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Alloy vs. Steel bumpers

rogo

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I can't find much info on people's thought's on running alloy, or aluminum bumpers. Is the 40% or so weight savings worth it?

Specifically looking at these:

https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricade-adventure-hd-front-bumper-2018-jl.html

or

https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricadeoy-series-aluminum-front-bumper-2018-jl.html

Would 2x the price be worth it from a handling/mpg/corrosion resistance standpoint? School me on this if you have ran both on a vehicle.

EDIT: STEEL vs. ALLOY! I have a 76 mile commute to work all highway if that makes a difference in the logical thinking behind it. I am doing more of an overland type build/weekend warrior off roader. Not much rock climbing here in Michigan to worry about trashing alloy on rocks.
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Sheepjeep

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Any added weight will not really not hurt your handling or mpg

The aluminum will hold up better to corrosion because the powder coating on those bumpers are cheap.


If this is just for show than either will be fine but if you plan on going of road skip those bumpers the steel is too thin and will dent easily and the aluminum is just as thin thus dent worse
 

johnnymiz

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the working part of that aluminum bumper is steel. it isnt a true aluminum bumper. a real aluminum bumper will cost 2-3x what that one costs.
so, keep in mind, if theres any imperfection in the coating where the 2 parts butt up against each other, you could get a galvanic reaction and rapid corrosion.
i have not seen either in person and dont want to bash a produce, but ive found you generally get what you pay for..... i agree with sheepjeep
 
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rogo

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the working part of that aluminum bumper is steel. it isnt a true aluminum bumper. a real aluminum bumper will cost 2-3x what that one costs.
so, keep in mind, if theres any imperfection in the coating where the 2 parts butt up against each other, you could get a galvanic reaction and rapid corrosion.
i have not seen either in person and dont want to bash a produce, but ive found you generally get what you pay for..... i agree with sheepjeep


I had figured the same as well. I wasn't overly worried about the dissimilar metal corrosion as I feel that can be lessened more than the actual road salt spray mix.

It's really more for utility as opposed to show as I plan on a winch by next summer and know I will utilize it in some fashion. Even the D ring's will see some work I'm sure. But your points shed some light on where I was trying to look. Thanks for the comments. Seems it makes sense to not dwell on the weight. I just wasn't sure if there was a number of people out there that had personally seen a notable difference.
 

johnnymiz

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i wont be grinding on rocks (dont need steel), and i live in a place where they put toxic sht down in the winter to keep the roads clear for the people who dont know how to drive in snow.... and i like the way the jeep handled with the lightweight plastic bumper, so i wanted to keep the weight down . i think weight way out in front of the tires has a greater impact than weight inboard.... so i ponied up for an all aluminum full width bumper from rockhard 4x4. it looks great, very thick aluminum plate construction, thick perfect powdercoating, and only weighs 35lbs.
With the warm m8000s i put on it, the total weight is still about 50lbs less than the weight of a steel bumper alone. BUT, it's spendy.
one final note... it is THICK aluminum plate. so it is pretty clear it will take a bigger hit and protect me and my family far better than the plastic one i took off. will steel be more solid? of course.
life is full of tradeoffs
 

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I installed the Barricade Aluminum, for me I will be towing my JLU so weight is very important since stock JLU's are near max (5,000l b) tow weight. Otherwise Steel would have been fine for me. Not the winch plates are Steel even though the bumper itself is Aluminum.
 

melendez69

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I can't find much info on people's thought's on running alloy, or aluminum bumpers. Is the 40% or so weight savings worth it?

Specifically looking at these:

https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricade-adventure-hd-front-bumper-2018-jl.html

or

https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricadeoy-series-aluminum-front-bumper-2018-jl.html

Would 2x the price be worth it from a handling/mpg/corrosion resistance standpoint? School me on this if you have ran both on a vehicle.

EDIT: STEEL vs. ALLOY! I have a 76 mile commute to work all highway if that makes a difference in the logical thinking behind it. I am doing more of an overland type build/weekend warrior off roader. Not much rock climbing here in Michigan to worry about trashing alloy on rocks.
Be careful ordering a bumper of any type from Extreme Terrain. Several of us have recently posted bad experiences with them; i.e. inferior packaging and damaged bumpers. Check the aftermarket bumper threads. I'd look elsewhere, like Northridge, Quadratec, LoD, etc.
 
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rogo

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Be careful ordering a bumper of any type from Extreme Terrain. Several of us have recently posted bad experiences with them; i.e. inferior packaging and damaged bumpers. Check the aftermarket bumper threads. I'd look elsewhere, like Northridge, Quadratec, LoD, etc.

Good tip, thanks!
 

NFRs2000NYC

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One accident, and you'll see why steel bumpers are worth every cent.
 

otisroy

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Be careful ordering a bumper of any type from Extreme Terrain. Several of us have recently posted bad experiences with them; i.e. inferior packaging and damaged bumpers. Check the aftermarket bumper threads. I'd look elsewhere, like Northridge, Quadratec, LoD, etc.
I second this. Check the bumper before you accept delivery. I refused delivery of a Barricade Trail Force HD today. The crazy thing is that the powder coat was gouged and flaking in a spot that would be really hard to damage in shipping. Extreme Terrain was super cool about the whole thing and said they're sending another bumper but now I have to make arrangements to be around to inspect another bumper.
 

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LowBama

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I just installed Rival front and rear full width rear bumpers. They are aluminum but are pretty solid at 1/4” material. The jack points, wench plate, Dring mount and recovery hooks are all steel with grade 10.9 hardware. The front is a pretty good deal because it included the skid plate and over rider bar. A lot of companies charge extra. The packaging was nuts they could a flown low and chunked it out of the plane and it would had been fine. There was a few parts missing which the immediately got in the mail as d gave me some free hood struts for my troubles.
Jeep Wrangler JL Alloy vs. Steel bumpers 51DCF576-81CD-4AC4-BD4B-D4F4A7700C3D
 

RedundanT

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There is a compromise you should consider. The stamped steel type like Rugged Ridge Arcus, factory Mopar steel, and others. They have light weight and are durable, and in the case of the Rugged Ridge are fairly reasonably priced.
 

McGilli

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I can't find much info on people's thought's on running alloy, or aluminum bumpers. Is the 40% or so weight savings worth it?

Just want to say regarding weight... I replaced my stock plastic JLU bumper with a Rugged Ridge HD full width steel bumper.

The factory 'plastic' bumper was 33lbs, and the RR weighed exactly 60lbs

Not much of a difference... Just drive with a 1/4 tank less gas to make up the difference :CWL:
 

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Holy Necro Batman!!
 

LowBama

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I agree on Aluminum’s weight advantage being over rated. I picked the bumper more based on style, features and positive feed back from other members. Compared to the RR I started with the Rival is probably heavier. However I think the wench plate is much stronger plus the skid and over rider bar was included.
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