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Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group?

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Jeepster21

Jeepster21

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Is rust an issue?

the front oem steel bumper looks cool. but you gotta spend more to make it winch capable. the rear steel bumper is junk. seen a few of them damage the jeep while offroading including a local buddy who didnt believe me and damaged his new rubicon the next day on a trail when the rear bumper landed on a rock lol. he immediately went out and bought an aftermarket steel bumper, though he went cheap....

theyre a great option if youre going to keep the jeep mostly stock and on the road. if you plan to do any kind of moderate to serious off roading, you will want to replace the stock steel rear bumper asap. the plastic rear bumper will at least just be crushed and not going to damage your jeep. a cheap aftermarket steel bumper can also damage your jeep. you definitely want to have a stout rear steel bumper.

same thing with the oem rock rails. i had them for a while but then saw some people damaged the body with them when they landed on the oem rock rails a little too hard. ive done that more than a few times so i immediately went out and bought aftermarket sliders.
 

ITGuy

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My opinion only, I had Plastic bumpers that came with my Jeep and I purchased the Mopar steel ones because I enjoy the OEM look. Sure many of the aftermarket ones are more durable but they looked a little too mad max for me And what I was going for.
 

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AnnDee4444

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6. Gives you better protection to the rear of the jeep, the plastic rear bumper is just plastic. But keep in mind, the rear steel rubicon bumper sucks and if you go offroading and hit something coming down it will give you body damage.
It's too bad that because the steel bumper doesn't deflect it actually causes more damage than the flimsy plastic bumper. I don't think the issue is the steel bumper itself, but rather the weak bumper brackets.

As a test, I tried jacking up the rear corner of my JLR. The bumper deflects around 1/2" - 5/8" before making contact (at the bumper-fender filler pieces), but the bumper itself isn't bending much. The tires weren't even off the ground though, so it's obvious that there's no way that it could support coming down on a rock with the factory brackets.


Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? PXL_20210410_183057877
Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? PXL_20210410_183136620
 

stylett9

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functionality debate aside, I think the factory steel front bumper looks better than every aftermarket option. AEV is the only aftermarket front bumper I would consider putting on. Someday, if my JL is a long term vehicle, I'll go with AEV rear bumper for sure.

I personally like a clean but robust factory look. Everything else on the market is too mad max for my taste.
 

Jeep’n Jay

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I opted for the steel bumper group when I ordered mine, because in my opinion the front compliments the overall look of the Jeep, while also acting as a stout foundation to add recovery and lighting. I went into it knowing that the rear was going to be replaced with something that would better stand up against being dragged off of ledges without hitting the body.

Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? PXL_20210410_183136620
Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? PXL_20210410_183136620
What rear bumper is this?
 

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Aftermarket bumpers can be sometimes (often?) valued at zero when you sell. [maybe even negative if they are hideous - as some are]. OEM steel bumpers are an adder to resale value.
 

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What rear bumper is this?
It's from the company Cavfab and is called the Ultra High Clearance rear bumper. The hinged tailgate reinforcement and adjustable carrier is also from them. Awesome company out of Georgia, USA 🇺🇸.

They ship their parts out in bare steel, so I found a local powder coat company to finish them. I opted to match the lightly textured black of the mopar front steel bumper, and the company logo plates done in the same gloss red as the Rubicon factory bumper hooks.
 

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SleepEatJeepRepeat

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I got stuck in sand last weekend, and tied my buddies winch to it and was able to rotate the vehicle to get a better angle to exit the sand.. plastic bumper would of ripped off.. Also if you want LED lights in the back, you have to get the steel bumper.. and the plastic one looks like trash.. and the aftermarket ones for me are all over the top .. i like the minimal design of the OEM steel bumper and they are sufficient for my occasional winch usage.. since i have zero intention of trying to push boulders out of my way... which some guys do with the hardcore aftermarket steel bumpers..
 

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Because the plastic bumper group. Is standard.
 

MichaelAnthony

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Because I like the way they look, I knew it would be one of my last upgrades to my Jeep. So I figured they would last until after wheels and tires and lift and axles and fridge and solar...... ahh anyway LoL they weren't as important to upgrade that quickly and could still accommodate what I wanted to do...

Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? clean3
 
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Jeepster21

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Very interesting find. 👍

It's too bad that because the steel bumper doesn't deflect it actually causes more damage than the flimsy plastic bumper. I don't think the issue is the steel bumper itself, but rather the weak bumper brackets.

As a test, I tried jacking up the rear corner of my JLR. The bumper deflects around 1/2" - 5/8" before making contact (at the bumper-fender filler pieces), but the bumper itself isn't bending much. The tires weren't even off the ground though, so it's obvious that there's no way that it could support coming down on a rock with the factory brackets.


Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? clean3
Jeep Wrangler JL Purpose of ordering the Steel Bumper Group? clean3
 

NCIC105

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Winch will set down lower in the bumper. As said you will not have to buy a different bumper to mount a winch.
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