Here's a CRV thread about an off-road problem:
http://www.hondasuv.com/stg/viewtopic.php?t=7351&highlight=&sid=7dbeea36337c63ed2e5168461c7a53c2

As near as I can tell, the driver caught the gas tank and its roll cage on something, dislocating the tank by about 3". This in turn broke wires in the gas tank sending unit.

The CRV tank arrangement is similar to the Element's, except the tank is tucked back closer to the rear wheel. While people have worried about the Element's gas tank vulnerability, they seem to worry most about it being punctured. This CRV experiences suggests that dislocating the tank is more likely.

Some CRV people have also had problems with dislocating the emissions canister and/or its shield. In the worst case, this dislocated canister can hit the rear drive shaft, and produce a oil leak in the rear differential.

I'm realizing that hitting a rock or something else on a rough road can produce forces in 2 directions - up and back. If I am going slow over rocks and dips, impact forces will be mostly upward. For example if a wheel drops into a hole while a rock is under the middle of the car. This could produce dents in the exhaust system, or in the worse case in the crank case. However if I'm going faster, the force of something hitting or catching on the bottom is mostly backward, dislodging parts rather than puncturing them. A 'skid plate' designed to protect against a puncture might not help against a dislodgement. In fact, it may itself be the part that is dislodged, potentially damaging some other part.

paulj

This has been a concern of mine, as well. I would be far less concerned about a shield resulting in dislocation than I would for the tank and cage in its current configuration. A reasonably-designed shield has half a chance of deflection before snagging. The current arrangement will just snag.

I've been contemplating the idea of a bolt-on tank shield from aluminum plate that would replace the vestigial cage, tho' mostly with the idea of improving clearance and cleaning-up the underbody aerodynamics. Sounds like it needs to be elevated on the (seemingly endless) project list.

i like how you reffer to the CRV owners as " CRV People" :)

I think one of the biggest problems with off roading would be that the gas tank is so exposed. The stock protection bar seems like the minimum amount of protection that Honda could get by with.

Good luck,

Why lose sleep over off roading problems with the element. Go buy ya self a nice-used 4 runner or Xterra if you want a vehicle to go off roading in. It's silly in the way that someone spends all his time juicying up a chevy astro for the race track.

Why lose sleep over off roading problems with the element. Go buy ya self a nice-used 4 runner or Xterra if you want a vehicle to go off roading in. It's silly in the way that someone spends all his time juicying up a chevy astro for the race track.
That's not fair. Even driving on well-established unpaved roads can result in "surprises". We have several around here where you need to ford shallow creeks to get from Point A to Point B, and the rocks move around.

While we can wish for better protection of the gas tank, the question remains - what kind of protection do we really need? It may not need further puncture protection, since it is a composite plastic, without the kinds of seams that often produce leaks in metal tanks. What would protect it from dislodgement, without the protection itself being subject to dislodgement?

Both the CRV and Element have 'skid plates' under the emissions canister behind the gas tank. But the design of this plate on the CRV (at least 02-03) is such that it can catch on the ground and be dislodged, hitting the axle behind it. The plate on the Element appears to be better designed.

In my opinion, a poorly designed 'skid plate' might actually be worse than none at all.

paulj

I should stress that in this CRV case that I cited, we don't know what kind of impact dislodged the gas tank. The poster was cryptic about this, only saying that his relatives did not have a high opinion of his off-road driving skills. So he could have done something that we would consider stupid.

My fuel tank cage does have a deep scratch, from the time my wife hit a road side decorative rock. That hit also did some damage to lower sill panel. My guess is that the cage did do its job of protecting the tank. I doubt if it actually deflected the impact, but it did alert the driver to a problem, prompting her to steer away from the rock.

On the negative side, that cage has snagged a couple of branches on the ground. However I am in the habit of stopping and looking for problems anytime I hear an unusual sound.

The first line of defense against damaging the gas tank or anyother underbody part is driver knowledge and skill. A driver who is aware of the car's vulnerabilities can spot potential problems, and take extra care in traversing or avoiding them.

paulj

ive had mine off road in pretty severe creek crossing logging roads etc
i did ding the pipe guard around the tank but have no problems
refer to pics in hondasuv northeastmembersclub gallery fall foilage tour last year
was alot of fun

or didn't your mommy tell never to turn over sticks ...

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12489&page=1&pp=10

A thread about the damage a stick can cause if caught in a wheel.

Potential lessons:
- the Element's steering system is vulnerable
- wheels with large openings are harmful to your soft-road health
- s*$#@ happens

paulj