts.
 
#9 ·
As much as I like the UA system, and I know how much Blaine has tested it, I don't trust the aluminum when it is welded and not heat treated afterward. (I never got confirmation that it was, so correct me if I'm wrong)

Welding the 6061 aluminum and not having it heat treat destroys the strength in the area that it is welded, and will cause it to crack a lot easier. I know it doesn't completely relate since mountain bikes are very thin aluminum (but aren't taking as much force), but you would never see an aluminum mountain bike not heat treated, it would snap in half the first time out...

I'm sure it would add some money to the cost to get them all heat treated, but I think it would help improve the system, making a better system, and would be worth the extra cost.
 
#10 ·
It doesn't need a weld there but for aesthetics. There should be a piece of steel strap spanning across that bend and then through bolted with two bolts on either side.

I'm not going to re-heat treat that much aluminum for two small splices that are readily done and very cost effective. There's literally 3" of weld and it's simply not worth it to pay a fortune to a heat treater.
 
#12 ·
Steve,

You need to come out and wheel with us! I like your style! It is almost time for you to get a buggy if you like playing in the rocks.

I'll send you some steel brackets we have that will fix the weld crack. You are the second person that has wheeled hard enough to need the brackets. You just need to drill a few 3/8" holes and add the brackets and all is good.

Thanks for sharing the cool pix. Man you drive like me. By Braille! :rofl:

John Currie and Blaine taught me ease up to the obstacle and when you hit it back up and drive around it. If you every get a chance to wheel with those guys, watch how smooth they are in the rocks. It still amazes me when we go wheeling. They drive around the rocks and I bash into them.
 
#19 ·
I was wheeling with Phillip and Chris. They talked about their trip out to JV with you and Blaine. They had many great things to say about both of you. My rig will need some more work in the axle department before it's ready for JV!

Let me know what I need to do to get the brackets. Should I send you an email?

I'll have to tell my wife that we need to visit my brother and uncle in SoCal as an excuse to bring out the Jeep your way to do some wheeling. :laugh: I'm heading to Moab the last week of April/first week of May if you need an excuse to go.

You can see more pics of our trip here, although they some how got in revese order: Clayton
 
#20 ·
While there products are great, I would also have to agree that on this forum they are hyped up to be alot more than they are.

I am going to go out on a limb and say no armor would stand up to what he put that jeep through.
I am certain my belly armor would not develop cracks like that after 1 trip out. If it did then it would most definately be completely destroyed by now after a countless amount of trips.

I'm not at all surprised to see the aluminum bumper dented, or the aluminum skid-plate cracked, nor am I surprised to see the gouge out of the aluminum corner armor.

TheMusicMan.
 
#18 ·
Thats what I was thinking. I was very surprised when I saw he was actually able to dent the bumper, especially after reading all the hype and praise these products have gotten.

Can't wait to get mine :2thumbsup:
 
#41 ·
If you want aluminum armor, bumpers, etc., then I believe Savvy is as good as you can get. I am just stuck on the fence about if the weight savings is worth the other drawbacks. Steel in general is stronger but heavier. Steel when damaged is far easier to repair. Steal can fairly easily be heated, hammered, welded, ground, and patched into like new condition by someone with only basic fab skills in their garage.
 
#46 ·
For clarity, all of the new UA kits come with the straps and are bolted. The next batch due soon are all built that way. They are no longer welded there as they have proven no robust enough for us.

I'm sending Steve some brackets and he'll install them and report back. This is the feedback we need to make the best possible product out there.

Thanks,

Gerald
 
#48 ·
As always, Gerald has the best customer service!

Although I did start this thread to show off what I could do to/with Savvy products, it wasn't intended to pull the anti-Savvy people out of the woodwork. Savvy always stands behind their products and I will continue to purchase from Gerald!
 
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