Every one here's knows i drive a smart car and i been driveing down in middle part of Az and the road's where i'm staying at in Surprise is all dirt roads intill i get to the highway going back into town .. I need to find a 4 wheeled drive shop and have them make a small skid plate for the engine area to keep the rocks from the dirt road's i drive on to keep them from causing a problem down the line with them hitting the engine oil pan on the dirt and rock roads .. The Daystar 2.inch lift kit helps and the large tires also work great on the roads but there is a few stetch's of road that need's smoothing out or i need to find a shop to make a skid plate for the open engine area under the car engine compactment
I would think that any competent welding shop could fix you up. Doesn't need to be a 4x4 shop. . . or so I'm thinking . .
Yes & No on a dirt road where i'm staying at the road looks like a washboard side of a old fashion hand washboard .. once you get off the main paved road heading out of town the road out to the house is all dirt with dip's and diff sized gravel and dirt on the road and it get's a little bumpy at times in a normal vehicle going down it
I've lived on dirt roads all my life. I'm going to tell you that it's not the gravel abrading the bottom of your car. It's going to be all the wash board, ruts and stuff that will take a toll on your steering and suspension if you don't drive slowly. high speed on gravel washboard very tough on shocks, struts. If your going to be scraping skid pans, you are doing more damage elsewhere. YMMV. Now if you have a rally car say an old Audi Quattro or Ford RS200 then skid plates and roll cage would be in order.
i drive like a little old lady when i'm on the road to the house i'm just saying it might be a good idea to get one made for the smart as i drive this road about three times a day when i'm down here in the valley