Does having a steel bumper help in a mild collision?

[schizolingvo]

Hi all, first post here. I've seen this discussed maybe 4 years ago here, but still nothing really covered my case.

So a couple of weeks ago I got into a traffic accident. A taxi driver basically drove under me from behind (just because a Defender is higher than a KIA Optima). As a result, the plastic on the rear bumper is trashed. It was a low speed accident, his car just couldn't brake efficiently on the snowy road, I think he bumped me at around 5-7 kmph.

Yesterday I put an order for the JL Rubi, I'm trying to plan some upgrades and front-rear bumpers I think will be the first to be replaced. The official reinforced front bumper from Mopar seems better at least because it's shorter than the stock one, which is good in the city as well, since you can't really see it from the cabin.

I don't see an official reinforced rear bumper, but there's an option from ARB which seems to fit the best. So, would it save me some repair costs in the situation I described above? Will the steel bumper absorb the hit without it transferring over to the main chassis/frame (not sure how to say it properly in English).

I understand that in a high-speed scenario the vehicle will be toast, but I think a bumper won't save there. How will that affect my personal safety in a high-speed scenario?

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[joliett]

The stock steel rear bumper is a joke.

I backed into a small tree on a trail - very, very slowly and the bumper pushed into the rear corner of the body putting a small crease in the paint. And the bumper distorted itself. Everything was barely noticeable, and it took my months to finally see the damage.

My Jeep was less than a week old, and without knowing the dash lights, I inadvertently turned off the rear backup warning alarm.

I thought the bumpers were supposed to minimize damage to from under 5 mph collisions. I was on an offroad mountain road making a u turn....very surprised and disappointed.

 

[schizolingvo]

The stock steel rear bumper is a joke.

I backed into a small tree on a trail - very, very slowly and the bumper pushed into the rear corner of the body putting a small crease in the paint. And the bumper distorted itself. Everything was barely noticeable, and it took my months to finally see the damage.

My Jeep was less than a week old, and without knowing the dash lights, I inadvertently turned off the rear backup warning alarm.

I thought the bumpers were supposed to minimize damage to from under 5 mph collisions. I was on an offroad mountain road making a u turn....very surprised and disappointed.

Did you look into any other options or just repaired the stock one?

 

[sost1sg]

Well my JLUR has the factory steel bumpers and perhaps the front is a bit more solid than the rear? I was recently involved in a 15mph collision with a driver who made an improper turn directly in front of me causing a T-bone impact situation. The Jeep fared quite well and honestly I was shocked how little damage resulted. It still cost about $900 to fix (covered by other drivers insurance) but not bad at all. No paint, frame or other body damage.

 

[Dyolfknip74]

Hi all, first post here. I've seen this discussed maybe 4 years ago here, but still nothing really covered my case.

So a couple of weeks ago I got into a traffic accident. A taxi driver basically drove under me from behind (just because a Defender is higher than a KIA Optima). As a result, the plastic on the rear bumper is trashed. It was a low speed accident, his car just couldn't brake efficiently on the snowy road, I think he bumped me at around 5-7 kmph.

Yesterday I put an order for the JL Rubi, I'm trying to plan some upgrades and front-rear bumpers I think will be the first to be replaced. The official reinforced front bumper from Mopar seems better at least because it's shorter than the stock one, which is good in the city as well, since you can't really see it from the cabin.

I don't see an official reinforced rear bumper, but there's an option from ARB which seems to fit the best. So, would it save me some repair costs in the situation I described above? Will the steel bumper absorb the hit without it transferring over to the main chassis/frame (not sure how to say it properly in English).

I understand that in a high-speed scenario the vehicle will be toast, but I think a bumper won't save there. How will that affect my personal safety in a high-speed scenario?

You're basing a vehicle and parts purchase based on when you get in another rear end accident? Is this a regular occurrence?

You could literally spend a week researching all the bumper options for the JL and there isn't one manufacturer that is going to tell you "ours is better for an accident". They're all going to tell you "for offroad use only". That's because they legally can't make them "street legal" without a shit ton of testing and certification.

Will solid steel be better in a low speed accident from behind? For sure, tear a hood open like it is tinfoil. But that energy is being transferred somewhere. That somewhere could be your frame. It's just the risk the majority of people who mod, take.

 

[BlackGenesis]

Front and rear oem steel bumper attachment (between bumper and the frame) is design to cushion impact by flexing fist during the impact. Rear bumper sits much closer to the body and it does not take much to push the corner in.

Aftermarket bumpers usually forgo impact cushioning.
Please note that rear frame kinks at about 25 mph hit. Taking cushioning away just makes matter worce.

 

[MtCamper]

I'd go with the factory plastic bumpers and change them out along with the factory rub rails. I put on a Rockhard frontbumper and their rails. I cheaped out on the rear with an Amazon Tyger. I deer tested the front bumper a week after I installed it by hitting a deer at somewhere between 25 and 40 mph. I expected to see big damage when I hopped out but only had a a little clean up to do. Zero damage to the Jeep but the deer was a total loss. I can't tell you how many times I've been up on the rails. No bends or dents but there are a lot of scratches which I expect. Haven't had any problems with the Tyger rear bumper but it did fit well and the back up sensors still work.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

I had a lady run a red turn signal and smash near head-on into my ‘18 Sport S. Luckily I had upgraded to steel Mopar take-offs. The front bumper held up extremely well, and the accident decimated her plastic Equinox. I’ve heard the rear doesn’t do much in an accident, but I’m still a fan of the steel bumpers.

 

[Mad Hatter]

From the many anecdotal experiences in this forum, I would say that the OEM Steel bumpers fare better than the plastic bumpers in many scenarios. That's why I bought my Rubi with steel.

 

[roaniecowpony]

There are at least two "steel bumpers" for the JL. The steel bumpers people pay extra for and the plastic covered steel bumpers.

I haven't seen anything that indicates the plastic covered steel bumper is somehow not as capable of taking a low speed or high speed hit. But maybe someone has that information.

I bought a RockHard aluminum front bumper for the winch capability. I still have the plastic covered rear.

If they are both as capable of hits, I would lean toward the plastic covered bumper, since they can be had for free or nearlyt so sometimes.

 

[GRXKen]

I took a hit on my stock steel bumper on the trail this summer. There was a small scuff that I was able to touch up with rustolium. Plastic bumper cover would have been toast.

Like others have said they sit close to the body and will flex at the corners. I'm making some reinforcement plates to weld into the corners

 

[JABCAT]

If you hit another object that will also crumple/move, like another vehicle, then yes the steel bumper may protect your vehicle better than the standard plastic. If you hit something solid like a tree, that force will be transferred to the frame of the Jeep.

2 examples, both with steel bumpers fwiw. 1. My wife fell asleep at the wheel after a 32 hour shift at the hospital. She was exiting the hospital parking garage and couldn’t have been going more than 10 mph when she hit a concrete pillar head on. No airbag deployment, but the entire frame of the Jeep was rippled, you could see it just looking at it. Jeep was totaled.

2. Current Jeep. Woman cuts across 3 lanes of traffic in front of us, we hit her passenger rear at probably 25 mph. Not a scratch to our vehicle, no damage whatsoever, but a nice big dent to the rear & side of her Honda Civic.

 

[Hennessey17]

Well my JLUR has the factory steel bumpers and perhaps the front is a bit more solid than the rear? I was recently involved in a 15mph collision with a driver who made an improper turn directly in front of me causing a T-bone impact situation. The Jeep fared quite well and honestly I was shocked how little damage resulted. It still cost about $900 to fix (covered by other drivers insurance) but not bad at all. No paint, frame or other body damage.

I was rear-ended in my Tiguan a couple of years ago. I was stopped and the driver was going about 15 MPH as well. The bumper *&* the tailgate were damaged... $3600 to fix... I'd say that steel bumper did its job!

 

[vegasblue]

Well my JLUR has the factory steel bumpers and perhaps the front is a bit more solid than the rear? I was recently involved in a 15mph collision with a driver who made an improper turn directly in front of me causing a T-bone impact situation. The Jeep fared quite well and honestly I was shocked how little damage resulted. It still cost about $900 to fix (covered by other drivers insurance) but not bad at all. No paint, frame or other body damage.

I would say the location of this hit helped as well. Right behind this area is the frame horn and between the two a crush can. Steel of course will hold up better than plastic 100%. If you are willing to go aftermarket, I would say some offerings will provide even more protection than stock steel. Back in the day I tube rear bumper.....that I filled with concrete. Got in one accident, best friend rear ended me in his dad's Sterling (glorified pre-Acura Honda). Totaled. I had a scratch on the receiver. Good times.

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

In my 4 decades of driving experience most accidents are not going to be a mild enough impact to be concerned about how the forces are transferred to the frame. Both bumper and frame will be damaged. Trail damage may be closer to your mild collision scenario.

In my opinion you want that force guided to the frame and not the body. If you have an off road worthy bumper then you are going to have one that doesn't crush under mild impacts like those wimpy plastic bumpers do.

With plastic bumpers, yes, you'll be less likely to damage the frame, but almost guaranteed a lot of body damage but may still have frame damage.

Just being realistic based on my experiences.

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