Bumpers are confusing

[Jrodrig764]

JL Front and rear bumper. So far if I change bumpers and add a tire carrier the opinions are strongly for the LoD. There are so may front bumpers its hard to choose. Why my Rubicon has a plastic bumper is beyond me but it is what it is. Here's the question, buy a steel OEM 3 piece bumper or aftermarket. If I go aftermarket, which brand is the best?

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[Zotch]

There is no "best" bumper.

Everybody has different needs/wants.

 

[Jrodrig764]

There is no "best" bumper.

Everybody has different needs/wants.
[/QUOTE

There's a lot of junk out there. There's Fit up, strength for off road, and cost of course. My goal is to find a strong well built bumper.

 

[ThirtyOne]

You need to consider your criteria.

if you are gonna run 37s you need a stubby.

will you run a winch? If so look at whether winch plate is included because a winch plate adds cost and weight

also for a winch how does it sit? Some are recessed more than others. Some are basically hidden which looks good but can be a pain for maintenance.

Do you want a bar or accessory lights? Look at how the design accommodates that

recovery hooks or d-rings? One of the biggest problems with the Mopar bumper is the open tow hooks IMO

will you flat-tow?

do you need a good jack-point for a hi-lift or a mounting option for the hi-lift?

do you want a skid plate below the bumper? Not all bumpers support it.

do you want the bumper to have integrated fog lights and do you want it to support the OEM fog lights?

how much weight are you willing to add?

do you live in a high rust area? If so look carefully at materials and finishes

and finally - aesthetics. This is basically just a steel bar. They all work. Get one that you love the looks of.

there is a thread with a complete list of bumpers. Once you have your requirements sorted out, go spend a day on that thread. Link

 

[Jrodrig764]

You need to consider your criteria.

if you are gonna run 37s you need a stubby.

will you run a winch? If so look at whether winch plate is included because a winch plate adds cost and weight

also for a winch how does it sit? Some are recessed more than others. Some are basically hidden which looks good but can be a pain for maintenance.

Do you want a bar or accessory lights? Look at how the design accommodates that

recovery hooks or d-rings? One of the biggest problems with the Mopar bumper is the open tow hooks IMO

will you flat-tow?

do you need a good jack-point for a hi-lift or a mounting option for the hi-lift?

do you want a skid plate below the bumper? Not all bumpers support it.

do you want the bumper to have integrated fog lights and do you want it to support the OEM fog lights?

how much weight are you willing to add?

do you live in a high rust area? If so look carefully at materials and finishes

and finally - aesthetics. This is basically just a steel bar. They all work. Get one that you love the looks of.

there is a thread with a complete list of bumpers. Once you have your requirements sorted out, go spend a day on that thread. Link

Awesome response. Thanks!

 

[aro]

Actually, I would have liked a plastic stubby front bumper. That's what I had on my JK (you could cut the stock plastic bumper ends and put caps on)

I don't want heavy steel bumpers on my JL, so I went with the light Arcus front bumper and stock plastic in the rear. If I replaced the rear, it would only be aluminum.

 

[aldo98229]

Here’s some help. Depending on how you agree/disagree with these mindsets, determines which type of bumper you go with:

1. “My JL looks fine; I don’t want to mess with it” -> stock bumpers
2. “I don’t like the plastic bumpers but I don’t want my $50,000 JL to look like a 20-year-old Mad Max movie prop” -> OE steel bumpers
3. “My JL is a white canvas” -> aftermarket bumpers

You are welcome.

Good luck.

 

[MauiSteve]

I just ordered the LOD stubby. I like the look, the low winch mount and it allows re-use of the stock fog lights. It also has a small bracket for some more lights. I hope my decision turns out ok, it's not here yet. My ZR2 has sort of a stubby bumper (stock) and it looks great...........to me. LOD seem to have a good reputation.

 

[tts42572]

Like somebody else said, I think most important is probably you functional use.

Personally, went plastic to start with because I'm not sure I'll ever really need or want a steel bumper. And it was a $1,700 upgrade from the factory for me to add in 2021.

I don't plan to off road much, if at all. Don't plan to add lights, winch or other items. So I have no real functional need for a steel bumper.

If I do anything, it'll be just adding the front bumper though. And it would probably be 100% for aesthetics. If I do go steel, I'll just do the Mopar steel bumper on the front. Have already priced with my dealer and they said they'd do it for about $1,100 installed.

Personally, though, I honestly think I like the look of the plastic one about the same as the look of the steel one. And I don't need to worry rust issues, paint chips or whatever. I think for me the plastic will be fine at least for awhile.

 

[daveprice7]

Here’s some help. Depending on how you agree/disagree with these mindsets, determines which type of bumper you go with:

1. “My JL looks fine; I don’t want to mess with it” -> stock bumpers
2. “I don’t like the plastic bumpers but I don’t want my $50,000 JL to look like a 20-year-old Mad Max movie prop” -> OE steel bumpers
3. “My JL is a white canvas” -> aftermarket bumpers

You are welcome.

Good luck.

What if you don't want your JL to look like a Mad Max movie prop, but live around deer who behave like Cato from the Pink Panther movies? Very thin selection!

I wish there were more solid/not stamped steel options out there with a more understated/utilitarian look.

 

[dchemphill1]

Keep the plastic bumper and add the Rock Hard winch plate design for JL and add a winch of your choosing.

 

[JSFoster75]

EAG makes some great aftermarket bumpers...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...70.l1313&_nkw=eag+bumper+wrangler+jl&_sacat=0

You're welcome.

 

[rickinAZ]

I'm biased, but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is resale. You will get nothing extra for aftermarket bumpers (could even be a negative). Factory bumpers are a value add-on to KBB, etc...

 

[McGilli]

I put on a steel front (rear is coming) based on 4 criteria:

1. I expect to hit a deer or elk at about 50kmh one day
2. I expect to slide off the side of a FSR and hit a tree when trying to turn around
3. I will need a winch with the type of exploring I do
4. Better looking IMO

WEIGHT - I just want to mention this as I see it always come up and I pondered this for a bit.

I have a thread right now in the Exterior Mod section as I'm replacing my bumpers and installing a winch.

Don't forget to subtract the weight of your stock bumper from the new bumper when considering weight. My stock plastic bumper is 33lbs. The bumper I replaced it with is 60lbs. 27lbs would make no difference for anything.

I of course then added a striker bar and am putting a winch on - but again if you're just replacing steel for plastic it's not that much difference since the plastic bumper is full of metal.

 

[PJJPtx]

I just ordered Fab Fours stubby front and rear bumpers. I looked for days at photos and reviews, narrowed my list, then ended up seeing a Jeep local led with the same combo, so I ordered. Fab Fours checked all the boxes for me.

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