Installing a skid plate on a quad?

If you cut the foam to fit onto the skid plate so it aligns with the frame

rails it works great. My wife rides the same machine. Without the foam, the plate rattles against the frame, and the noise drives the rider nuts. If you use the solid pad, it gets muddy, and grungy, and it also doesn't dissipate heat causing the engine to get hot. I use a glide plate from Moose, and it works great.

They're not foam. They're heat resistant plastic. They're spacers that fit inbetween the skid plate and mounting holes. They're used so you can tighten the bolts firmly. Without them, when you tighten the bolts, the skid plate would keep bending. The bolts would never get tight - eventualy loosen up and fall out.