Factory Steel Bumper A Worthwhile Upgrade Over Plastic?

[zw470]

Trying to decide what I wanna do with my rear bumper. I was originally planning on some kind of minimalist "fascia" style, but the more I think about it the more I really dislike all the available license plate relocation brackets.

The AEV rear bumper looks really nice, but I hate how it forces you to mount the spare so high.

That pretty much just leaves the factory steel bumper. I'm sure the bumper itself is stronger than the plastic one, but I've seen posts showing how it can still flex into and damage the body. And of course there's that 11 page thread about reinforcing it to prevent that.

Realistically I don't wheel hard enough to need a bombproof bumper, but I could say the same for pretty much everything I've done to my Jeep. I could probably just get away with a pair of those Maximus-3 tow loops as some extra protection, but it just feels weird to me to have a stronger front bumper and sliders together with a plastic rear bumper

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[Chile1]

The steel Mopar bumper is definitely an upgrade to the cheap plastic. I've done overlanding trips with my current set up and I've never had any problems (although I'm running 37' so there is plenty of clearance for reasonable obstacles). I'm not into rock crawling or looking for them on purpose while off-road, but for those rocks/obstacles that have been in my way, i've not had any issues.

 

[Aonar]

Personally I wouldn't spend money on the rear metal. Once I am home from work, I will link a pic. I was extremely careful on the one wheeling trip I was on with the metal rear. Still, I ended up with rear body damage. If you were to state that you would never wheel or that you don't care about body damage, then get the oem metal. Your milage may vary.

 

[dragoneggs]

This is the aluminum rear bumper from RockHard4x4 that I have had my eye on for awhile. Already have the front mid-width and really like it. Spendy, but great quality and lightweight.

No license plate relocation necessary. I still need to verify the bumper will be compatible with 35s.

https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-90340.htm

 

[zw470]

This is the aluminum rear bumper from RockHard4x4 that I have had my eye on for awhile. Already have the front mid-width and really like it. Spendy, but great quality and lightweight.

No license plate relocation necessary. I still need to verify the bumper will be compatible with 35s.

https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-90340.htm

No cutout for the spare so I'd have the same problem with that one as the AEV

 

[Adv_aw8s]

I ordered our jeep with factory steel bumpers hoping they would hold up. I like the look of them. I'm running the steel front but I just flexed my rear into the body and winter4x4jamboree so now I'm installing the AEV bumper with tire carrier. The AEV bumper can take a hit and I like how it ties into the jeep lines well and looks factory.

 

[zw470]

If the AEV bumper looked like the prototype it wouldn't even be a discussion, I'd already have one.

 

[dragoneggs]

No cutout for the spare so I'd have the same problem with that one as the AEV

What size tire are you trying to accommodate? And how much do you need to lift the spare to make the AEV work? Is it really that much of an issue?

 

[zw470]

What size tire are you trying to accommodate? And how much do you need to lift the spare to make the AEV work? Is it really that much of an issue?

Just a 35. But the way the AEV is designed the whole spare has to sit above it.

You can see how much higher that spare is compared to mine, which is maybe an inch away from the sides of the cutout in the factory plastic bumper.

Wow, she really sits crooked with a full tank of gas

 

[dragoneggs]

My guess looking at it you would have to raise at least 4 maybe 5in. That is more that I was expecting. Raising that weight up that much is significant not to mention rear view blockage. Hmm...

When I ordered my front bumper from RockHard4x4 I asked them to delete the bull bar... no problem, our pleasure. I realize that wasn't hard for them to do, saved me a few dollars and weight, and I love the look. They were great to work with. Maybe I will see if they might do a custom rear tire recess similar to the AEV prototype?

 

[Aonar]

Trying to decide what I wanna do with my rear bumper. I was originally planning on some kind of minimalist "fascia" style, but the more I think about it the more I really dislike all the available license plate relocation brackets.

The AEV rear bumper looks really nice, but I hate how it forces you to mount the spare so high.

That pretty much just leaves the factory steel bumper. I'm sure the bumper itself is stronger than the plastic one, but I've seen posts showing how it can still flex into and damage the body. And of course there's that 11 page thread about reinforcing it to prevent that.

Realistically I don't wheel hard enough to need a bombproof bumper, but I could say the same for pretty much everything I've done to my Jeep. I could probably just get away with a pair of those Maximus-3 tow loops as some extra protection, but it just feels weird to me to have a stronger front bumper and sliders together with a plastic rear bumper

zw470, if you go to this link, you will see the damage I mentioned and my write-up on the @Metalcloak bumper I put on.

They have designed it specifically to help eliminate the up-flex. They offer exceptional customer service as well. So far, I am using their sliders and the bumper.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[AnnDee4444]

There are a few things you can do to strengthen the OEM steel bumper: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/oem-steel-rear-bumper-rock-rail-improvements.90638/

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