Are there any advantages/disadvantages on the trail with the Shrockworks vs Full Metal Fab high clearance? Any input is appreciated.
As was mentioned in a prior post, clearance and need are the biggest issues with how/where you mount the armor. The thing is a lot of rock sliders double as steps. If you ask me this is just another place to get hung up on large rocks. On the other hand if you want/need steps then you are willing to give up a little clearance for the advantage steps offer.
My choice came down to the fact I personally could not justify the cost of replacing my rubi skids. Yes, if you rock crawl and/or want steps a frame mounted does offer more overall protection. For me the added protection was not needed and could not be justified. Did not want/need steps, less hanging down was a positive for me, and I already had the factory skids. At the time when the choice was made I was spending way to much on other items. Don't know if you have a rubicon, if not, rubi rails usually can be bought really cheap off of jeep forums.
In the end I opted for rocker panel skins. These work with the rubi skids. The thought process was if I ever did come down on a rock hard enough to bed the rubi skids then I had a second layer of protection before body damage occurred. Secondly, small rock or pebbles get trapped between the factory rubi skids and the body causing paint damage and would eventually lead to rust. The rocker panel skins solved this little issue. Less weight, less cost, and a slimmer profile worked for me.