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Factory or aftermarket winch bumpers?

BlackdogGS

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I’m interested in a new Rubicon and was going with the steel bumpers so I could possibly add a winch later. I might be better off without and getting aftermarket bumpers when they become available. What’s your thoughts on this?

I’d like to keep the weight down as much as possible.
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Sheepjeep

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Im going after market for a few reasons

things i look for in a front is a solid construction, good recovery points good winch access, nice to haves would be factory fog mounts or equivalent, and a good price for what you get

The factory bumpers come out to be about $650 each from the factory if i was to do a price comparison, just to keep it simple. then to mount a winch in the front you need to get a $200-$300 winch plate either after market or mopar so now we are in $800 territory for the winch mount fronts. So for what that $800 gets me I am not sure about construction quality but from what I have seen other abuse theirs with looks to be good and decent, recovery point are ok they are factory tow points and are the same regardless of trim level but didn't seems to hold a strap the best so i prefer d-shackles, winch access seems very poor as it is tucked in there deep and my current winch (superwinch talon 9.5) would be a tight fit if it could fit at all and any for of maintenance or repair to the winch would be a pain. The front bumpers from a JK for the most part work with the JL so plenty of options out there for better or equal cost.


as for the rear i am not impressed for what you get for the money, just looks like the plastic bumper just made from metal does not really ad much for the money. I would like out of a rear is d-shackles, maybe a tire carrier or the option to later (depending on tire size i plan on), and extra lights. So far the aftermarket it playing catch up on that but the OEM steal bumper does not do it eaiter
 

RisingEagle

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I debated - and decided to go with aftermarket for reasons similar to @Sheepjeep.

There are hundreds of aftermarket choices for bumpers - even now, this early in release, it seems there are a lot of options since the JK front bumper fits the JL. One thing Jeep is known for is the wide choice market for aftermarket products.

For the cost (or similar) you can get something much more "customized" to the look / performance an individual wants. Being able to drop the winch lower, or mount 4 square LEDs into the bumper instead of two factory round ones, or adding a bull bar, or lots of other choices - for the same price, you can get exactly what you're wanting functionally and appearance wise.

now - if the 'stock' bumper is the look you want, or your financial situation means you can't do aftermarket chunks of money to upgrade your Jeep - then the factory steel bumper is decent enough. I like that it has a winch mount, and removable wings, and it does seem solid enough.

but for me the choice was easy; I like more grill protection for when the idiot driver pulls out in front of me, or a deer runs across the road. I have a Road Armor on my truck, and while I won't go that heavy-duty on the Jeep I'll be looking for something more protective than the stock bumper
 

dajuicejml

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I chose to go with the Mopar Steel Bumper Group from the factory so that I had something other than plastic UNTIL all of the reputable companies come to market with their JL versions. The steel bumpers have always had great re-sell online, so if/when I see something else I like, I will replace and sell my factory bumpers.
 

jhnnymac

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I debated - and decided to go with aftermarket for reasons similar to @Sheepjeep.

There are hundreds of aftermarket choices for bumpers - even now, this early in release, it seems there are a lot of options since the JK front bumper fits the JL. One thing Jeep is known for is the wide choice market for aftermarket products.

For the cost (or similar) you can get something much more "customized" to the look / performance an individual wants. Being able to drop the winch lower, or mount 4 square LEDs into the bumper instead of two factory round ones, or adding a bull bar, or lots of other choices - for the same price, you can get exactly what you're wanting functionally and appearance wise.

now - if the 'stock' bumper is the look you want, or your financial situation means you can't do aftermarket chunks of money to upgrade your Jeep - then the factory steel bumper is decent enough. I like that it has a winch mount, and removable wings, and it does seem solid enough.

but for me the choice was easy; I like more grill protection for when the idiot driver pulls out in front of me, or a deer runs across the road. I have a Road Armor on my truck, and while I won't go that heavy-duty on the Jeep I'll be looking for something more protective than the stock bumper

Road Armor has my vote - they do make Jeep bumpers - but not as beefy. If they made something like this in black for the JL I would buy it tomorrow. This one in the pic below is the small one - they have cages that wrap over the top (next pic).

6574BB2F-197E-4655-9440-2506D7213989.jpeg


75E259F6-0097-457F-97BE-BE524FAA4A77.jpeg

https://bumpersuperstore.com/i-2393...MIra6nl9P92QIVAWl-Ch29lgYPEAQYBCABEgKOZPD_BwEj
 

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BlackdogGS

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That bumper is WAY overkill for me. I want to keep the weight down and want it to look like it was designed for the Jeep.
 

jhnnymac

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If you haven’t seen it already search for this in the thread “The Bumper List” by @simpleJL - great thread with legit Jeep bumpers that will look good. :like:
 

simpleJL

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TIDALWAVE

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"jhnnymac: do you really want to give the zombies that many hand holds?
 

jhnnymac

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Damn, good point - might have to grease up the bars a bit first - lol :cwl:

Here is the link to the Jeep bumper they make

https://www.carid.com/road-armor/stealth-series-front-winch-bumper-with-pre-runner-guard.html?relationshipId=1212850159&childId=40459091&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4e7e6N7-2QIVSmx-Ch1nAA4sEAQYAiABEgLou_D_Bw

EDIT: These are for the JK not sure when thr JL is coming out. Here is a link to an older catalog. Scroll down a bit you’ll see they have a few options

https://www.carid.com/images/road-armor/pdf/road-armor-catalog.pdf
 

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078944DE-7C09-4D11-89CE-5A4CB3547B2D.jpeg
AE75AB5F-3433-443A-B507-C8B61DAFF951.jpeg
That bumper is WAY overkill for me. I want to keep the weight down and want it to look like it was designed for the Jeep.
Check out Genright Offroad if you want lightweight but strong bumpers, theirs are made from aluminum. Poison Spyder makes great bumpers too!
 

Cokerat

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BlackdogGS

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Genright looks amazing. I wonder if it plays with the sway bar disconnect ok?
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