Description
Introducing the Original Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3
Part of the fun of having a Tesla Model Y is the ability to either go really fast on the racetrack – or adventure off the beaten path. When you’re considering hitting the trails it’s not a bad idea to protect the bottom of the chassis with a bit more than the plastic undertray. In addition to the brittle coolant hoses situated in front of the battery, there is also the drive unit and high voltage wiring to protect. With the encouragement of our friend Brian from i1Tesla, we went ahead and designed a Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3 that would offer tons of protection while being affordable, easy to install, and without any compromises.
As we all know aerodynamics, are critical to the efficiency and range of the Y. With this in mind, we ensured the plate sits flush with both the front bumper at the front and the battery case in the back so that drag is not impacted in any way. Low profile hardware is used to further reduce any aerodynamic disturbances.
When it came to the design of this “Smash Me” Front Skid Plate for the Tesla Model Y, we carefully studied the OEM undertray and designed ours to fit just as well as stock – nicely slotting into the cutouts in the OEM front bumper and mating up to the rear fender wells as cleanly as possible. The plate is 1/8″ thick aluminum so it will take something pretty mega to puncture this plate! And as you’d expect from MPP, the hardware supplied is all stainless steel, so it will be rust free for the life of the car.
Our Front Skid Plate for the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 installs in about 20 minutes, after which you’ll be ready to hit the trails! Go on, smash it! And for those of you with Model 3’s that like to hit the trails, you’ll be happy to know that this fits the Model 3 as well – thanks Elon!
It is worth noting that the original Model 3 used a fabric-like material for the front aero shield. With the introduction of the Model Y, Tesla moved to a molded plastic material. Since then, the Model 3 has adopted this same plastic front aero shield. Unfortunately, the fabric front aero shield suffered from being easily torn, and it would get soaked with water making it heavy and even more susceptible to tearing. While the plastic doesn’t hold water in the same way, it is similarly brittle, and even a minor impact can cause it to break into multiple pieces. Neither solution offers any real protection to the battery pack coolant hoses (a well-documented issue that can lead to a very expensive high voltage battery replacement), and offers little protection to the front motor, or other high voltage harnesses. So, whether you are planning to just daily drive your otherwise stock Tesla, looking for additional protection on your lowered Tesla, or looking to hit the trails and go off-roading with your lifted Tesla, this plate will help to ease your concerns in all situations!
Installation instructions here.
Mountainlover –
Ordered two M3/My skid plates for my Y and a friend’s 3. Both of us are quite happy. Friend had driven over road detritus on interstate and severed his cooling lines. He loves the peace of mind the metal plate gives over the plastic stock one. I ordered the skid plate for extra protection when taking the Y on potholed trail head roads. My tire guy installed while rotating wheels, and said it took 30 mins max. He pointed out that the plastic stock plate was buckling due to air intake above it, causing some possible drag. No way to really know, but certainly having the MPP plate has not decreased range, and alleviates worry about bottoming out and/or running over something. Two thumbs up.
Thai Nguyen –
Took 3 weeks to get to me because of backorder but that’s fine, I knew that going into it. Packaging is fine, just a cnc sheet of aluminum. No installation instructions. In theory it’s a pretty straight forward install but it took me a little bit to figure out how to install. The rubber bumper is too long even when I screw it in all the way so it had a slight bulge when installed. While the holes are enlarged for easier fitment, mine did not line up. Possibly due to me car or the rubber bumper I mentioned earlier so I drilled 2 holes a little bit larger to fit the 2 holes that didn’t line up. I used the existing hardware, and not the supplied hardware, because the original has large washer and I felt like it would be more secure.
Sasha Anis –
Oops sorry about that, the instructions are posted on the tech center, but we’ve now added them as well to the Product Page. Thanks Thai!
ncryptd –
This skid plate should be a factory part, instead of the flimsy piece of plastic Tesla installed. One install tip: Be very careful removing the 10mm screws on the front edge of OEM cover. The captive nuts are crimped into plastic. Loosen them very slowly with as little force as possible. Using any kind of electric or impact driver will cause the captive nuts to strip the plastic and become unusable to attach the new plate. Also the two large factory nuts, near the back, are 15mm.
Neural Net Neil –
The factory plastic plate on my Model Y broke into pieces after running over some road debris. Luckily nothing else was damaged. I saw a few posts about this plate. I used ramps in my driveway to get the Y up in the air and installed this myself using the instructions they posted. It was a perfect fit, all the new hex bolts they supplied went in no problem. It is so much stronger, great product Mountain Pass!
brandon.trocke –
Install was pretty straight forward. Good to have protection and get rid of that flimsy factory skid plate. Front screws fit well, however like another reviewer mentioned the rear two center holes are too large for the supplied screws, I had to add a washer so the screws would not slip through, or could have used factory hardware. Also I had to make those holes even bigger as they did not align properly with the vehicle. Overall the skid plate is good quality but be prepared to make modifications for proper fit. When I unboxed I did not realize there was hardware with the skid plate so I threw away the box before taking the hardware out (assuming the hardware was in the box). Emailed the company and they sent out new hardware for $20. Fast communication and good customer service.
“eightiesmang” –
Excellent product. Easily install on my 2022 Tesla Y. Everything fit and aligned perfectly. Definitely an upgrade over the OEM plastic. Minor gripes: I know you can’t see underneath the car but it would have been nice to have a black finish. I painted mine with a black rubberized finish. Instructions could use diagrams. I had a couple washers but weren’t sure where they should be used. I assume they were for the 2 bigger bolts. Pictures are worth a 1000 words. 4.5 out of 5. I recommend.
mmyers300 –
Call it insurance or call it peace of mind – either way I feel better after installing it. New battery packs will cost about $16k…
Nothing too tricky about the install. I go through it here and show where the battery weak link is – https://youtu.be/tUG6KVwp2p4
ovidiupay –
Great upgrade, special if you live in area with a lot of snow, ice and speed bumps. If your car is lowered, it’s an INSURANCE for battery. I just hope, in the future will be a skid plate for back.
elkoubo –
A great thiong when you lower your car, and drive regularly in the snow.
A bit expensive for what it is, but the fitment is perfect and the bolts provided are way better than the oem ones.
My only regret is that MPP didn’t make yet one for the rear motor.
RS –
I have this installed on my M3P, and love it. Being lowered, this gives you that extra peace of mind, and has already came in handy last winter when i went over a big chunk of ice. I felt it, heard it, but the plate absorbed the impact as needed, and has no dents or cracks either. I’m very impressed with its strength and would recommend to anyone regardless of car and build for the peace of mind.
Rudolph Xu –
This should be installed on every model 3! What was Tesla thinking when they thought putting a piece of cardboard to protect coolant lines is a good idea? I wish MPP also make a mid aero shield upgrade.